Date: 27-Jan-2006 From: Paul Peranteau <paulbenjamins.com> Subject: Grammar and Inference in Conversation: Ewing
Title: Grammar and Inference in Conversation
Subtitle: Identifying clause structure in spoken Javanese
Series Title: Studies in Discourse and Grammar 18
Published: 2006
Publisher: John Benjamins
http://www.benjamins.com/
Author: Michael C. Ewing, University of Melbourne
Hardback: ISBN: 9027226288 Pages: x, 276 Price: U.S. $ 150.00
Hardback: ISBN: 9027226288 Pages: x, 276 Price: Europe EURO 125.00
Abstract:
This study analyzes how morphosyntactic structures and information flow characteristics are used by interlocutors in producing and understanding clauses in conversational Javanese, focusing on the Cirebon variety of the language. While some clauses display grammatical mechanisms used to code their structure explicitly and redundantly, many other clauses include few if any of these grammatical resources. These extremes mark a cline between the morphosyntactic and paratactic expression of clauses. The situation is thrown into relief by the frequency of unexpressed referents and conversationalists' heavy reliance on shared experience and cultural knowledge. In all cases, pragmatic inference grounded in the interactional context is essential for establishing not only the discourse functions, but indeed also the very structure of clauses in conversational Javanese. This study contributes to our understanding of transitivity, emergent constituency, prosodic organization and the co-construction of meaning and structure by conversational interlocutors.
Table of contents
Acknowledgements vii-ix 1. Introduction 1-13 2. The Morphology of Predicates 15-62 3. The Morphology of Nominal Expressions 63-117 4. Information Flow 119-156 5. Constituents and Constituent Order 157-221 6. Clauses and Interaction 223-245 7. Conclusion 247-254 Notes 255-257 References 259-265 Appendix 267-269 Author index 271-272 Subject index 273-276
Linguistic Field(s):
Discourse Analysis
Morphology
Syntax
linguistlist.org>
