Micro-syntax, macro-syntax, foregrounding and backgrounding in discourse

Egocentricity in Discourse and Syntax

Constructing Syntax from Discourse

What is functionalism? Both Silverstein (1987) and Nichols (1984) have analyzed in detail the variety of ways functionalism has been used by linguists. Silverstein made a division into four types of functions, referential and pragmatic: (a) `sense-structure', (b) the `abstract, "sentence"-internal distribution of forms,' (c) the `use of signal forms for purposive, intentional social effect' (d)...

When indexicals target discursively subsidiary information: How foregrounding and backgrounding in discourse affect indexical reference

Adopting Berrendonner’s (1990; fc.) distinction between “micro-syntax” and “macrosyntax”, as well as the orthogonal one between foregrounded and backgrounded discourse segments (cf. Khalil, 2005), this paper aims to examine certain “noncanonical” interactions amongst these domains. In particular, I shall be looking at instances where a potential referent is evoked within a highly presupposed, d...

Constructions of Intersubjectivity : Discourse , Syntax , and Cognition

Constructions of Intersubjectivity by Arie Verhagen is very much an intellectual product of our times. Combining current concerns in cognitive and evolutionary linguistics, and capitalizing—more, or less, explicitly—on a pragmatic lineage that goes back to H.P. Grice’s (1957) notion of reflexive intentions (i.e., intentions whose fulfillment consists in their recognition) and Anscombre and Ducr...

Syntax coordination: interaction of discourse and extrapositions

The model presented here for parsing spoken German o ers a way to proceed incrementally discontinuous constructions. Typical constructions in task oriented dialogs are Extrapositions to the right. These are dened as syntactical constructions where a constituent is extraposed in the Nachfeld. Basing on the assumption that the extraposed constituent is not part of the source sentence the model wo...