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.
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.