Discourse Studies 1–24 © The Author(s) 2016 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1461445616646924 dis.sagepub.com Ignorance-unmasking questions in the Royal–Sarkozy presidential debate: A resource to claim epistemic authority Laura Vincze University of Macerata, Italy Ramona Bongelli University of Macerata, Italy Ilaria Riccioni University of Macerata, Italy Andrzej Zuczkowski University of Macerata, Italy Abstract The article presents an analysis of the ways in which knowledge is displayed, contested and renegotiated in the 2007 French presidential debate between Ségolène Royal and Nicolas Sarkozy. Knowledge displays can be achieved through a series of ‘neutral’ resources, such as informing, explanation or comment, or through face-damaging resources, such as questioning an unknowledgeable interlocutor to prove his inferior epistemic status (K-) and boost one’s own. The article focuses on this latter type of knowledge display where a knowledgeable participant (K+) engages in question–answer sequences with an unknowledgeable respondent (K-) in front of a third party (the audience). The article also undertakes an analysis of the multimodal strategies employed by the (K+) participant to discredit the (K-) opponent (ironic smiles and laughter). Corresponding author: Laura Vincze, Department of Education Sciences, Cultural Heritage and Tourism, University of Macerata, Piazzale Luigi Bertelli, 62100 Macerata, Italy. Email: laura.vincze@unimc.it 646924DIS 0010.1177/1461445616646924Discourse StudiesVincze et al. research-article 2016 Article by guest on June 20, 2016 dis.sagepub.com Downloaded from