Face Threats in Diagnostic News Delivery: The Example of Ifá Diviner-Client Consultative Interactions in South-Western Nigeria
Face Threats in Diagnostic News Delivery: The Example of Ifá Diviner-Client Consultative Interactions in South-Western Nigeria

Summary/Abstract: This study explores the linguistic strategies engaged by the Ifá diviners for performing face threatening acts politely in diagnostic news delivery in their consultative interactions with clients in South-western Nigeria. Six face-threatening acts and three linguistic strategies for performing these acts politely emerge from the data: delivering bad/unfortunate news about client’s spiritual case and expressing accusation for cause of client’s spiritual problem, using bald on record strategy; expressing emotional/divisive revelation about client’s diagnosed predicament via positive politeness strategy; giving client instruction on childlessness-averting action, offering spiritual assistance to client and promising client spiritual support, engaging off record strategy. The study provides insights into the nature of preternatural conflict discourse, complements studies on conflict management in humanistic scholarship in Nigeria, and provides a veritably helpful tool for language teaching.

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