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Jan Lindström Scandinavian languages , University of Helsinki

The grammar of an epistemic marker Swedish jag tycker ‘I think’ as a positionally sensitive unit. Jan Lindström Scandinavian languages , University of Helsinki Left/Right-Asymmetries in Conversational Language FRIAS, Freiburg 16-17 May 2012.

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Jan Lindström Scandinavian languages , University of Helsinki

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  1. The grammar of an epistemic markerSwedish jag tycker ‘I think’ as a positionally sensitive unit Jan Lindström Scandinavian languages, University of Helsinki Left/Right-Asymmetries in Conversational Language FRIAS, Freiburg 16-17 May 2012

  2. 1) GSM:11. Moderator (M) & highschool students on musicstyles. M: men du Anna som inte gillar de, va ä de som inte ä bra? A: nä ja tycker de e: (.) näe (0.2) ◦för mjäkigt tycker jag◦. ( ) B: ◦tycker nog de e bra◦ ((whispering)) [((laughs)) C: [((laughs)) A: nä nja M: men Mattias sa tycker att de ä helt okej? C: a: ja tycker (d)e e (.) gött å sitta lyssna på när man (.) pluggar å såhär. A: [mhm D: [mhm Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  3. 1) GSM:11. Moderator (M) & highschool students on musicstyles. M: men du Anna som inte gillar de, but you Anna who don’t like it, va ä de som inte ä bra? what is it that’s not good? A: nä ja tycker de e: (.) näe no I think it is: (.) well (0.2) ◦för mjäkigt tycker jag◦. ( ) ◦too soft I think◦ B: ◦tycker nog de e bra◦ ((whispering)) ◦thinkit’s still good◦ [((laughs)) C: [((laughs)) A: nä nja no well M: men Mattias sa tycker att de ä helt okej? but Mattias saidthinks that it is quite okay? C: a: ja tycker (d)e e (.) gött å sitta lyssna på yeahI thinkit’s (.) good to sit and listen to när man (.) pluggar å såhär. when you (.) study and so on. A: [mhm D: [mhm Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  4. The epistemic marker ’jag tycker’ • Principally a ”matrixclause” projecting a complement (clause), or a syntacticallynon-projectedsentence-final ”commentclause” • Parentheticals, epistemicpredicates, stance markers, (I-oriented) commentclauses • An (inter)subjective marker, ’to my mind’ • Cf. I think, ichfinde, je pense • Marks epistemic • Access – subjective, personal standpoint • Right – (inter)subjective right to make a stand • Obligation – to make a stand • (cf. Stivers, Mondada, Steensig, 2011) Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  5. Part of a paradigm of epistemic markers • Jag tycker ’I think’ • Subjectiveepistemic access • Jag tror ’I think, I believe’ • Evaluation of subjectiveepistemic access • (jag tänker) ’I think’ (lit.), ’have in mind, reflect’ • General cognitive activity of thinking, reasoning • Jag anser ’I think, it is my opinion’ • Subjectiveepistemic access (formal use) • Jag känner ’I feel’ • Experiential/emotional (epistemic) access • (jag menar)’I mean’ • Explanative marker • Marker of reformulation and repair (grammaticalized) Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  6. Structural(ist) analysis Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  7. Basic left/right-asymmetries • Depending on syntactic position • Left • Subj + verb in ”full” initial position: jag tycker • Matrixclause+ complementclause • Jag tycker (att) de e bra • Right • Verb + subject in subsequent position: tycker jag • Clause + commentclause/modifier • De e bra, tycker jag Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  8. 