Grammar, projection and turn-organization
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Simona Pekarek Doehler
Abstract
This paper contributes to the debate over the temporal and emergent nature of grammar. Focusing on projection as a basis for clause-combining and the organization of actions, the paper explores speakers’ use of the French construction il y a NP ‘there is NP’, commonly considered to be part of a presentational cleft. The analysis of audio and video recorded social interactions provides evidence for the routinization of the il y a NP piece as a projector construction and documents its involvement in the management of multi-unit turns, turn-taking and sequence organization. Multimodal analysis shows how the projection emanating from the grammatical construction is prolonged by means of gesture. Results are discussed in the light of the emergent character of grammar.
Abstract
This paper contributes to the debate over the temporal and emergent nature of grammar. Focusing on projection as a basis for clause-combining and the organization of actions, the paper explores speakers’ use of the French construction il y a NP ‘there is NP’, commonly considered to be part of a presentational cleft. The analysis of audio and video recorded social interactions provides evidence for the routinization of the il y a NP piece as a projector construction and documents its involvement in the management of multi-unit turns, turn-taking and sequence organization. Multimodal analysis shows how the projection emanating from the grammatical construction is prolonged by means of gesture. Results are discussed in the light of the emergent character of grammar.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
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Mechanisms of temporality in interaction
- The temporality of language in interaction 27
- Retrospection and Understanding in Interaction 57
- Ephemeral Grammar 95
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Temporally-structured constructions – a temporal perspective on syntactic constructions
- Temporality and the Emergence of a Construction 123
- Temporality and syntactic structure 147
- Grammar, projection and turn-organization 173
- Word Order in Time 201
- A temporally oriented perspective on connectors in interactions 237
-
Temporal organization of multimodal interaction
- Multimodal completions 267
- Coordinating the temporalities of talk and dance 309
- Appendix: Transcription conventions 337
- Index 341
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
-
Mechanisms of temporality in interaction
- The temporality of language in interaction 27
- Retrospection and Understanding in Interaction 57
- Ephemeral Grammar 95
-
Temporally-structured constructions – a temporal perspective on syntactic constructions
- Temporality and the Emergence of a Construction 123
- Temporality and syntactic structure 147
- Grammar, projection and turn-organization 173
- Word Order in Time 201
- A temporally oriented perspective on connectors in interactions 237
-
Temporal organization of multimodal interaction
- Multimodal completions 267
- Coordinating the temporalities of talk and dance 309
- Appendix: Transcription conventions 337
- Index 341
