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- Volume 35, Issue 1, 2025
Pragmatics - Volume 35, Issue 1, 2025
Volume 35, Issue 1, 2025
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The role of multimodality and intertextuality in accentuating humor in Algerian Hirak’s posters
Author(s): Mohammed Nahar Al-Ali and Badra Hadj Djelloulpp.: 1–24 (24)More LessAbstractThis study investigates how the interaction between multimodal modes and intertextual resources accentuates humor functions. Kress and van Leeuwen’s Visual Grammar (2006) was adopted to analyze a set of sixty humorous online posters of Hirak’s movements. The results revealed that humor was generated from the purposeful interplay of various semiotic modes and the reproduction and recontextualization of shared socio-cultural and political resources. The protesters utilized cartoon characters, religious discourse, folk traditions, and cultural mundane to represent the authority’s members humorously as lawbreakers, prisoners, robbers, and gangsters. This humorous exposition has placed the authority members outside the Algerian societal in-group boundaries. In contrast, such a device has enhanced conformity among the protesters and exhibited their superiority over the ruling outer group. We hope such an investigation will pave the grounds for further studies and provide insights into multimodal discourse analysis.
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Syntax and music for interaction
Author(s): Yuval Gevapp.: 25–50 (26)More LessAbstractMultimodal constructions which intertwine language and music are characteristic of the discourse of creative encounters among musicians. This interactional linguistic study reports on one such construction: the ‘music-taking-predicate’ (MTP) construction. MTP constructions consist of a projective verbal predicate, and a stretch of sung or played musical expression following it. Based on naturalistic video data of Hebrew-speaking musicians in rehearsals and production sessions, I show that instances of this construction emerge as formulae for the achievement of several interactional tasks integral to the process of joint music making.
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The use of interlocking multi-unit turns in topic shifts
Author(s): Innhwa Park, Rachel S. Y. Chen, Jan Gorisch, Song Hee Park, Nadja Tadic and Eiko Yasuipp.: 51–71 (21)More LessAbstractThis paper examines multi-unit turns that allow speakers to retrospectively close the prior sequence while prospectively launching a new sequence, which Schegloff (1986) referred to as interlocking organization. Using English telephone conversations as data, we focus on how multi-unit turns are used for topic shifts, and show that interlocking organization operates in conjunction with other phonetic and lexical features, such as increased pitch and overt markers of disjunction (e.g., “listen”). In addition, speakers utilize an audible inbreath that is placed between the first and the second units as a central interactional resource to project further talk, thereby suppressing speaker transition and possibly highlighting the action delivered in the second unit as being distinctly new. We propose that interlocking multi-unit turns, when used to make topically disjunctive moves, promote progressivity by avoiding a possible lapse in turn transition.
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The pragmatics of advice-giving in the media discourse
Author(s): Chihsia Tangpp.: 72–100 (29)More LessAbstractThis study investigated how the gender of the contestants in TV talent competitions affects male and female judges’ management of their advice, exemplified by evaluative talks in two Taiwan-based talent contests. In addition to the pragmatic configuration of the advising acts, the internal and external modifiers of the advising speech events were also analyzed in an attempt to gain insights into whether and how the advice messages are instrumental in the construction of gender identities. Results showed that deviating from the stereotypical gendered style of communication, the female judges utilized significantly fewer politeness mechanisms than did their male counterparts to moderate their advice. Besides, the psychological needs and face want of the male and female advice-receivers remarkably influenced the discursive moves of the given advice comments. These findings suggested that in the public media discourse, the speech context outweighs the socially prescribed gendered styles of communication on one’s advice-giving behavior.
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The use and perception of question tags in Trinidadian English
Author(s): Michael Westphalpp.: 101–128 (28)More LessAbstractThis study presents an analysis of the use and perception of variant question tags and the seven invariant forms eh, ent, nah, OK, not so, right, and you know in Trinidadian English. The analysis of use is based on four dialogue text types from the Trinidad and Tobago component of the International Corpus of English and takes a variationist approach. The analysis of the perception is based on a survey that combines a multiple-choice test, where participants were presented with different dialogue scenarios and had to select the form they found most appropriate, and an indirect language attitude test, in which participants rated the use of the eight question tags on attitudinal scales and added open comments. The usage and perception profiles of the eight forms largely overlap but there are marked differences for individual forms.
Volumes & issues
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Volume 35 (2025)
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Volume 34 (2024)
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Volume 33 (2023)
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Volume 32 (2022)
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Volume 31 (2021)
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Volume 30 (2020)
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Volume 29 (2019)
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Volume 28 (2018)
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Volume 27 (2017)
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Volume 26 (2016)
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Volume 25 (2015)
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Volume 24 (2014)
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Volume 23 (2013)
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Volume 22 (2012)
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Volume 21 (2011)
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Volume 20 (2010)
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Volume 19 (2009)
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Volume 18 (2008)
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Volume 17 (2007)
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Volume 16 (2006)
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Volume 15 (2005)
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Volume 14 (2004)
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Volume 13 (2003)
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Volume 12 (2002)
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Volume 11 (2001)
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Volume 10 (2000)
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Volume 9 (1999)
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Volume 8 (1998)
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Volume 7 (1997)
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Volume 6 (1996)
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Volume 5 (1995)
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Volume 4 (1994)
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Volume 3 (1993)
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Volume 2 (1992)
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Volume 1 (1991)
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