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Abstract
In this paper, we explore exclamatives when used as responses in a discourse. Our proposal is based on the following pragmatic observation: so-called that-exclamatives in both Germanic and Romance languages are preferred as responses to polar questions, while wh-exclamatives are restricted to a response use in non-polar contexts. We establish this data pattern empirically by means of two judgment studies, and we then provide a detailed theoretical account for these challenging new data points. In particular, we show that the differences between the response uses of wh-exclamatives and that-exclamatives can be explained on syntactic grounds, analogous to ‘the syntax of answers’ proposed in recent syntactic work by Holmberg (2013, 2015) at the syntax-pragmatics interface. In sum, we provide a pragmatically more refined view on exclamatives and their use in a discourse, suggesting new empirical distinctions at the syntax-pragmatics interface.
Original language | American English |
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Pages (from-to) | 139-171 |
Number of pages | 33 |
Journal | Journal of Pragmatics |
Volume | 168 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2020 |
Keywords
- Catalan
- Exclamatives
- Experimental pragmatics
- German
- Responses
- Syntax-pragmatics interface
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- 1 Finished
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La interpretación de las categorías funcionales
Espinal Farre, M. T., Villalba Nicolas, F. X., Tubau Muntaña, S., Brunetti, L., Cyrino, S., Etxeberria Otaegui, U., Olga Borik & Planas-Morales, S.
1/01/18 → 30/09/21
Project: Research Projects and Other Grants