Left/right asymmetries and the grammar of pre- vs. post-positioning in German and Swedish talk-in-interaction

Abstract

In this paper, we argue that the suggested mirror-equivalence of 'left-' and 'right-' adjoined or -positioned constituents in syntax is misleading from the point of view of Interactional Linguistics and needs to be replaced by a positionally sensitive grammatical analysis, in which pre-and post-positioning is seen in the context of the sequential unfolding of conversation in time. We show this on the basis of various examples from conversational German and Swedish. Our main empirical focus is on pre-and post-positioned verba sentiendi expressions of the type ich denke… or jag tror (cf. English 'I think'). A quantitative analysis shows that these expressions have an uneven distribution in pre-and post-position, as well as in different discourse genres. In a sequential analysis, we can see a positionally sensitive differentiation with respect to syntactic integration and interactional meaning, especially with reference to the dynamics of stance taking and turn taking.

A range of uses of negative epistemic constructions in German: ICH WEIß NICHT as a resource for dispreferred actions

“…Below we will only discuss turn-initial uses of ICH WEIß NICHT, because we want to present specifically the qualities of ICH WEIß NICHT that allow for the organization of sequences and following actions. Our analyses of ICH WEIß NICHT in parenthetical insertions or in final position within responsive turns yielded the same findings as Auer and Lindström (2015), who state:…”

Diskursusemarkerid ja pragmaatika. Sissejuhatuseks

“…Näiteks enim kasutatud markeril (ma) arvan (et) on analoogid väga paljudes keeltes, kusjuures kasutatakse sama verbi (ingl I think, pr je pense, rts jag tycker, sks ich denke jm). Samal ajal sarnaneb markeri kasutus eesti keeles saksa, rootsi ja taani keelega, kuid erineb üsna palju inglise keelest (Hennoste jt 2020;Beijering 2012;Auer, Lindström 2016).…”

The left and right periphery in native and non-native speech – A comparative study between French L1/L2, Spanish L1/L2 and Swedish L1

“…The most plausible explanation to account for this discrepancy would be that the AP and CL categories, which both convey circumstantial information, are more likely to be fronted in French and Spanish colloquial talk than in Swedish, which tends to prefer a position inside the core sentence, to the right of the verb (cf. Auer and Lindström 2016). No salient differences can be observed between the languages regarding the use of discourse (i.e., non-referential, non-denotative) markers, although with one clear exception: -The SW-L1 speakers produce strikingly fewer verb-based utterance launchers (0.12/100W) than the FR-L1 (0.77/100W; t[9.84] = −5.44, p = 0.001**) and SP-L1 speakers (0.49/100W; t[12] = −3.33, p = 0.006**).…”