A particular kind of ‘action-reaction’

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-222
Author(s):  
Domnita Dumitrescu
Keyword(s):  
Speech Act ◽  
Syntactic Structure ◽  
Opposite Polarity ◽  
Discourse Function ◽  
Sequence Dependent ◽  
Initial Move ◽  
Dyadic Exchange

In this article, I discuss a particular (and little studied) action-reaction exchange in Spanish and Romanian, consisting of a dyadic exchange where an exploratory speech act (i.e., a question) is followed by a sequence-dependent reactive speech act, which repeats parts or all of the trigger’s structure in an interrogative form. Rather than being a canonical echo question, the reactive speech act under discussion represents what I call an Interrogative Echo Response (IER), by virtue of the fact that it provides an answer of opposite polarity to that of the initiative move put forward by the questioner (or Interrogative Echo Reply, when the response may or must be explicitly provided after the sequence-dependent interrogative utterance). In both languages, these IERs (and IERps) have a distinct syntactic structure, and the discourse function they fulfill is that of rhetorically challenging the validity of the initial move and providing (or implying) a response of opposite polarity with regard to the triggering question.

REQUESTING SPEECH ACT OF UTTERANCES IN OCEAN’S ELEVEN BY STEVEN SODERBERGH: A PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 410
Author(s):  
Nurul Hasanah ◽  
Japen Sarage
Keyword(s):  
Speech Acts ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
Syntactic Structure ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Parts Of Speech ◽  
The Real ◽  
Syntactic Form ◽  
Pragmatic Analysis ◽  
Actual Use

The term sentence and utterance are made different in terms that the former refers to syntactic structure, while the latter points out the actual function of such a structure in real communication. The same things apply to the terms request and requesting. The first term suggests the structural characteristics of sentence asking people to do something while the second term indicates the real sentence causing people to do something. The first deals with formal grammar while the second deals with pragmatics the actual use of language in communication.This article attempts to see requesting in its possible different syntactic forms as parts of speech acts in Ocean’sEleven by Steven Soderbergh. A pragmatic approach is applied since it uses context as a part of linguistic analysis involving the speaker, addressee, time, location, and genre in the conversation. A syntactic form of a sentence only cannot represent the real meaning of intention.The analysis of speech act of the conversation in the film brings us to an understanding that pragmatics encourage us to comprehend different kinds of setting to achieve requesting as a part of language use. Pragmatics as a branch of linguistics reveals mutual understanding between the speaker and the hearer.

scholarly journals Features of the Use of Addressed Statements in Russian Orthodox Sermon

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (10) ◽  
pp. 9-25
Author(s):  
V. A. Burtsev
Keyword(s):  
Speech Act ◽  
Syntactic Structure ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Illocutionary Force ◽  
Russian Orthodox ◽  
Main Method ◽  
Illocutionary Act ◽  
New Type ◽  
The Subject

The features of the use of addressed utterances are considered from the point of view of the concept of asubjectivation, as opposed to the locuous activity of the subject of speech. Asubjectivation is defined as the presence in the semantics of the statement of the point of view of a non-assertive judgment subject, which is not perceived by the speaker’s sphere of consciousness and imposes restrictions on the meaning of the illocutionary act. The main method for identifying and describing asubjectivation in addressed utterances in a sermon is the identification of the scope and illocutionary force of the utterance. It has been proven that addressed utterances in a sermon, regardless of the speaker’s intentions, cover any communication participants, including those who turn out to be casual listeners. In addition, asubjectivation manifests itself as a requirement for the speaker to perform the illocutionary act “informative”, addressed to all participants in communication together, and at the same time — the speech act “message”, which regulates adequate interaction with the recipients of speech when using the language in the sermon. As a material, the authors considered statements built on the grammatical base of sentences with propositional (complex with additional clauses) and non-propositional meanings (impersonal with a due predicate). The relevance of the research is associated with the study of a new type of relationship in the semantic-syntactic structure of the sentence. The concept of asubjectivation allows us to formulate principles that regulate the features of referential relations in the structure of a sentence, taking into account the specifics of discourse.

