Subordination in Conversation

A cross-linguistic perspective

Edited by Ritva Laury and Ryoko Suzuki
University of Helsinki / Keio University

The articles in this volume examine the notion of clausal subordination based on English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Japanese conversational data. Some of the articles approach ‘subordination’ in terms of social action, taking into account what participants are doing with their talk, considering topics such as the use of clauses as projector phrases and as devices for organizing the participant structure of the conversation. Other articles focus on the emergence of clause combinations diachronically and synchronically, taking on topics such as the grammaticalization of clauses and conjunctions into discourse markers, and the continuum nature of syntactic subordination. In all of the articles, linguistic forms are considered to be emergent from recurrent practices engaged in by participants in conversation. The contributions critically examine central syntactic notions in interclausal relations and their relevance to the description of clause combining in conversational language, to the structure of conversation, and to the interactional functions of language.

[Studies in Language and Social Interaction, 24]  2011.  viii, 244 pp.
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Table of Contents

List of contributors
vii–viii
Introduction
Ritva Laury and Ryoko Suzuki
1–10
N be that-constructions in everyday German conversation: A reanalysis of ‘die Sache ist/das Ding ist’ (‘the thing is’)-clauses as projector phrases
Susanne Günthner
11–36
Interrogative “complements” and question design in Estonian
Leelo Keevallik
37–68
Syntactic and actional characteristics of Finnish että-clauses
Aino Koivisto, Ritva Laury and Eeva-Leena Seppänen
69–102
Clause-combining and the sequencing of actions: Projector constructions in French talk-in-interaction
Simona Pekarek Doehler
103–148
A note on the emergence of quotative constructions in Japanese conversation
Ryoko Suzuki
149–164
Clines of subordination – constructions with the German ‘complement-taking predicate’ glauben
Wolfgang Imo
165–190
Are kara ‘because’-clauses causal subordinate clauses in present-day Japanese?
Yuko Higashiizumi
191–208
Teyuuka and I mean as pragmatic parentheticals in Japanese and English
Ritva Laury and Shigeko Okamoto
209–238
Name index
239–242
Subject index
243–244

Quotes

“The analyses presented are both interesting and insightful, and all highlight the value of studying actual language use in its specific context of use. Moreover, in their questioning of traditional accounts and provision of alternative analyses, the authors clearly highlight the need for giving further empirical thought to the nature and place of subordination within grammatical systems. Subordination, simply put, remains a central and yet to be fully understood topic within linguistic theory.

In terms of readership, Subordination in Conversation will be of interest to those seeking a more comprehensive and critical view of subordination based on cross-linguistic data,

particularly those inclined to treat grammatical phenomena as emerging from the way language is put to use. It will also be of interest to anyone concerned with the implications of modality for analyzing language, and specifically, the manner in which language-users combine clauses in order to frame and structure ongoing conversations.”
Mark Brenchley, University of Exeter, on Linguist List 22-3948 (2011)

Subjects

Benjamins Subject classification

BIC Subject

CFK: Grammar, syntax

BISAC Subject

LAN009000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics
U.S. Library of Congress Control Number:  2011005989
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