In this paper, we document the temporal and contingent nature of noun phrases (NPs). Focusing on relativized NPs, we show that they are produced as an interactional accomplishment, emerging from how participants adapt to each other’s verbal and non-verbal conduct. Based on 20 hours of French conversation, we identify two types of emergent complex NPs, and document their interactional working: Those resulting from a current speaker’s adding on a relative clause increment to his/her preceding turn; and those resulting from a next speaker’s production of such an increment, yielding jointly constructed NPs. We discuss implications for our understanding of the NP as an emergent unit, of the subordinate (or not) status of relative clauses, and of the notion of increment.
Article outline
1.Introduction
2.Formal properties of on-line emergent relativized NPs
2.1Relativized NPs resulting from self-incrementation
2.2Relativized NPs resulting from other-incrementation
3.The interactional workings of on-line emergent relativized NPs
3.1Self-incrementing an NP by means of an RC: Pursuing uptake and repairing reference
3.2Other-incrementing an NP by means of an RC: Initiating referential repair and accomplishing a disaligning action
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