Discourse analysis models for second language teaching

1987 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-75
Author(s):  
Gillian Perrett
Keyword(s):  
Speech Act ◽  
Speech Act Theory ◽  
Language Function ◽  
Second Language Teaching ◽  
Discourse Function ◽  
Communicative Acts ◽  
Illocutionary Acts ◽  
The Social ◽  
Analysis Models ◽  
Interactional Discourse

Abstract The categories of the functional-notional syllabus are inadequate because, like the speech act theory on which they are based, they recognize only the social function of language and not its discourse function. A further difficulty is that illocutionary acts do not map onto single utterances as this approach to syllabus design appears to assume. Communicative acts in interactional discourse function both as illocutionary acts (they have an intentional effect on another participant) and as interactional acts (they have a role in structuring the discourse of the interaction). This paper discusses attempts by various discourse analysts to model this fact in three different ways: (1) to conflate both types of function into a single analysis (John Dore), (2) to code all utterances for both types of function keeping the two sets of analysis separate (Willis Edmonson) and (3) to code the two types of function in a manner which relates them to each other in a systematic manner (Gordon Wells, Jim Martin). Problems with each solution are discussed, but the need for language materials writers to take a broader view of language function is stressed.

scholarly journals Two cases of prominent internal possessor constructions

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandy Ritchie
Keyword(s):  
Information Structure ◽  
Syntactic Structure ◽  
Control Object ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Sentence Structure ◽  
Discourse Function ◽  
Non Local ◽  
Object Agreement

This paper outlines a new analysis of the syntactic structure and discourse function of a ‘prominent internal possessor construction’ (PIPC) in Chimane (unclassified, Bolivia) and compares it with an existing analysis of a different kind of PIPC found in Maithili (Indo- Aryan, India/Nepal). PIPCs in Chimane and Maithili involve an apparently non-local agreement relation between verbs and possessors which are internal to possessive NPs. In Chimane, it is argued that internal possessors are able to control object agreement via a clause-level ‘proxy’ of the internal possessor – see also Ritchie (under review). The paper goes on to compare this construction with PIPCs in Maithili, and shows that speakers use PIPCs in discourse to indicate the information structure role of the internal possessor. In the case of Chimane, it seems that internal possessors which bear the secondary topic role are more likely to control object agreement, while in Maithili, other semantic and information structural features of internal possessors are at play. The contributions of the various levels of sentence structure are modelled using the LFG architecture developed in Dalrymple & Nikolaeva (2005; 2011).

scholarly journals Future Anterior in the Document Language of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Slovene ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-191
Author(s):  
Yana A. Penkova
Keyword(s):  
Speech Act ◽  
Present Form ◽  
16Th Century ◽  
Discourse Function ◽  
Indirect Speech ◽  
The Future ◽  
Grand Duchy Of Lithuania ◽  
Indirect Speech Act ◽  
Grand Duchy ◽  
Dependent Clause

The paper deals with the semantics and the distribution of the future anterior in the 14th‒16th century official writing of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The paper focuses on the construction which comprises a perfective present form of the auxiliary be (bud-) and an l-participle. The paper takes into consideration data from more than 900 charters as well as from the Lithuanian Statute of 1588. The author claims that the future anterior in official Ruthenian is licensed by contexts with suspended assertion (conditional, disjunction, indirect question, propositional predicate, etc.). In most other cases, it is powered by iterative, habitual, or experiencer meanings, or by the multiplicity of the objects involved in the situation. In some contexts, the use of the future anterior is defined exclusively by syntactic rules, i. e., the use in the dependent clause. In this respect, the future anterior is similar to the French subjunctive and the Latin conjunctive at their later stages of grammaticalization. The future anterior in official Ruthenian may also acquire a particular discourse function, i. e., undergo pragmaticalization, which results in the ability of the future anterior to mark an indirect speech act of disproof or cancellation of what was evidenced by the opponent. Ruthenian turns out to be a unique language across Slavic and SAE to feature a widely used dubitative future anterior.

