Publications
Publication details [#45640]
Vandelanotte, Lieven. 2007. Mister so-called X: Discourse functions and subjectification of so-called. In Butler, Christopher S., Julia Lavid and Raquel Hidalgo Downing, eds. Functional Perspectives on Grammar and Discourse: In honour of Angela Downing. (Studies in Language Companion Series 85). John Benjamins. pp. 359–394. ![DOI logo](https://benjamins.com/logos/doi-logo.svg)
Publication type
Article in book
Publication language
English
Place, Publisher
John Benjamins
Annotation
This paper explores the usage range of the pattern Mister so-called X on the basis of internet data. In a first step it is argued that framing adjectives such as so-called, alleged, and purported involve interpersonal rather than representational meaning and structure. Secondly, of the different framing adjectives, so-called is shown to be the one which has come to be used most often with dissociative affect, a development which is co-enabled by its high frequency and its lack of very strong register preferences and collocates. Finally, in a set of 88 observations of the pattern Mister so-called X collected through WebCorp [www.webcorp.org.uk], the paper distinguishes different usage patterns and relates these in terms of subjectification.