Article In: Perspectives in Systemic Functional Linguistics: A celebration of the fiftieth international congress
Edited by Tom Bartlett
[Language, Context and Text 8:1] 2026

Shunting in grammatical description

Are declarative and interrogative clear-cut categories in Khorchin Mongolian?

 | University of International Business and Economics
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
The paper offers two alternative descriptions of Khorchin Mongolian interpersonal grammar around the issue of whether the language makes a clear-cut distinction between declarative and interrogative. The discussion is grounded mainly in the co-occurrence of clause-final particles and the different tense suffixes we observe in Khorchin Mongolian conversations. The paper additionally proposes a model of dialogue that complements Halliday’s characterisation in terms of giving and demanding of information or goods-&-services. It conceptualises conversation as a site for the interactive positioning of interlocutors in terms of their knowledge and responsibility, which is foregrounded in the interpersonal grammar of Khorchin Mongolian. In doing so, the paper alerts to the dangers of mistaking hypotheses with assumptions and highlights the importance of shunting in systemic functional language description and typology.
Article outline
  • 1.Setting the scene
  • 2.Description I: Exchanging information and goods-&-services
  • 3.Description 1 (continued): Negotiating propositions
    • 3.1Co-occurrence of clause-final particles and participial tense suffixes in declaratives
    • 3.2Co-occurrence of clause-final particles and non-participial tense suffixes in declaratives
    • 3.3The stance system and interrogative clauses
  • 4.Description II: Degree of settledness
  • 5.Concluding
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations used in glossing
  • Author queries
  • References
References (69)
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