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Part of
Pragmatic Markers and Peripheries
Edited by Daniël Van Olmen and Jolanta Šinkūnienė
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 325] 2021
► pp. 229–250

Chapter 8
Žinai ‘you know’ in Lithuanian discourse

Distributional features and functional profile

ORCID logo | Vilnius University

This corpus-based study focuses on the frequency, distribution patterns and functional profile of the pragmatic marker žinai ‘you know’ in Lithuanian spoken discourse and fiction. The data for the study comes from interviews, spontaneous private conversations and a parallel corpus of English and Lithuanian fiction texts. The results show that žinai ‘you know’ can occupy clause initial, medial and final positions, in which it can perform various functions. They range from textual (indicating a word search or hesitation, sustaining the flow of discourse, offering a clarification, introducing information or arguments) to interpersonal (making reference to common knowledge and seeking understanding or agreement from the addressee).

Keywords: žinai ‘you know’, pragmatic marker, syntactic position, functional profile, Lithuanian, (inter)subjectivity
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Data and methods
  • 3.Results and discussion
    • 3.1Frequency and semantic distribution
    • 3.2Functional profile of žinai
      • 3.2.1Hesitation and word search
      • 3.2.2Sustaining discourse
      • 3.2.3Clarification or reformulation
      • 3.2.4Introducing an argument / new information
      • 3.2.5Seeking understanding / agreement
    • 3.3Functional distribution of žinai in different types of discourse
  • 4.Concluding remarks
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Data sources
  • References
Published online: 13 October 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.325.08sin
References

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Interview database Vilnius Speaking (compiled by the Department of Sociolinguistics of the Institute of the Lithuanian Language)
[URL]
The Corpus of Spoken Lithuanian (compiled at Vytautas Magnus University)
[URL]
ParaCorpEN→LT→EN Bidirectional Parallel Corpus of English and Lithuanian
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