Multimodality, conventionality and inheritance in dialogic constructions
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Kiki Nikiforidou
Abstract
The chapter investigates the multimodal correlates of a family of dialogic challenging constructions in Modern Greek, anchored to the form ela (2nd person singular imperative of the verb erxome ‘come’). First, prosodic features of these constructions are analyzed in terms of intonation measurements in a production experiment, then gestural features are tested in terms of conventionality in a recognition task. Gesture salience (defined independently of linguistic input) and the functional space of gestures are discussed as factors that may explain successful and unsuccessful results in matching gestures and constructions. Preliminary results suggest that while prosodic features can be integrated in constructional (grammatical) descriptions and into inheritance relations, the gestural correlates cannot as straightforwardly. Recognizing gesture constructions, optionally coindexed with grammatical ones, may be one way of resolving the issue.
Abstract
The chapter investigates the multimodal correlates of a family of dialogic challenging constructions in Modern Greek, anchored to the form ela (2nd person singular imperative of the verb erxome ‘come’). First, prosodic features of these constructions are analyzed in terms of intonation measurements in a production experiment, then gestural features are tested in terms of conventionality in a recognition task. Gesture salience (defined independently of linguistic input) and the functional space of gestures are discussed as factors that may explain successful and unsuccessful results in matching gestures and constructions. Preliminary results suggest that while prosodic features can be integrated in constructional (grammatical) descriptions and into inheritance relations, the gestural correlates cannot as straightforwardly. Recognizing gesture constructions, optionally coindexed with grammatical ones, may be one way of resolving the issue.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Grammar and multimodality 1
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Part I. Challenges for multimodal Construction Grammar; conventionality and integration of multimodal features
- Construction Grammar, multimodal communication, and design features of language 26
- Multimodality, conventionality and inheritance in dialogic constructions 38
- Utterance comprehension in spontaneous speech 69
- The prosody of list constructions 116
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Part II. Multimodal aspects of constructions; language-specific features and cross-linguistic generalizations
- A multimodal approach to coordination in spontaneous conversation 154
- An evidential function of raised eyebrows in interaction 190
- Towards a functional perspective on multimodal constructions 220
- Contrastive negation constructions in Israeli Hebrew 251
- Pragmatic and prosodic aspects of the negative directive ðe mu les? (‘tell me’) in Greek conversation 285
- Subject index 313
- Constructions index 317
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Grammar and multimodality 1
-
Part I. Challenges for multimodal Construction Grammar; conventionality and integration of multimodal features
- Construction Grammar, multimodal communication, and design features of language 26
- Multimodality, conventionality and inheritance in dialogic constructions 38
- Utterance comprehension in spontaneous speech 69
- The prosody of list constructions 116
-
Part II. Multimodal aspects of constructions; language-specific features and cross-linguistic generalizations
- A multimodal approach to coordination in spontaneous conversation 154
- An evidential function of raised eyebrows in interaction 190
- Towards a functional perspective on multimodal constructions 220
- Contrastive negation constructions in Israeli Hebrew 251
- Pragmatic and prosodic aspects of the negative directive ðe mu les? (‘tell me’) in Greek conversation 285
- Subject index 313
- Constructions index 317
