Finnish [verb repeat + vai]: Its use as a newsmark and a challenge

This article relates to the research on discourse particles in the field of pragmatics. More specifically, it discusses the different uses of a Finnish construction that consists of a verb repeat of the previous turn and the questioning discourse particle vai (e.g. on vai be-3 PRT). Although syntactically a question, previous studies have repeatedly characterized [verb repeat + vai ] as a responsive action, that is, a newsmark or an assertion of ritualized disbelief. This study shows that [verb repeat + vai ] is involved in a variety of related actions that differ with respect to whether they treat the prior talk as delivering (unexpected) news or whether they foreshadow problems of acceptability and thus function as initiations of repair. The important parameters are the action [verb repeat + vai ] responds to (whether it is a piece of news or something else) and the speakers’ epistemic positionings with respect to the matter at hand. The data are in Finnish with English translations. The method is Conversation Analysis. • Finnish [verb repeat + vai ‘or’] has conventionalized use as a newsmark. • [Verb repeat + vai ] can also indicate that the prior informing was counter to previous understanding. • Some uses function as predisagreements. • The uses of [verb repeat + vai ] share similarities with other-repetition in general.