jan lindström scandinavian languages , university of helsinki

The grammar of an epistemic markerSwedish jag tycker ‘I think’

as a positionally sensitive unit

Jan LindströmScandinavian languages, University of Helsinki

Left/Right-Asymmetries in Conversational LanguageFRIAS, Freiburg 16-17 May 2012

Jan Lindström/University of Helsinki 2

1) GSM:11. Moderator (M) & highschool students on music styles.

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 njaM: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: [mhmD: [mhm

16.5.2012


1) GSM:11. Moderator (M) & highschool students on music styles.

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: (.) näeno I think it is: (.) well(0.2)◦för mjäkigt tycker jag◦. ( )◦too soft I think◦

B: ◦tycker nog de e bra◦ ((whispering))◦think it’s still good◦[((laughs))

C: [((laughs))A: nä nja

no wellM: men Mattias sa tycker att de ä helt okej?

but Mattias said thinks that it is quite okay?C: a: ja tycker (d)e e (.) gött å sitta lyssna på

yeah I think it’s (.) good to sit and listen tonär man (.) pluggar å såhär.when you (.) study and so on.

A: [mhmD: [mhm16.5.2012


The epistemic marker ’jag tycker’• Principally a ”matrix clause” projecting a complement

(clause), or a syntactically non-projected sentence-final ”comment clause”– Parentheticals, epistemic predicates, stance markers, (I-oriented)

comment clauses• An (inter)subjective marker, ’to my mind’

– Cf. I think, ich finde, 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)

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• Part of a paradigm of epistemic markers– Jag tycker ’I think’

• Subjective epistemic access– Jag tror ’I think, I believe’

• Evaluation of subjective epistemic access– (jag tänker) ’I think’ (lit.), ’have in mind, reflect’

• General cognitive activity of thinking, reasoning– Jag anser ’I think, it is my opinion’

• Subjective epistemic access (formal use)– Jag känner ’I feel’

• Experiential/emotional (epistemic) access– (jag menar) ’I mean’

• Explanative marker • Marker of reformulation and repair (grammaticalized)

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Structural(ist) analysis

Jag tycker (att) det är bra.Det tycker jag är bra.Det är bra, tycker jag.

jag.I.

tyckerthink

Det är braThat’s good

är bra.is good.

(inte)not

jagI

tyckerthink

DetThat

(att) det är bra.that it’s good.

(inte)not

tyckerthink

JagI

VcomplSadvSVfinFront field

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Basic left/right-asymmetries

• Depending on syntactic position– Left

• Subj + verb in ”full” initial position: jag tycker• Matrix clause + complement clause

– Jag tycker (att) de e bra

– Right• Verb + subject in subsequent position: tycker jag• Clause + comment clause/modifier

– De e bra, tycker jag

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1’) GSM:11. Moderator (M) & highschool students on music styles. 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 njaM: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: [mhmD: [mhm

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Also first/second-asymmetries• Jag tycker is the general/neutral form

– Both in first and second positions in a sequence of turns– The only form in subordinate clauses

En dansbandslåt som jag tycker är bra’A dance band tune which I think is good’

• Recognizable second (response) position forms:– De tycker jag (...) = intwined clauses; cleft

De tycker jag e bra = Jag tycker de e bra– Tycker jag ... = topic drop (object; anaphoric ellipsis); cleft

(de) Tycker jag e bra– Tycker ... = topic drop (subject; deictic ellipsis)

(jag) Tycker de e bra

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De tycker ja2) GSM:7. Moderator (M) & highschool students on music styles. Line 9.

A: .hh dom har väl blivit #så där eh:::# .hh they have I guess become #so erm#snowboard å:: skatesvängen ( [ ) ] snowboard and skate scene

B: [ja::] yes de [e mycke sånt] [ja,]there’s much of that yes

M: [ mmhmm:::] A: [ #m]m::[::# ] B: [°fak]tiskt°.

°actually°(0.3)

B: °de: tycker ja°.”that think I” (≈that’s my opinion)

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Tycker jag topic drop, intwined clauses

3) GSM:26. Moderator (M) & highschool students on music styles. Line 4.

