Bridging constructions in typological perspective

Guerin, Valerie, and Aiton, Grant (2019) Bridging constructions in typological perspective. In: Guerin, Valerie, (ed.) Bridging Constructions. Studies in Diversity Linguistics, 24 . Language Science Press, Berlin, Germany, pp. 1-44.

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Abstract

In this chapter, we undertake a cross-linguistic examination of bridging constructions, which we define as the sequence of two clauses: the first clause (called the reference clause) ends a discourse unit, the second clause (called the bridging clause)typically repeats the first clause at the beginning of a new discourse unit. Based on published language data and data from the volume, we identify three different types of constructions subsumed under the label bridging construction (§2 and §3): recapitulative linkage, summary linkage, and mixed linkage. They differ in the form that the bridging clause takes on: broadly speaking, verbatim lexical recapitulation of the reference clause; a light verb summarizing the reference clause; or a mix of these two strategies. Because bridging constructions lie at the interface of discourse and syntax, we dedicate §4 to explaining their discourse functions. Amid the cross-linguistic variation, we found two recurrent discourse functions: emphasizing sequentiality and cohesively structuring discourse. Finally, we establish a list of questions to guide the documentation of these linguistic patterns.

Item ID: 57967
Item Type: Book Chapter (Research - B1)
ISBN: 978-3-96110-142-9
ISSN: 2363-5568
Copyright Information: Published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Licence (CC BY 4.0): http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Date Deposited: 27 Nov 2019 05:15
FoR Codes: 47 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 4704 Linguistics > 470409 Linguistic structures (incl. phonology, morphology and syntax) @ 100%
SEO Codes: 97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970120 Expanding Knowledge in Language, Communication and Culture @ 100%
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