1’) GSM:11. Moderator (M) & highschool students on musicstyles. Line 3 & 11, 5. M: men du Anna som inte gillar de, va ä de som inte e bra? A: nä ja tycker de e: (.) näe (0.2) ◦för mjäkigt tycker jag◦. ( ) B: ◦tycker nog de e bra◦ ((whispering)) [((laughs)) C: [((laughs)) A: nä nja M: men Mattias sa tycker att de e helt okej? C: a: ja tycker (d)e e (.) gött å sitta lyssna på när man (.) pluggar å såhär. A: [mhm D: [mhm Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  9. Alsofirst/second-asymmetries • Jag tycker is the general/neutral form • Both in first and second positions in a sequence of turns • The only form in subordinateclauses En dansbandslåt som jag tycker är bra ’A dance band tunewhich I think is good’ • Recognizable second (response) position forms: • De tycker jag (...) = intwinedclauses; cleft De tycker jag e bra = Jag tycker de e bra • Tycker jag ... = topicdrop (object; anaphoricellipsis); cleft (de) Tycker jag e bra • Tycker ... = topicdrop (subject; deicticellipsis) (jag) Tycker de e bra Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  10. De tycker ja 2) GSM:7. Moderator (M) & highschool students on musicstyles. Line 9. A: .hh dom har väl blivit #så där eh:::# .hhtheyhave I guessbecome #so erm# snowboard å:: skatesvängen ( [ ) ] snowboard and skate scene B: [ja::] yes de [e mycke sånt] [ja,] there’smuch of that yes M: [ mmhmm:::] A: [ #m]m::[::# ] B: [°fak]tiskt°. °actually° (0.3) B: °de: tycker ja°. ”that think I” (≈that’s my opinion) Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  11. Tycker jag topicdrop,intwinedclauses 3) GSM:26. Moderator (M) & highschool students on musicstyles. Line 4. M: bra↑ (.) vi kan ta nästa låt¿ good (.) wecantake the nexttune¿ A: hm↑ ((The Beatles ”She loves you” is played back, ca 1 min.)) A: tycker jag e jättebra. ((laughs)) (that) I think is awesome. Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  12. Tyckersubjectdrop M: men du Anna som inte gillar de, but you Anna who don’t like it, va ä de som inte ä bra? what is it that’s not good? A: nä ja tyckerde e: (.) näe no I think it is: (.) well (0.2) ◦för mjäkigt tycker jag◦. ( ) ◦too soft I think◦ B: ◦tycker nog de e bra◦ ((whispering)) ◦thinkit’s still good◦ 1’’) GSM:11. Moderator (M) & highschool students on musicstyles. Line 6. Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  13. Recognizableend position form • Post-clausaltycker jag • Prosodicallyprojected/continuous • Recognizable expansion form • Post-possiblecompletiontycker jag • Syntactically and prosodicallynon-projected Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  14. Post-clausaltycker jag 1’’’) GSM:11. Moderator (M) & highschool students on musicstyles. Line 5. M: men du Anna som inte gillar de, but you Anna who don’t like it, va ä de som inte e bra? what is it that’s not good? A: nä ja tycker de e: (.) näe no I think it is: (.) well (0.2) ◦för mjäkigt tycker jag◦. ( ) ◦too soft I think◦ ( ) Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  15. Post-possiblecompletiontycker jag 4) GSM:7. Moderator (M) & highschool students on musicstyles. Line 12. A: nä:e: >elle ja<. (.) de beror på (.) vissa låtar kan va bra men:, (0.3) de mesta gillar ja inte.= B: =jo men: >ja tycker nog<, >de går no:g< å lyssna på men:, (.) Jumper e väl (0.7) strået vassare >i såna fall<. M: mm[:. ] B: [äv]en fall de inte e så stor skillnad på dom. (0.6) B: >tycke ja<. (0.3) M: mm¿ Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  16. Summary of the formal variation Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  17. On-line perspectives • Emergence • Emergentsyntacticpatterns in different positions • Emerging/sedimentedpatterns? • Projection • Directionality and dependency relations • Expansion • Relation to a precedingstructure Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  18. ’Jagtycker’ as emergentpatterns Affirmative Negated Jagtyckerinte att de e de e (Ø Tyckerinte) de e De tycker /inte/ jag /inte/ e Ø Tycker /inte/ jag /inte/ e ← tycker /jag/ inte /jag/. • Jagtycker • att de e • de e • (bara/liksom) de e • Ø Tycker • de e • De tyckerjag • e • Ø Tyckerjag • e • ← tyckerjag. • (de e.) Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  19. ’Jagtycker’ as emergentpatterns Affirmative Negated Jagtyckerinte att de e de e (Ø Tyckerinte) de e De tycker /inte/ jag /inte/ e Ø Tycker /inte/ jag /inte/ e ← tycker /jag/ inte /jag/. • Jagtycker • att de e • de e • (bara/liksom) de e • Ø Tycker • de e • De tyckerjag • e • Ø Tyckerjag • e • ← tyckerjag. • (de e.) Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  20. Projections • Jagtycker / Ø tyckerproject • A fullcomplementclause → closure of a gestalt • Oranotherfillingelement, anaph. pron. jagtyckerde • De tyckerjag / Ø tyckerjagproject • A continuation of the intwinedclause → closure of a gestalt • Or is a completegestaltde tyckerjag ← sequentialcontext (=giving a confirmation is made relevant) • Post-clausaltyckerjag is notstructurallyprojected and doesnothaveprojections • Marks stronglybyitspresence a unitclosure (cf. ”recompleters”, youknow) Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  21. Expansions • ”Right” position tyckerjag • is a sententialexpansion outside of a clausalframe • Relation to precedingstructuremarkedby VS • Optionallyalsoby the samepolarity in case of negation De e intespecielltroligthellertyckerintejag. • Becauseit is non-projected and relatableit is ideal as an increment • Expandableitself? (probablynot) De e såhärlitetypengelskinspirerat(.)tyckerjag de e ’It is likeyouknowEnglishinspired (.) I thinkit is’ • Relation to the intwinedclausespattern • Jagtyckerde e engelskinspirerat • Detyckerjage engelskinspirerat • Engelskinspirerattyckerjagde e Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  22. Sequentialexpansions • In ”left” position, VS marksthat the contributionbears a relation to the precedingmove • Linked to the structuralindexicality of post-clausaltyckerjag • Expansionemergesfromsequential and structurallatency • (”Shelovesyou”) tyckerjag e jättebra [constituent-1] + [intwinedtyckerjag] • (för mjäkigttyckerjag) tyckernog de e bra [move-1 incl. (jag)] [move-2 ”( )”] + tyckernog de e bra Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  23. Emergingpatterns for ’jag tycker’? • Not an ideal case of grammaticalization • No pre-frontfielditembut sensitive to syntactic position • Can be negated • Complementclausemay display dependen syntax • Something’s still happening? • Syntacticlooseness in final position • Phonologicalreduction in all positions • Formal reduction is beingconventionalized in left positions? • Formulaic”left” variants • Tycker jag med, tycker jag också Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  24. Consequences of the asymmetries • Emergenceunderdifferentsequentialconditions → consequential for syntax and (inter)action • Jagtycker (att) de e • Action: evaluationprojector + evaluation • Tycker de e / (de) tyckerjag e • Action: responsiveevaluationprojector + evaluation • … tyckerjag. • Action: evaluation + evaluationrecontextualizer • Afterthought, hedge Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  25. Conclusion • ’jag tycker’ as a case of left/right-asymmetry • Left forms haveprojections • General projectionunits for emergingTCU:s • Left forms anchor the contribution with subjectiveepistemicity • Right forms are expanded and syntacticallyrelated to the precedingunit • No furtherprojections→ a short, formulaicunit • Right forms recategorize, evendowngrade, the precedingevaluation/assessment by subjectification • Both syntax- and actionwiseuseful as increments Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  26. ’jag tycker’ as a case of positionally sensitive grammar: first/second-asymmetries • Sequentiality of units (sequence syntax) • Cf. directionality of units (on-line syntax) • Verb-first/inverted forms ”to the left” are marked as beingspecifically second (or subsequent) position forms • Responsive or elaboratingmoves Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  27. Structuralindexicality of tycker (jag) • VS hasspecialfunctions in dialogues in the Swedishlanguagethatalternatesbetween SV and VS (depending on syntactic position) • VS is used as a tyingmechanism in syntagmatic and sequentialterms Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

  28. Whatkind of grammar, then? • Global grammar # local grammars? • ”Local” grammars • Grammar of first and secondpositions? • Grammar of left and right positions? • Grammar of epistemic markers? • Grammar of ’jag tycker’? Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki

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