Constructions with shell nouns in English: their dual role in information packaging

The focus in this paper is on structural and functional properties of a marginal type of focus formulas in English, known as N-be-that-constructions (Schmid 2001), cf. The problem is that he is jealous. They are referred to here as focus formulas with shell nouns (FFSNs). The role of the nouns in these templates is to create conceptual shells (Schmid 1997) into which the propositional content is encapsulated, with both the parts being co-referentially linked. The BNC data have revealed two manifestations of FFSNs in discourse: they occurred either as fixed utterance-initial templates (The thing is that killing got to be a habit.), or as looser configurations, co-occurring with various discourse signposts (DSs), as in Mm. well I mean there’s the the other thing is you see… My view, inspired by Schmid (2001) and outlined in Válková and Tárnyiková (2015), is that the FFSNs can have a dual role in discourse, operating either as focalizers or as discourse signposts participating in a number of pragmatic strategies associated with facework. The aim is to argue for the validity of this claim and give evidence of and reasoning for the focality loss cases

Constructions with shell nouns in English : their dual role in information packaging

Les construccions encapsuladores en anglès i la doble funció en l'emmagatzematge de la informació Aquest treball se centra en les propietats funcionals i estructurals d?un tipus de fórmules focals en anglès: les construccions del tipus N-be-that (Schmid 2001), com en The problem is that he is jealous, a les quals denominem fórmules amb encapsuladors (FFSNs, segons la denominació en anglès). La funció dels noms en aquest patró consisteix a crear closques conceptuals (Schmid 1997) dins de les quals s?encapsula el contingut proposicional, una operació afavorida pel vincle coreferencial que hi ha entre les dues parts del patró. Les dades proporcionades pel BNC mostren dues manifestacions discursives de les FFSNs: ara apareixen com a patrons fixats d?inici de seqüència (The thing is that killing got to be a habit), ara com a configuracions més laxes que concorren amb diverses fites textuals («discourse signposts», DSs), com en Mm. well I mean there?s the the other thing is you see? La nostra perspectiva, inspirada en Schmid (2001) i esbossada en una recerca pilot (Válková & Tárnyiková 2015), és que les FFSNs poden tenir una funció discursiva dual, com a focalitzadors o com a atenuadors discursius que participen en una sèrie d?estratègies pragmàtiques associades amb la interacció cara a cara cordial i directa. L?objectiu d?aquest treball consisteix a comprovar empíricament aquesta dualitat

Carla Vergaro: Illocutionary Shell Nouns in English

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Clines of categoriality in sentence complexing

This paper argues that the dynamism of multidimensional processes of sentence complexing cannot be fully understood without due attention paid to both dichotomies and clines of categoriality (also referred to as scales or gradients). First the scope of analysis is proposed, taking into view both the micro- and macrostructures of the text. Then the simplifying impact of binary sets on certain syntactic taxonomies is exemplified, followed in the application section by the discussion of the gradient of integration of dependent clauses into their respective Head-clauses, ranging from fully integrated (and interlaced) embedded clauses to loosely attached enhanced clauses

WHERE FOCUS FORMULAS AND DISCOURSE MARKERS MEET

Our paper, theoretically anchored in functional and systemic grammar, focuses on a relatively marginal type of focus formulas (FFs), referred to by Schmid (2001) as ‘N-bethat- constructions’ or constructions with shell-Nouns (cf. The trouble/problem/fact… is that people have short memories.). When we used corpus data (BNC, COCA) to verify the role of FFs in information packaging in text/discourse, we were faced with their two seemingly contrary manifestations: they occurred either (i) as relatively stable utteranceinitial templates or (ii) as looser confi gurations, co-occurring with various discourse markers (DMs). Our hypothesis is that in the latter case, namely when interlaced into clusters of DMs, the FFs tend to adapt to the communicatively regulative (Leech 1983) roles of surrounding DMs, and extend their role as focalising devices by an additive role, i.e. to participate in overt language manifestations of a number of pragmatically-based communicative strategies associated with facework. Our aim is to verify the validity of our hypothesis by authentic language data

Patterns and Variation in English Language Discourse

The publication is reviewed post-conference proceedings from the international 9th Brno Conference on Linguistics Studies in English, held on 16–17 September 2021 and organised by the Faculty of Education, Masaryk University in Brno. The papers revolve around the themes of patterns and variation in specialised discourses (namely the media, academic, business, tourism, educational and learner discourses), effective interaction between the addressor and addressees and the current trends and development in specialised discourses. The principal methodological perspectives are the comparative approach involving discourses in English and another language, critical and corpus analysis, as well as identification of pragmatic strategies and appropriate rhetorical means. The authors of papers are researchers from the Czech Republic, Italy, Luxembourg, Serbia and Georgia