Grammar in Interaction: Adverbial Clauses in American English Conversations (Studies in Interactional Sociolinguistics)

183 Pages·1993·5.27 MB·English

by  Cecilia E. Ford

Cecilia E. Ford explores the question: what work do adverbial
clauses do in conversational interaction? Her analysis of this pre-
dominating conjunction strategy in English conversation is based
on the assumption that grammars reflect recurrent patterns of
situated language use, and that a primary site for language is in
spontaneous talk. She considers the interactional, as well as the
informational, work of talk, and shows how conversationalists use
grammar to coordinate their joint language production. The man-
agement of the complexities of the sequential development of a
conversation, and the social roles of conversational participants,
have been extensively examined within the sociological approach of
conversation analysis. Dr. Ford uses conversation analysis as a
framework for the interpretation of intercausal relations in her
database of American English conversations. Her book contributes
to a growing body of research on grammar in discourse, which has
until recently remained largely focused on monologic rather than
dialogic functions of language.

Studies in Interactional Sociolinguistics 9
General Editor: John J. Gumperz
Grammar in interaction

Studies in Interactional Sociolinguistics
Discourse strategies John J. Gumperz
Language and social identity edited by John J. Gumperz
The social construction of literacy edited by Jenny Cook-Gumperz
Politeness: some universals in language usage Penelope Brown and
Stephen C. Levinson
Discourse markers Deborah Schiffrin
Talking voices Deborah Tannen
Conducting interaction Adam Kendon
Talk at work edited by Paul Drew and John Heritage
Grammar in interaction Cecilia E. Ford

Grammar in interaction
Adverbial clauses in American English conversations
CECILIA E. FORD
Department of English,
University of Wisconsin-Madison
CAMBRIDGE
UNIVERSITY PRESS
Published by the Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RP
40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, USA
10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh, Victoria 3166, Australia
© Cambridge University Press 1993
First published 1993
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress cataloguing in publication data
Ford, Cecilia E.
Grammar in interaction: adverbial clauses in American English conversations
/ Cecilia E. Ford.
p. cm. - (Studies in interactional sociolinguistics)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0 521 41803 8 (hardback)
1. English language - United States - Adverbials. 2. English language -
Spoken English - United States. 3. English language - Social aspects - United
States. 4. English language - United States -
Clauses. 5. Americanisms. 6. Conversation. I. Title.
II. Series.
PE2821.F67 1993
425'0973-dc20 92-8274 CIP
ISBN 0 521 41803 8 hardback
Transferred to digital printing 2005
For Dana, Maia, and Sarah