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Building Categories in Interaction: Linguistic resources at work
Edited by Caterina Mauri, Ilaria Fiorentini and Eugenio Goria
[Studies in Language Companion Series 220] 2021
► pp. 73–110

Chapter 4
Category-building lists between grammar and interaction

A constructionist view

| University of Turin
| University of Bologna

Lists are one of the most common devices that are used in interaction to refer to a category. Yet, there are only few studies that analyze the relationship between lists and categorization. Our paper aims at advancing our knowledge of this relationship, and of lists in general. From a theoretical point of view, we discuss the benefits of integrating the Construction Grammar approach to lists adopted in Masini et al. (2018) with some of the basic assumptions of Interactional Linguistics. From an empirical point of view, we offer a qualitative analysis of lists based on data from two corpora of spoken Italian: the LIP corpus (De Mauro et al. 1993) and the KIParla corpus (Mauri et al. 2019a). In particular, we discuss a case study on the use of the Italian discourse marker insomma within list constructions: while it serves as a reformulation marker in most of its uses, insomma also proves to be used (more marginally) as a category introducer within category-building lists. Our findings provide useful insight to ultimately bridge the gap between denotation lists as a reference-oriented phenomenon and other types of mechanisms that are relevant at the discourse level, including conversational repair.

Keywords: list, categorization, construction grammar, interactional linguistics, spoken Italian, reformulation, discourse marker
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1What is a list?
    • 1.2Lists and categorization
  • 2.Lists between grammar and discourse
    • 2.1Lists as constructions
    • 2.2Lists in interaction
      • 2.2.1Lists and spoken syntax
      • 2.2.2The temporal organization of lists
        • 2.2.2.1Pre-detailing
        • 2.2.2.2Post-detailing
      • 2.2.3Dialogicity in list production
    • 2.3Interim summary: Bridging the gap between grammar and interaction
  • 3.Between categorization and reformulation: The case of insomma
    • 3.1Discourse markers and lists
    • 3.2Insomma and lists: Data
    • 3.3Theoretical discussion
  • 4.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 6 December 2021
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https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.220.04gor
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