Voicing conflict: Moral evaluation and responsibility in a Sri Lankan Muslim family's conversations

• Sri Lankan Muslims have a complex, conflicted relationship with Sinhalese and Tamils.
• Sri Lankan Muslims employ voicing to evaluate other individuals and ethnic groups.
• Configurations of difference embed morality and/or responsibility.
• Responsibility is central in how speakers situate themselves in relation to others.

This article builds on literature on language and positionality to explore the role of voicing in the way individuals configure social differences. Drawing on research during the last phase of the Sri Lankan civil war, I examine how a Muslim family employs voicing to evaluate other individuals and ethnic groups in a way that pertains to morality and responsibility. I suggest that in an atmosphere of enshrouding fear, responsibility is not only an issue in terms of people's accountability for what they say and do but is also central in the way people situate themselves in relation to others.