Agire in lingue diverse: riflessioni sul binomio ‘forma e azione’ nelle pratiche comparative

Understanding how speakers recognize actions in talk is fundamental both for theories on intercultural communication and for practices involving cross-linguistic analysis (translation, interpreting and mediation). Drawing from Conversation Analysis, recent studies have shown that interactants manage to understand and respond to their interlocutors with precision, speed and no apparent effort, relaying on interactional mechanisms that are universal and contextually-based. Since when the notion action first appeared in Austin’s lectures, scholars from different trends and traditions adopted alternative positions about the relationship between form and context, as well as on the relevance of each in performing and recognizing social actions in talk. The contribution argues for a major role of the second and reflects on possible outcomes for comparative practices.