Syntax (2): Discourse and grammar

Spring 2005
Thur 2:00-5:00



Course objective:
This course is an introduction to the discourse basis of grammar and to functional/
interactional linguistics in general. An important assumption guiding research in functional linguistics is that grammar emerges out of response to interactional pressures. Particular attention will be paid to a close examination of a range of natural conversational data and the grammatical structure they illuminate.

Evaluation:
There will be a short paper due on Thursday on weeks 4,7,19,and 13. These papers
(50%) will provide you with an opportunity to discuss aspects of the course
material in your own terms. In addition, a final term paper is required (30%).
Class participation and contribution to class accounts for the balance of the grade
(20%)

Recommended readings
M. Selting and E. Couper-Kuhlen (Eds.). 2001. Studies in interactional linguistics. JB.
C. Ford, B. Fox and S. Thompson ( eds.). 2002. The language of turn and sequence. Oxford.
Course Outline

l. Overview: The study of discourse
D. Schiffrin, D. Tannen and H. Hamilton.2001. The Handbook of discourse analysis. Blackwell.[ seeks to embrace a ‘broad church mentality’ in the production of the volume and thus a weakness of the volume is that too few articles deal with the relationship between grammar and discourse]
J. Nichols. 1984. Functional theories of grammar. In Annual Review of Anthropology 13:97-117.
Fasold, R. 1990. The Sociolinguistics of Language, chapter 3
Van Dijk, Teun A. 2001. Critical discourse analysis. In Schiffrin et at. (eds.), pp. 352-371.
2. Intonation units
Divide preliminary transcript into units; IU boundary vs. clause boundary
Du Bois et al. 1993. Outline of discourse transcription. In J. A. Edwards and M. S. Lampert (eds) Talking Data: Transcription And Coding for Language Research.
Chafe, W. l994. Discourse, consciousness and time, chapter 5.
Tao, H. 1996. Units in Mandarin conversation. Chapters 3-4.
Job: begin work on transcription of your taped conversation
For presentation:
Barlow, M. 1996. Corpora in theory and practice. IJCL

3. Prosody and discourse
For presentation
E. Couper-Kuhlen. 2001. ‘Intonation and discourse: current views from within’. In Schiffrin et al. (eds.), pp.13-35.
4. Visual transcription:
Goodwin, C. 1981. Conversational organization: interaction between speakers and hearers. Academic Press. Chapters 2-3.
Heath C. 1984. Talk and recipiency: sequential organization in speech and body movement. In Atkinson & Heritage (eds.), Structures of social action. Cambridge University Press.
Heath,C.1992. Gesture’s discreet tasks: multiple relevancies in visual conduct and in the contexulaization of language. In P. Auer et al. (eds.) The contexualization of language. JB.
Job: Practice visual transcription

[First assignment due]
5. Conversation
H. Clark (1996) Conversation. Chapter 11 of Clark: Using language. Cambridge UP, 318-352.
For presentation
F. Ferreira and K. Bailey. 2004 Disfluencies and human language comprehension. TICS 8:231-237.

6.Construction and conversation

Goldberg, A. 1995. Constructions: a construction grammar approach to argument structure, chapters 1-3 ( pp. 1-100)
Ono and Thomspon 1995. What can conversation tell us about syntax. In P. Davis (ed.) Alterantive linguistics: descriptive and theoretical modes. JB.
For presentation:
Chapter 27-28 of Taylor : Cognitive grammar,539-585.
Job: find out constructional schemas in your corpus data

7. Information flow and one new idea constraints: combinations within VPs and formulaic expressions
Job: code ideas as given, accessible, new
Chafe, W. 1994. Discourse, Consciousness and Time, chapters 1-4.
Prince. 1981. Toward a taxonomy of given-new information. In P. Cole, (ed.), Radical Pragmatics.
For presentation:
Ward, G. and B. Birner. 2001. Discourse and information structure. In Schiffrin et al. (eds.). 119-137.
Pawley, Andrew. 1985. Lexicalization. In GURTOLL, pp. 98-120
Erman, B and B. Warren. 2000. The idiom principle and the open choice principle. Text 20,l.29-62.
Collostructions: interaction of words and constructions???? IJCL 2004
[ Second assignment due]

8.. Argument structure and Preferred argument structure
Du Bois, John. 2003 Argument structure: grammar in use. In Du Bois et al. (eds.) Preferred argument structure, JB. Pp. 11-60.
Durie, M. 2003. New light on information structure. In Du Bois et al. (eds.) 159-196.
9. Referent tracking
Job: understand the system of identifying and tracking participants in discourse.
Subjects(primary clausal topic) and objects (secondary topic) are the two major participants and keys to topic continuity.
Hofling, c. 2003. Tacking the deer: nominal reference, parallelism and PAS in
Itaj Maya narrative genres. In Du Bois (eds.) 385-410.
10. Framing in discourse
D. Tannen. 1995? What is in a frame? In Tannen (ed.) Framing in discourse. 14-56. Oxford.
11. Discourse markers
Schiffrin, D. 2001. Discourse markers: language, meaning and context. In Schiffrin et
al (eds.), pp.54-75.

12. Discourse and Interaction
Schegloff, E.A. 2001. Discourse as an ineractional achievement III: the omnirelevance of action. In Schiffrin et al (eds.), pp. 229-249.
Heller, monica. 2001. Discourse and interaction. In Schiffrin et al. (eds.), pp.250-264.

13.Word order and discourse
Job: Find all of the possible word order patterns in your data and take note of non-
word orders
Birner, B. and G. Ward.l998. Information status and non-canonical word order in English. JB, chapters 2 &5.
Payne, D. 1995. V-initial languages and information order. In Downing et al (eds.)
Word order in discourse. 449-485.
For presentation:
Huang, S. and K. Chui.1997. Is Chinese a pragmatic order language?

[Third assignment due]

14. Discourse and grammar
Du Bois, John. 1987. The discourse basis of ergativity. Language 63:805-855.
Fox and Thompson. 1992. A discourse explanation of relative clauses in English conversation. Language 66(2) 297-316.
Hopper, Paul. 1988. Emergent grammar and a priori postulates. In D. Tannen ed. Linguistics in context.
Huang, S. 1998. The emergence of a grammatical category definite article in spoken Chinese. Journal of Pragmatics 29(1998).

[Fourth assignment due]
15.Grammar and its role in interaction
Job: Understand language structure and its role in interaction; the relationship between structure and use; language and parole
Ono and Thomspon 1995. What can conversation tell us about syntax. In P. Davis (ed.) Alterantive linguistics: descriptive and theoretical modes. JB.
Huang, S. 2001, The story of heads and tails – on a sequentially sensitive lexicon. Language and Linguistics 1:2
Schegloff, E. 1996. Turn organization: one intersection of grammar and interaction. In Schegloff et al. (eds.), Interaction and grammar. CUP.
Thompson, S. 2004. The clause as a locus of grammar and interaction. Paper presented at ISCLL-9.
16.Interaction and linguistic practices: turn-unit construction; turn projection; repair
M. Selting.2001. Fragments of units as deviant cases of unit production in conversation. In Selting et al. (eds.) 2001. pp.229-258
M-L. Sorjonen. 2002. Simple answers to polar questions: the case of Finnish. In
Selting et al (eds.). pp. 405-431.

17.Ethnography of speaking
Rosaldo, M. 1973. I have nothing to hide. Language in Society 2:193-223.
Walsh, M. 1994. Interactional styles in the courtroom: an example from Australia, In Gibbons (ed.) Language and the law. 217-264.

Class evaluation & dinner
[Term paper due]