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Interactional Linguistics
Vol. 1:1 (2021) ► pp.123–151

The grammar of proposals for joint activities

ORCID logo | UC Santa Barbara
| University of Colorado, Boulder
| University of Colorado, Boulder
The action of proposing has been studied from various perspectives in research on talk-in-interaction, both in mundane as well as in institutional talk. Aiming to exemplify Interactional Linguistics as a drawing together of insights from Linguistics and Conversation Analysis, we explore the grammar of proposals and the stances displayed by participants in making proposals in the context of joint activities, where a future or hypothetical activity is being put forth as something the speaker and recipient(s) might do together. Close examination of interactions among American English-speaking adults reveals four recurrent grammatical formats for issuing proposals: Let’s, Why don’t we, Modal Declaratives, and Modal Interrogatives. We argue that these four formats for doing proposing within a joint activity are used in socially distinct environments, contributing to a growing understanding of the fit between entrenched linguistic patterns and the social work they have evolved to do.
Keywords: proposal, joint activities, (grammatical) format, let’s , grammar, deontic strength
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Establishing a collection of joint-activity proposals
  • 3.The grammar of proposals for joint activities
    • 3.1 Let’s
    • 3.2 Why don’t we (WDW)
    • 3.3Modal Declaratives
    • 3.4Modal Interrogatives
  • 4.Discussion
    • 4.1The action of proposing a joint activity
    • 4.2The grammar of proposing a joint activity
  • 5.Conclusion: Grammar in the service of deontic symmetry
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References


This article is available free of charge.

Published online: 6 May 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/il.20011.tho
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