Abstract
This paper explores the role of a contemporary instance of anacolutha-what I refer to as a double-subject sentence (DSS)-in structuring a discourse. I argue that the initial subject of the DSS is semantically detached from the primary sentence and that it is a rhetorical tool used to project a new direction of discourse. To illustrate this detachment, I show how the communicative function of the initial subject is essentially that of a demonstration, a pointing gesture, that accompanies a demonstrative. I show ultimately that the DSS provides a useful illustration of the way speakers maintain knowledge of contextual conditions and how they use that knowledge to organize propositions efficiently and effectively in a discourse.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 3431-3443 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Journal of Pragmatics |
Volume | 42 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 1 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Demonstrative
- Dislocation
- Double-subject
- Kaplan
- Micro-rhetoric