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Part of
Positioning the Self and Others: Linguistic perspectives
Edited by Kate Beeching, Chiara Ghezzi and Piera Molinelli
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 292] 2018
► pp. 155–175

Chapter 7
Direct speech, subjectivity and speaker positioning in London English and Paris French

This paper examines functional similarities and differences in the use of pragmatic features – in particular quotatives and general extenders – on the right and left periphery of direct quotations. This comparative study, based on the analysis of a contemporary corpus of London English and Paris French (MLE – MPF), finds that the form and frequency of these particles tend to vary not only with respect to social factors such as speakers’ age and gender, but also with respect to the different pragmatic functions they come to perform in different interactional settings. The contemporary data is analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively to show how different variants position the speaker in relation to: (i) the content of the quote, (ii) the interlocutors, (iii) the presumed author of the quote. The paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of pragmatic universals and variability in the use of direct speech.

Keywords: direct speech, quotatives, general extenders, language variation and change
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background/literature review
    • 2.1Characteristics of direct speech in spoken language
    • 2.2The evolving functions of direct speech: A diachronic perspective
  • 3.Data and methods
  • 4.Findings: Pragmatic functions and speaker positioning
    • 4.1Hedging and approximation
    • 4.2Imitation, focus and emphasis
    • 4.3Inner monologue
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
  • Appendix
Published online: 17 July 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.292.07sec
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