Artikel

Defining in talk-in-interaction: Recipient-design through negative definitional components

This article examines a recurrent format that speakers use for defining ordinary expressions or technical terms. Drawing on data from four different languages - Flemish, French, German, and Italian - it focuses on definitions in which a definiendum is first followed by a negative definitional component (‘definiendum is not X’), and then by a positive definitional component (‘definiendum is Y’). The analysis shows that by employing this format, speakers display sensitivity towards a potential meaning of the definiendum that recipients could have taken to be valid. By negating this meaning, speakers discard this possible, yet unintended understanding. The format serves three distinct interactional purposes: (a) it is used for argumentation, e.g. in discussions and political debates, (b) it works as a resource for imparting knowledge, e.g. in expert talk and instructions, and (c) it is employed, in ordinary conversation, for securing the addressee's correct understanding of a possibly problematic expression. The findings contribute to our understanding of how epistemic claims and displays relate to the turn-constructional and sequential organization of talk. They also show that the much quoted ‘problem of meaning’ is, first and foremost, a participant's problem.

Defining in talk-in-interaction: Recipient-design through negative definitional components

Urheber*in: Deppermann, Arnulf; De Stefani, Elwys

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Sprache
Englisch

Thema
Pragmatik
Interaktion
Negation
Definition
Sprache

Ereignis
Geistige Schöpfung
(wer)
Deppermann, Arnulf
De Stefani, Elwys
Ereignis
Veröffentlichung
(wer)
Amsterdam : Elsevier
(wann)
2018-12-21

URN
urn:nbn:de:bsz:mh39-84029
Letzte Aktualisierung
06.03.2025, 09:00 MEZ

Datenpartner

Dieses Objekt wird bereitgestellt von:
Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache - Bibliothek. Bei Fragen zum Objekt wenden Sie sich bitte an den Datenpartner.

Objekttyp

  • Artikel

Beteiligte

  • Deppermann, Arnulf
  • De Stefani, Elwys
  • Amsterdam : Elsevier

Entstanden

  • 2018-12-21

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