Constructing agency in interview interactions: Encounters of Finnish speakers with asymmetrical linguistic resources

Authors

• Kaarina Hippi University of Oulu & University of Helsinki

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23997/pk.127452

Keywords:

agency, Finnish as a second language, interaction, interview, polyphony

Abstract

The article discusses participation in Finnish-language conversation among speakers with
asymmetrical linguistic resources. The analysis examines video-recorded interviews of four
participants. The interviewees describe their language use with an interlocutor who had
either a weaker or stronger command of Finnish. The aim of the article is to gain a deeper
understanding of agency in the described encounters where linguistic asymmetries were
noticeable. The analysis focuses on the embodied communication present in the interviews
as well as the different voices intertwined with the descriptions of asymmetrical interactions.
In addition, the research sheds light on how the interviewees evaluate their actions.