Grammar and Discourse

This project investigates how English discourse is organized in terms of 'information flow' (Given/new information, topic organization, etc.). In particular, it examines how various word order patterns are exploited for this purpose. The emphasis is on conversational discourse, but other discourse types are also examined. It is assumed that two factors play an important role: [a] cognition (in terms of processibility); [b] social (in terms of social interaction). Various non-canonical word order patterns (e.g. cleft constructions) are investigated. Attention is also paid to intonational features.

Beteiligter Wissenschaftler:

Prof. Dr. R. Geluykens

Veröffentlichungen:

Geluykens, R., C. Braecke, K. Pelsmaekers: "Clause ordering as a text-building device in written L2", in: M. Pütz (ed.). The cultural context in foreign language teaching. (Frankfurt: Peter Lang, 1997). pp. 35-52.

Geluykens, R., C. Braecke, K. Pelsmaekers: "Rhetorical structure and subordination in L2 writing", in: Sanchez-Macarro, A., R. Carter (eds.). Linguistic choices across genres. (Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 1998). pp.191-213.

Geluykens, R. (in press): "It takes two to cohere: The collaborative dimension of conversational coherence", in: Bublitz, W., U. Lenk, E. Ventola, (eds.). Coherence in spoken and written discourse. (Amsterdam: Benjamins). pp. 33-54.

Geluykens, R. (submitted): Cognitive and Interactional Constraints on Information Flow: Topic organization in English conversation. monograph submitted to Mouton de Gruyter.