Modulating Action Through Minimization: Syntax in the Service of Offering and Requesting
Published In
Language in Society
Document Type
Citation
Publication Date
9-2020
Abstract
This study uses data from a shoe-repair shop, supplemented by data from medical and mundane contexts, to analyze three progressively minimal grammatical formats used to implement offers and requests in interaction (i.e. do you want…?, you want…?, and want…?). We argue that this cline of minimality reflects a cline of the action-initiator's stance, from relatively weak to strong (respectively), regarding their expectation that the action will be accepted or complied with. In doing so, we illustrate that, as part of the design of requests and offers, participants rely on more granular distinctions than a simple binary between interrogative and declarative morphosyntax. We conclude with a discussion of the interactional logic that undergirds the normative use of these grammatical formats, and of our findings’ implications for action formation and preference organization.
Rights
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press
Locate the Document
DOI
10.1017/S004740452000069X
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/36391
Citation Details
Raymond, C., Robinson, J., Fox, B., Thompson, S., & Montiegel, K. (2021). Modulating action through minimization: Syntax in the service of offering and requesting. Language in Society, 50(1), 53-91. doi:10.1017/S004740452000069X