122226 SE Linguistics Seminar / BA Paper / MA historical & descriptive linguistics / MA applied linguistics (2013S)

Grammar is often given an unduly narrow definition as Sentence Grammar, i.e. the organisation of language in terms clauses expressing some propositional content. In this seminar we will explore grammar beyond Sentence Grammar and investigate how grammar is used in conversation and spoken language more generally. We will look particularly at elements that are often considered to be outside grammar, such as ‘inserts’ or ‘non-clausal elements’, which do not fit into ordinary Sentence Grammar but have important communicative functions. This domain of spoken language comprises a range of diverse elements and constructions, such as discourse markers, fillers, comment clauses (e.g. I think, I guess) and other parentheticals, reporting clauses (e.g. she said), tag questions (e.g. isn’t it), left-dislocation (John, I haven’t seen him for a while), right-dislocation, afterthoughts, appositions, interjections (shit!), formulae of social exchange (Good morning), imperatives, non-restrictive relative clauses etc. We will investigate not only their formal properties but also their importance for communication.