ABSTRACT
In this chapter I discuss the sociolinguistics of Mambila spider divination. A local myth is presented to justify the indigenous view that the process of divination is a conversation. Such a perspective may explain why the results of divination consultations seem to conform to the preference for agreement in conversation as identified in pragmatics. Although a log of divination results strongly supports this interpretation, a decision tree analysis suggests that it is overstated. The process of question statement and restatement, formulation and reformulation which is a natural part of divinatory praxis both justifies the validity of the divination logs and explains why even in ambiguous cases diviners tend towards ‘accentuating the positive’.
