On the Preference for Remembering: Acknowledging an Answer With Finnish Ai Nii(n) (“Oh That's Right”)

Abstract

This article identifies a phenomenon called “the preference for remembering.” This is conversationalists’ orientation to their epistemic responsibilities to remember and to take into account things from the past that are relevant to the here-and-now interactional moment. The focus is on the Finnish particle cluster ai nii(n) (“oh that's right”) that a speaker may use when they hear their recipient's answer to their question. Through ai nii(n), the speaker claims that she actually already had independent access to the information requested—but did not remember it until hearing the answer. The article will show that these claims of only-now-remembering are used as accounts for asking (what turn out to be) inapposite questions.

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