Nominal speech act structure: Evidence from the structural deficiency of impersonal pronouns

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 709-729
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Ritter ◽  
Martina Wiltschko
Keyword(s):  
Speech Act ◽  
Syntactic Structure ◽  
Natural Class ◽  
Discourse Referent ◽  
Impersonal Pronouns

AbstractIn this paper, we propose that there is a speech-act structure in the nominal spine, just as there is in the clausal spine. Its function is to encode what we do when we utter a nominal: that is, we name, describe, or track individuals. Thus, speech-act structure establishes a link between the discourse referent and the speech-act situation. The evidence we discuss comes from nominals that lack this speech-act structure, namely impersonal pronouns. We argue that impersonal pronouns have in common that they lack nominal speech-act structure but are not otherwise a natural class: they vary in syntactic structure. Thus, we propose a novel formal typology of impersonal pronouns.

scholarly journals The Role of Prosodic Factors in Determining The Meaning of The Text

2021 ◽  
Vol 04 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khatira Avaz Gojayeva ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Syntactic Structure ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Main Task ◽  
Grammatical Function ◽  
Discourse Function ◽  
New Information ◽  
Attitude Function

Intonation is a very complex language unit. It has many functions, and these functions are performed by different phonetic events: 1. A phonetic event that performs the attitude function. This function reflects attitude, emotion, and different phonetic events. For example, depending on the context of the speech and the current situation of the speaker, you can use falling intonation, rising intonation, falling-rising intonation, rising-falling tones. 2. A phonetic event that performs an accentual function. This term is used in connection with an accent. Some phonetics also use stress instead of accent. In this function, the emphasis falls on the last lexical word, and the phonetic event of accentuation and clarification of intonation is performed. 3. A phonetic event that performs a grammatical function. In this function, tone boundaries are defined by intonation. With the help of this phonetic phenomenon, the listener can better recognize the grammar and syntactic structure of what is being said. 4. A phonetic event that performs a discourse function. The main task of this phonetic event is to convey to the listener what "new" information is. An eye-catching tonic accent is placed on the appropriate syllable of a particular sound.

Beyond syntactic priming: Evidence for activation of alternative syntactic structures

2011 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 258-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARINA VASILYEVA ◽  
HEIDI WATERFALL
Keyword(s):  
Syntactic Structure ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Syntactic Priming ◽  
Transitive Action ◽  
Passive Voice ◽  
Discourse Function ◽  
Syntactic Structures ◽  
Syntactic Form ◽  
Russian Speakers ◽  
English Speaking

ABSTRACTPriming methodology was previously used to investigate children's ability to represent abstract syntactic forms. Existing evidence indicates that following exposure to a particular syntactic structure (such as the passive voice), English-speaking children increase their production of that structure with new lexical items. In the present work, we utilize priming methodology to explore whether exposure to passive primes may increase children's production of sentences that have a different structure but share a similar purpose in discourse. We report three studies, two involving English- and Russian-speaking children, and a third involving Russian-speaking adults. Unlike English, Russian offers a variety of syntactic forms that emphasize the patient of a transitive action, thus fulfilling the discourse function of the passive. We found that English speakers increased the use of the particular syntactic form presented in the prime, whereas Russian speakers increased their production of several different syntactic forms used to emphasize the patient of the action.

Polarity Determination in Sphalerite and Wurtzite Structures

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 500-501
Author(s):  
Stuart McKernan ◽  
C. Barry Carter
Keyword(s):  
Opposite Polarity ◽  
Single Domain ◽  
Polar Material ◽  
Electron Microscopic ◽  
Dynamical Interaction ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Polarity Determination ◽  
The Absolute ◽  
Microscopic Techniques

The determination of the absolute polarity of a polar material is often crucial to the understanding of the defects which occur in such materials. Several methods exist by which this determination may be performed. In bulk, single-domain specimens, macroscopic techniques may be used, such as the different etching behavior, using the appropriate etchant, of surfaces with opposite polarity. X-ray measurements under conditions where Friedel’s law (which means that the intensity of reflections from planes of opposite polarity are indistinguishable) breaks down can also be used to determine the absolute polarity of bulk, single-domain specimens. On the microscopic scale, and particularly where antiphase boundaries (APBs), which separate regions of opposite polarity exist, electron microscopic techniques must be employed. Two techniques are commonly practised; the first [1], involves the dynamical interaction of hoLz lines which interfere constructively or destructively with the zero order reflection, depending on the crystal polarity. The crystal polarity can therefore be directly deduced from the relative intensity of these interactions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document