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Part of
Perspectives on Arabic Linguistics XXXI: Papers from the annual symposium on Arabic Linguistics, Norman, Oklahoma, 2017
Edited by Amel Khalfaoui and Youssef A. Haddad
[Studies in Arabic Linguistics 8] 2019
► pp. 159–180

Speaker-oriented attitude datives as authority indexicals

Evidence from family talk in the Syrian soap opera ba:b l-ħa:ra

Most, if not all, Arabic dialects license the use of optional dative pronouns that index or point to the speaker as an authority figure in relation to the hearer and the activity that the speaker and hearer are involved in. I refer to these pronouns as speaker-oriented attitude datives and analyze the social conditions on their use as authority indexicals. I focus on directives (e.g., orders, requests) used during family talk in the Syrian soap opera ba:b l-ħa:ra ‘the neighborhood gate.’

Keywords: authority, attitude datives, indexicality, power, pragmatic markers, family talk
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.What is authority and how is it indexed?
  • 3.The source of data
  • 4.The sociocultural context of ba:b l-ħa:ra
  • 5.SP-ADs, family interactions, and indexicality
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgement
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 8 July 2019
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/sal.8.07had
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