
Grammar and Interaction
Pivots in German conversation
Emma Betz(Author)
John Benjamins Publishing Co
Published on 29. October 2008
Book
Hardback
208 pages
978-90-272-2631-0 (ISBN)
Description
This monograph provides a micro-analytic description of the structure and communicative use of syntactic pivot constructions in German. Using the methodology of Conversation Analysis, this work shows that pivots emerge in interaction in response to local communicative needs.Exclusively found in spoken German, pivots allow a speaker to extend an utterance beyond a possible completion point in a syntactically and prosodically unobtrusive way. Speakers utilize this basic property to promote context-specific actions: managing boundaries of speakership, bridging sequential and topical junctures, and dealing with different types of interactional trouble.
Through a close examination of syntactic pivots as an interactional resource, this work shows that spoken linguistic structures can only be fully understood if we acknowledge the temporality of language and view grammar as usage-based and negotiable. This book thus contributes to a growing body of research at the intersection of grammar and interaction.
Through a close examination of syntactic pivots as an interactional resource, this work shows that spoken linguistic structures can only be fully understood if we acknowledge the temporality of language and view grammar as usage-based and negotiable. This book thus contributes to a growing body of research at the intersection of grammar and interaction.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Amsterdam
Netherlands
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 245 mm
Width: 164 mm
Weight
555 gr
ISBN-13
978-90-272-2631-0 (9789027226310)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
10/2008
1st Edition
John Benjamins Publishing Company
€130.99
Available for download
Person
Content
1. List of tables and figures; 2. Acknowledgements; 3. Chapter 1. Introduction; 4. Chapter 2. Preliminaries; 5. Chapter 3. Pivot constructions as a syntactic resource for turn-taking: Managing overlap; 6. Chapter 4. Pivots at sequential and topic boundaries: Steering the emerging direction of the talk; 7. Chapter 5. Pivot constructions as a resource for managing repair: Searching for a word; 8. Chapter 6. Pivot constructions in embedded self-correction: Changes in action and epistemic stance; 9. Chapter 7. Concluding discussion; 10. Appendix A. Transcription conventions; 11. Appendix B. Abbreviations for grammatical descriptions; 12. References; 13. Name index; 14. Subject index