The presentation of indirectness and power in everyday life

This article investigates indirectness in the African American speech community. It argues that indirectness is an identity producing (and revealing) discourse strategy where participants launch, detect, and critique multiple meanings in interactions and narratives. In this sense, indirection goes beyond illocutionary force and is an integral part of the overall participation framework, including social context. More directly, this article focuses on the importance of the audience/witness in the critique of power relationships and interactions where bigotry and injustice are suspected. It reconsiders the interrelationship between politeness, coolness and social face and indirectness, performativity and topic formation in African American discourse. It focuses on the importance of the audience as both co-author and witness and argues that indirectness is a typical and predictable strategy in making meaning in everyday interactions. By focusing on interaction and discourses of power regarding race, racism and social class, indirectness can be viewed as a frame and code for marking and framing intentionality and challenging social face.