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Relevance Theory, Figuration, and Continuity in Pragmatics
Edited by Agnieszka Piskorska
[Figurative Thought and Language 8] 2020
► pp. 95–119

Chapter 4
The Greek connective gar

Different genres, different effects?

| St. Mellitus College, UK | SIL International

Traditional accounts of the Greek connective gar offer an inadequate causal definition, while multiplying descriptive categories. Linguistic accounts have paid little attention to the role of gar in different kinds of communication. This article proposes a relevance-theoretic procedural explanation which provides a unifying cognitive explanation for gar’s communicative role. Gar indicates that the premise it introduces is relevant in relation to a previously communicated claim, which, when combined with implicit assumptions, it strengthens. This strengthening may work itself out differently in diverse kinds of communication: typically, as confirmation in argumentation, and explanation in narrative. Perceived differences in stylistic effects sometimes associated with gar are attributable not to multiple functions, but to recognition of differing communicator goals in narrative and argumentation.

Keywords: cognitive effect of strengthening, persuasion, connectives, gar , Koine Greek, argumentation, narrative, procedural marker, New Testament, epistemic vigilance
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Traditional and linguistic accounts of gar
  • 3.Argumentation and narrative
    • 3.1Defining argumentation and narrative
    • 3.2 Gar in argumentation and narrative
  • 4.A procedural account of gar
    • 4.1Blass’s proposed account of gar
    • 4.2Examples of gar in argumentation and hortatory material
    • 4.3 Gar in narrative texts
  • 5.Different stylistic effects?
  • 6.Epistemic vigilance and stylistic effects?
  • 7.Communicator goals, expectations of relevance and stylistic effects
  • 8.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 20 May 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ftl.8.04cas
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Cited by 2 other publications

Kroeger, Paul
2022. “For She Loved Much”: Reason Clauses in Translation. Journal of Translation 18:1 ► pp. 13 ff. DOI logo
Piskorska, Agnieszka
2023. Has madam read Wilson (2016)?. Pragmatics. Quarterly Publication of the International Pragmatics Association (IPrA) 33:3 ► pp. 486 ff. DOI logo

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