Interactive and Interpersonal Meanings of Grammatical Structures

The work offers an analysis of the imperative, the periphrastic imperative, and the directive infinitive in Polish, with focus on how these grammatical structures are used in context to achieve particular kinds of interactive and interpersonal effects. The theoretical framework adopted for the study is Langacker's theory of cognitive grammar.

The study offers an analysis of three grammatical constructions specifically employed in direct performance of directive speech acts in Polish. Constructions of this type have not yet been widely analyzed, as research pertaining to the relation between the grammatical structure of an utterance and its pragmatic effects has focused mainly on indirect speech acts. The study combines a discussion of a wide range of corpus examples with a detailed analysis of hand-picked examples situated in specific contexts. The aim is to show how the grammatical make-up of a construction functions with contextual factors to bring about a range of pragmatic effects pertaining to the speakers' interaction and their interpersonal relation. The framework of the study is the theory of cognitive grammar.

Autorentext

Agata Kochanska is Assistant Professor at the Institute of English Studies, University of Warsaw. Her current research interests focus on meanings of grammatical structures. She is an author of a number of articles on the semantics of, among others, the verbal aspect, distance-regulating structures, and directive constructions in Polish.

Inhalt

interactive and interpersonal meanings of directive constructions in Polish - cognitive grammar - pragmatic import of the perfective/imperfective contrast in the Polish imperative - pragmatic distance - import of distance-regulating structures in Polish - intersubjectivity - clausal grounding - construal