A Construction Grammar approach to the phrase "I mean" in Spoken English

Imo, Wolfgang

A Construction Grammar approach to the phrase "I mean" in Spoken English

Files

InLiSt42.pdf(438.79 KB)

Date

2005

Authors

Imo, Wolfgang

Series

InLiSt - Interaction and Linguistic Structures; 42

Publication type

Working Paper/Technical Report

Abstract

This paper takes a close look at the syntactic, prosodic, semantic, distributional and functional properties of the phrase "I mean". Based on data drawn from private conversations and radio phone-ins, instances of "I mean" are analyzed according to their textual and interpersonal functions in interactional settings. The main functions "I mean" carries out are concerned with the organization of the textual structure of utterances: parenthetical asides, show concessions, concessive repairs, conclusions or quotations can be marked and made accessible for the interactants. Interpersonal functions are less common and include the marking of stretches of "disfluent talk" ("Disfluenzen") or changes of perspectives. These findings are then interpreted within the framework of Construction Grammar. Such a framework can be used to highlight and systematize the connections of "I mean" to related schematic constructions such as "discourse marker" or "complement-taking verb". Furthermore, it provides a model on which hypotheses concerning grammaticalization processes can be tested.

Subject (DDC)

400 Philology, Linguistics

Cite This

ISO 690

IMO, Wolfgang, 2005. A Construction Grammar approach to the phrase "I mean" in Spoken English

BibTex

@techreport{Imo2005Const-3791,
  year={2005},
  series={InLiSt - Interaction and Linguistic Structures},
  title={A Construction Grammar approach to the phrase "I mean" in Spoken English},
  number={42},
  author={Imo, Wolfgang}
}

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