So as a focus marker in German
- This paper discusses a hitherto undescribed usage of the particle so as a dedicated focus marker in contemporary German. I discuss grammatical and pragmatic characteristics of this focus marker, supporting my account with natural linguistic data and with controlled experimental evidence showing that so has a significant influence on speakers’ understanding of what the focus expression in a sentence is. Against this background, I sketch a possible pragmaticalization path from referential usages of so via hedging to a semantically bleached focus marker, which, unlike particles such as auch ‘also’/‘too’ or nur ‘only’, does not contribute any additional meaning.
Author details: | Heike WieseGND |
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URN: | urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-93592 |
ISSN: | 1866-8380 |
Title of parent work (German): | Postprints der Universität Potsdam : Philosophische Reihe |
Publication series (Volume number): | Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Philosophische Reihe (102) |
Publication type: | Postprint |
Language: | English |
Date of first publication: | 2016/08/02 |
Publication year: | 2011 |
Publishing institution: | Universität Potsdam |
Release date: | 2016/08/02 |
Issue: | 102 |
Number of pages: | 49 |
Source: | Linguistics 49 (2011) 5, pp. 991–1039 DOI 10.1515/LING.2011.028 |
Organizational units: | Philosophische Fakultät / Institut für Germanistik |
DDC classification: | 4 Sprache / 40 Sprache / 400 Sprache |
Peer review: | Referiert |
Publishing method: | Open Access |
License (German): | Keine öffentliche Lizenz: Unter Urheberrechtsschutz |
External remark: | Bibliographieeintrag der Originalveröffentlichung/Quelle |