Between subordinate and insubordinate. Paths toward complementizer-initial main clauses

Abstract

Insubordinate constructions have been argued to derive from regular subordinated clauses through ellipsis of the matrix clause (Evans, 2007). However, ellipsis in actual discourse has not yet been systematically studied with respect to its potential as a source of functionally specialized insubordinate constructions. This paper aims to fill this gap, by examining complementizer-initial dyadically dependent clauses (i) in a corpus of online question--answer interactions in Spanish, French, German and English and (ii) in natural conversation in Spanish and English. Dyadically dependent clauses have a complementizer in sentence-initial position. They lack an explicit matrix, but can be construed as dependent on a matrix from the previous turn. According to Evans' hypothesis, they should be a potential source for true complementizer-initial insubordinate constructions. Our analysis shows that dyadically dependent clauses develop specialized discourse functions, involving the organization of textual and interpersonal relations. If such functions are conventionalized, this would result in true insubordinate constructions. Next, we look for actual functional overlap between the dyadically dependent clauses in our data and attested insubordinate constructions in the four languages studied. Functional similarities between dyadically dependent clauses and insubordinate constructions are found for optative insubordinate constructions in Spanish, French and German, for discourse-connective insubordinate constructions in Spanish, English and German, and for copying insubordinate constructions in Spanish and English.

Subordination and insubordination in contemporary spoken English

“…Although corpus-based research, such as Sansiñena, De Smet and Cornillie (2015), appears to support the ellipsis hypothesis, the pathway of development proposed by Evans (2007) has also received criticism. Some scholars argue that ellipsis can be postulated only in certain types of insubordination and that other alternative pathways would lead to the same result.…”

“…Broadly considered, as Van linden and Van de Velde (2014) and Sansiñena et al (2015) point out, insubordinate constructions express interpersonal meanings in discourse. Examples illustrating some of the multiple uses of if -insubordination in spoken interaction are presented in (11) to (16).…”

Construções condicionais insubordinadas no português: usos metatextuais

“…Desse modo, quando se analisa a língua em uso, é possível perceber efetivamente que essas construções são bastante frequentes, o que vem sendo atestado em diferentes línguas, como em holandês (D'HERTEFELT; VERSTRAETE; , D'HERTEFELT, 2015; sueco e dinamarquês (VERSTRAETE; D'HERTEFELT, 2014); holandês belga (VAN LINDEN; VAN de VELDE, 2014); espanhol (GRAS, 2011;SANSIÑENA;De SMET;CORNILLIE, 2014, SANSIÑENA, 2015, GARCIA, 2016; inglês (STIRLING, 1999, HEINE et al, 2013, KALTENBÖCK, 2014, português (HIRATA-VALE, 2015, 2017 e italiano (VALLAURI, 2004(VALLAURI, , 2010.…”

The interactional emergence of conditional clauses as directives: constructions, trajectories and sequences of actions

“…However, it is also known that in many languages, clause types ordinarily considered subordinate can, in some contexts, appear without what can be analyzed as superordinate clauses, and thus are non-projecting (e.g. Matihaldi, 1979;Ford, 1993;Clancy et al, 1997;Kauppinen, 1998;Suzuki, 2009;D'Hertefelt, 2015;Sansiñena et al, 2015). Evans (2007) has introduced the concept "insubordination" to refer to (the diachronic development towards) syntactically independent uses of constructions that may have the basic appearance of subordinated constructions such as complement and conditional clauses.…”

“…Ford, 2004). Interactional approaches to insubordination are not commonplace, but we note the "dyadically dependent" analysis of insubordinate complement clauses that has been put forward by Sansiñena et al (2015); their investigation looks for a motivation for insubordination in the preceding sequential context, arguing for that an insubordinate clausal unit could be seen as a projection (and completion) of a matrix clausal unit produced in a prior turn (thus "depending" on it). Our analysis, on the contrary, is concerned with projections and actions following a (potentially) insubordinate clausal unit which seems to lack a projected superordinate unit (and thus, completion).…”