From subordination to insubordination
A functional-pragmatic approach to if/si-constructions in English, French and Spanish spoken discourse
Summary
This book explores if/si-constructions in spoken English, French and Spanish, from a functional-pragmatic and corpus-based perspective. The analysis comprises instances of subordination, namely, conditional constructions – including prototypical cause-consequence patterns as well as other conditionals in which the conditional meaning is weaker – and cases of insubordination introduced by if and si. The theoretical framework is based on the three metafunctions distinguished in Systemic Functional Linguistics, and the data analysed are retrieved from parliamentary discourse and conversations corpora. The examination of conditional constructions and cases of insubordination in parallel offers new light on the characterization of if/si-constructions and their uses and functions in interaction.
Excerpt
Table Of Contents
- Cover
- Title
- Copyright
- About the author
- About the book
- This eBook can be cited
- Acknowledgements
- Table of Contents
- List of Figures
- List of tables
- 1 Introduction
- 1.1 Research questions
- 1.2 Overview of the book
- 2. Literature review and theoretical framework
- 2.1 Literature review
- 2.1.1 Prior research on conditional constructions
- 2.1.1.1 Classical approaches to conditionals
- 2.1.1.2 Research on conditionals from a functional-pragmatic perspective
- 2.1.1.3 Research on conditionals from a contrastive perspective
- 2.1.1.4 Research on conditionals from a corpus-based perspective
- 2.1.2 Prior research on insubordination
- 2.1.2.1 Defining insubordination
- 2.1.2.2 The development of insubordination
- 2.1.2.3 A focus on insubordination in English, French and Spanish
- 2.2 Theoretical framework
- 3. Corpora and methodology
- 3.1 Biber’s (1988) multi-dimensional model of register analysis
- 3.2 Corpora of parliamentary discourse
- 3.2.1 Description of the corpora
- 3.2.2 Process of data extraction
- 3.3 Corpora of conversations
- 3.3.1 Description of the corpora
- 3.3.2 Process of data extraction
- 4. Case studies
- 4.1 Conditional subordination
- 4.1.1 Case study I: parliamentary discourse
- 4.1.1.1 Variables examined for the analysis of conditionals in parliament
- 4.1.1.2 Metafunction
- 4.1.1.3 Degree of likelihood
- 4.1.1.4 Position
- 4.1.1.5 Markedness of the apodosis
- 4.1.1.6 Modal in the apodosis
- 4.1.1.7 Summary and conclusions from parliamentary discourse
- 4.1.2 Case study II: conversations
- 4.1.2.1 Variables examined for the analysis of conditionals in conversation
- 4.1.2.2 Metafunction
- 4.1.2.2.1 A focus on interpersonal conditionals
- 4.1.2.3 Degree of likelihood
- 4.1.2.4 Position
- 4.1.2.5 Markedness of the apodosis
- 4.1.2.6 Modal in the apodosis
- 4.1.2.7 Summary and conclusions from conversation
- 4.1.3 Interim discussion: Cross-register results
- 4.2 Insubordination
- 4.2.1 Case study III: insubordination
- 4.2.1.1 Discourse functions
- 4.2.1.1.1 Requests
- 4.2.1.1.2 Suggestions
- 4.2.1.1.3 Offers
- 4.2.1.1.4 Wishes
- 4.2.1.1.5 Assertions/exclamations
- 4.2.1.1.6 Complaints
- 4.2.1.2 Summary and conclusions from insubordination
- 5. General discussion and conclusions
- 5.1 Comparing the functional-pragmatic properties of conditionals and insubordinate if/si-clauses
- 5.2 If/si-constructions and pragmaticalization
- 5.3 If/si-constructions and decategorialization
- 5.4 Summary and concluding remarks
- 6. Suggestions for further research
- References
- Index
- Series index
List of figures
Fig. 1.Registers along Dimension 1 (based on Conrad and Biber, 2001: 27)
Fig. 2.Registers along Dimension 2 (based on Conrad and Biber, 2001: 32)
Fig. 3.Registers along Dimension 3 (based on Conrad and Biber, 2001: 34)
Fig. 4.Registers along Dimension 4 (based on Conrad and Biber, 2001: 36)
Fig. 5.Registers along Dimnesion 5 (based on Conrad and Biber, 2001: 38)
Fig. 6.Interface of the British Parliament Hansard Corpus
Fig. 8.ICECUP interface. Parse tree of a conditional in ICE-GB
Fig. 10.Metafunctions of conditionals in parliament, using 95 % Wilson confidence intervals
Fig. 11.Degree of likelihood of the condition in parliament, using 95 % Wilson confidence intervals
Fig. 12.Position of the if/si-clause in parliament, using 95 % Wilson confidence intervals
Fig. 14.Metafunctions of conditionals in conversation, using 95 % Wilson confidence intervals
Fig. 15.Stance and engagement across interpersonal subfunctions
←13 | 14→Fig. 17.Position of the if/si-clause in conversation, using 95 % Wilson confidence intervals
Fig. 20.Markedness of the apodosis. Cross-register results, using 95 % Wilson confidence intervals
Fig. 22.The cline of pragmaticalization of if/si-constructions
List of tables
Tab. 2.The diachronic pathway from subordination to insubordination (Evans, 2007: 370)
Tab. 3.Dimensions of variation, based on Biber (1988) and Conrad and Biber (2001)
Tab. 4.Structure of the spoken component of ICE-GB
Tab. 5.Structure of C-ORAL-ROM
