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A case of ‘questions’ and a question of ‘case’

This paper examines question formation, selection and sequencing in the contrasting contexts of a traditional Moot Court and a Vittage Court among the Huli of Papua New Guinea. It is concerned with the continuities and discontinuities between these Systems in terms of the nature and structure o f speech, role relationships, and gender-inflected patterns. Differentials in the above are in pari responsible for a contrast in discourse strategy between Huli women and men. The former seem to provide more 'reason-based' Statements whereas men seem to leave justificational structure to inferencingbytheaudience. This paper further argues that sociolinguistic studies of questioning processes in tribal disputes have radical implications for our appreciation of the traditional literaturey äs well äs the methodology and theoretics, o f legal anthropology.