ABSTRACT
This ‘reached old age’ oldness is also achieved by Mrs Farming at other times through other attributes she associates with older age. Discussing her problems with a solicitor after the death of her husband, for example, Mrs Farming summarizes the upshot of her story with “at ninety it's not quite the place to be in that situation”. As Joellen prepares Mrs Farming’s hair for a perm, she, Clare and Rachel have become increasingly giggly. Mrs Farming has joined in occasionally with this laughter, but then makes what could be heard as a reproof. Mrs Farming’s assertions are produced with markers of full epistemic authority – imperatives rather than qualified statements of belief, instructions as to what to do, and how to do it. Mrs Farming and Mrs France both used a number of ageing-relevant terms and expressions; by contrast, there is only one sequence in which Joanna herself introduced such expressions.