Tab. 6.Frequency of if and si in parliamentary discourse
Tab. 7.Variables coded for the analysis of conditionals in parliament
Tab. 8.Metafunctions of conditionals in parliament
Tab. 9.Degree of likelihood of the condition in parliament
Tab. 10.Relation between degree of likelihood and metafunction in parliament
Tab. 11.Position of the if/si-clause in the conditional construction in parliament
Tab. 12.Relation between position and metafunction in parliament
Tab. 13.Modal verbs in the apodoses of conditionals in parliament
Tab. 14.Frequency of if and si in conversation
Tab. 15.Variables coded for the analysis of conditionals in conversation
Tab. 16.Metafunctions of conditionals in conversation
Tab. 17.Interpersonal subfunctions of conditionals in conversation
Tab. 18.Stance and engagement in interpersonal conditionals
Tab. 19.Degree of likelihood of the condition in conversation
←15 | 16→Tab. 20.Relation between degree of likelihood and metafunction in conversation
Tab. 21.Position of the if/si-clause in the conditional construction in conversation
Tab. 22.Relation between position and metafunction in conversation
Tab. 23.Relation between position and interpersonal subfunction in conversation
Tab. 24.Markedness of the apodosis in conversation
Tab. 25.Modal verbs in the apodoses of conditionals in conversation
Tab. 26.Frequency of insubordinate if/si-clauses in conversation
Tab. 27.Frequency of insubordinate clauses and interpersonal conditionals
Tab. 28.Types of directives according to agent and beneficiary of the future action
Tab. 29.Discourse functions of insubordinate if/si-clauses in English, French and Spanish
1 Introduction
This book explores constructions introduced by if in English and their equivalents introduced by si, in French and Spanish, based on empirical data retrieved from spoken discourse. The constructions selected for analysis primarily express conditional meaning, as in (1) to (3) below.
(1)So if I get the job I’ll rent for a while until the house prices pick up (ICE-GB:S1A-019 #277:1:C)
(2)Si un jour on s’en sent pas capable / on l’ouvre pas hein / le magasin (C-ORAL-ROM, ffamdl102) 1
‘If one day we don’t feel capable, we don’t open it, the shop’(3)Si no me gustan / las vendo (C-ORAL-ROM efamdl02)
‘If I don’t like them, I sell them’
The various kinds of discourse relations holding between adverbial clauses have attracted much scholarly attention over the years (Thompson and Longacre, 1985; Biber and Finegan, 1988; Sanders et al., 1992; Ford, 1993; Lascarides and Asher, 1993; van der Auwera, 1998; Verstraete, 2007; Conrad and Biber, 2000; Couper-Kuhlen and Kortmann, 2000; Lewis, 2000; Hasselgård, 2010; Haegeman, 2010, 2012; Kortmann, 2012; Ehmer and Barth-Weingarten, 2016; among others); and conditionality, in particular, has been the object of many different studies carried out from different theoretical perspectives, as we will see in Chapter 2. The extensive research to date on conditional constructions follows from the fact that these structures represent, in Dancygier’s (1998: 2) words, “an area of language use where the interaction of form, meaning, and context is exceptionally complex and ←17 | 18→fascinating”. Indeed, it should also be noted that many constructions exhibiting the formal markers of conditionality – as can be the presence of the conjunctions if or si – “are semantically and pragmatically only marginally conditional or not conditional at all” (Traugott et al., 1986: 1). This is why the approach presented here is semasiological, that is, it proceeds from form to function rather than vice versa. The primary aim, therefore, is not to encompass all the conjunctions which can express conditionality or all the different syntactic constructions which can encode this meaning. But rather, the objective of this book is to delve into the multiple functions that can be expressed in discourse by the prototypical conditional conjunction in the three languages under analysis: if in English and si in French and Spanish.2
There are cases, however, where the conjunctions above-mentioned are not used adverbially. Although adverbial constructions constitute the vast majority of all if/si-constructions, if and si can also serve as markers of other constructions, such as indirect interrogative complement clauses (Suñer, 1999; Lastres-López, 2018a), as illustrated in (4) to (6). These usages fall beyond the scope of this book and have therefore been excluded from consideration here.3
(4)I don’t know if they are any good though (ICE-GB:S1B-005 #173:1:A)
(5)Je sais pas si j’ai économisé de l’argent (C-ORAL-ROM ffamdl01)
Details
- Pages
- 254
- Year
- 2021
- ISBN (PDF)
- 9783034343312
- ISBN (ePUB)
- 9783034343329
- ISBN (MOBI)
- 9783034343336
- ISBN (Hardcover)
- 9783034342209
- DOI
- 10.3726/b18393
- Language
- English
- Publication date
- 2021 (August)
- Published
- Bern, Berlin, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Warszawa, Wien, 2021. 254 pp., 22 fig. b/w, 29 tables.
