Chapter published in:
Fixed Expressions: Building language structure and social actionEdited by Ritva Laury and Tsuyoshi Ono
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 315] 2020
► pp. 11–40
‘I understand’-initiated formulations of the other
A semi-fixed claim to the intersubjective
Leelo Keevallik | Linköping University
Ann Weatherall | Victoria University of Wellington
Some language patterns appear fixed at a certain time, enabling their
description as grammatical structures. Semi-fixed patterns that routinely
accomplish specific social actions constitute more of an analytical
challenge. This chapter targets the phrase ma saan aru ‘I
understand’ in Estonian together with the ensuing other-attentive
formulation ‘2nd person expression + a cognitive concept’ and argues that it
is a semi-fixed expression, a “claim to the intersubjective”, that manages a
misalignment between participants. While claiming to have successfully
accessed the other’s motives or feelings, the speaker regularly advances her
own agenda through the formulation of the other. This suggests a systematic
relationship between cognitive lexicon, grammatical structure, and
interactional function, and calls for a language theory that incorporates
semi-fixedness.
Keywords: semi-fixed expressions, formulaic language, conversation analysis, intersubjectivity, complement taking predicates, misalignment, formulation, cognitive verb, Estonian
Published online: 10 December 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.315.02kee
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.315.02kee
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