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- Volume 6, Issue, 1999
Functions of Language - Volume 6, Issue 2, 1999
Volume 6, Issue 2, 1999
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Intonation units and functional composition in Japanese conversational discourse
Author(s): Kazuko Matsumotopp.: 163–194 (32)More LessThis paper examines informal face-to-face, two-party conversations in Japanese in order to explore the relationship between intonation units and functional composition. Specifically, the present study investigates the preferred functional structure of substantive intonation units that convey ideas of events, states, or referents. It was found that the Japanese substantive intonation unit preferentially consists of no more than two functional components, and that those units comprised of the ideational component only are notably prevalent in the data. This suggests that speakers of Japanese prefer to communicate ideas or propositions typically by using the simplest functional structure type which consists solely of the ideational component, with none of the other components serving a coherence-creating, regulatory, or interactional function, or as an idea-linking device. This in turn means that overwhelmingly, intonation units are produced such that they serve one function at a time. The unifunctional structure of the Japanese intonation unit this study uncovered supports the claimed single nature of this prosodic unit as the basic linguistic unit of discourse production and information flow in spontaneous conversational interaction.
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Predications and nonreferential cohesion in Irish-speaking children's narratives
Author(s): Tina Bennett-Kastorpp.: 195–241 (47)More LessThis work describes the manipulation of predication in the narratives of monolingual Irish (Gaelic)-speaking preschool children, and compares the development of nonreferential means of cohesion in a language that is typologically distinct to development in other languages, especially English. The examination presents general data on eight two through five year old children's use of finite and nonfinite verbs, of the complements and modifiers of verbs, and of textual devices to link clauses. Predication and other nonreferential devices function both to propel the narrative forward, and to provide cohesion at the local or global level through temporal, logical, or evaluative means. Four of the children's narratives are examined in greater detail. Despite the typological differences between Irish and many other European languages, predicate development seems to proceed similarly in many respects. The possible exception is the clitic-like copula and its various irregular forms, which did not appear to have been mastered until relatively late.
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Language patterns and ATTITUDE
Author(s): Monika Bednarek
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