M: bra↑ (.) vi kan ta nästa låt¿good (.) we can take the next tune¿

A: hm↑((The Beatles ”She loves you” is played back, ca 1 min.))

A: tycker jag e jättebra. ((laughs))(that) I think is awesome.

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Tycker subject drop1’’) GSM:11. Moderator (M) & highschool students on music styles. Line 6.

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: (.) näeno I think it is: (.) well(0.2)◦för mjäkigt tycker jag◦. ( )◦too soft I think◦

B: ◦tycker nog de e bra◦ ((whispering))◦think it’s still good◦

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• Recognizable end position form– Post-clausal tycker jag

• Prosodically projected/continuous

• Recognizable expansion form– Post-possible completion tycker jag

• Syntactically and prosodically non-projected

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Post-clausal tycker jag

1’’’) GSM:11. Moderator (M) & highschool students on music styles. 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: (.) näeno I think it is: (.) well(0.2)◦för mjäkigt tycker jag◦. ( )◦too soft I think◦ ( )

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Post-possible completion tycker jag

4) GSM:7. Moderator (M) & highschool students on music styles. 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¿

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Summary of the formal variation”Left” forms Grammatical formation Sequential position

Jag tycker att → Matrix cl. w complementizer Neutral

Jag tycker → Matrix cl. w/o complementizer Neutral

Tycker (att) → Matrix cl. w topic drop, w or w/o complementizer

Responsive

Det tycker jag ./→ Clause/intwined matrix cl. Responsive

Tycker jag → Intwined matrix cl. w topic drop Responsive

”Right” forms Grammatical formation Sequential position

← tycker jag Post-clausal comment clause Unit closure

. ← tycker jag Glued-on post-clausal comment clause Increment

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On-line perspectives

• Emergence– Emergent syntactic patterns in different positions– Emerging/sedimented patterns?

• Projection– Directionality and dependency relations

• Expansion– Relation to a preceding structure

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’Jag tycker’ as emergent patternsAffirmative• Jag tycker

– att de e– de e– (bara/liksom) de e

• Ø Tycker– de e

• De tycker jag– e

• Ø Tycker jag– e

• ← tycker jag.– (de e.)

Negated• Jag tycker inte

– att de e– de e

• (Ø Tycker inte)– de e

• De tycker /inte/ jag /inte/– e

• Ø Tycker /inte/ jag /inte/– e

• ← tycker /jag/ inte /jag/.

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Projections

• Jag tycker / Ø tycker project– A full complement clause → closure of a gestalt– Or another filling element, anaph. pron. jag tycker de

• De tycker jag / Ø tycker jag project– A continuation of the intwined clause → closure of a gestalt– Or is a complete gestalt de tycker jag ← sequential context

(=giving a confirmation is made relevant)• Post-clausal tycker jag is not structurally projected and

does not have projections– Marks strongly by its presence a unit closure (cf.

”recompleters”, you know)

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Expansions• ”Right” position tycker jag

– is a sentential expansion outside of a clausal frame• Relation to preceding structure marked by VS• Optionally also by the same polarity in case of negation

De e inte speciellt roligt heller tycker inte jag.• Because it is non-projected and relatable it is ideal as an

increment– Expandable itself? (probably not)

De e såhär lite typ engelskinspirerat (.) tycker jag de e’It is like you know English inspired (.) I think it is’• Relation to the intwined clauses pattern

– Jag tycker de e engelskinspirerat– De tycker jag e engelskinspirerat– Engelskinspirerat tycker jag de e

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• Sequential expansions– In ”left” position, VS marks that the contribution

bears a relation to the preceding move• Linked to the structural indexicality of post-clausal tycker

jag– Expansion emerges from sequential and structural

latency• (”She loves you”) tycker jag e jättebra [constituent-1] + [intwined tycker jag]• (för mjäkigt tycker jag) tycker nog de e bra [move-1 incl. (jag)] [move-2 ”( )”] + tycker nog de e bra

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Emerging patterns for ’jag tycker’?• Not an ideal case of grammaticalization

– No pre-front field item but sensitive to syntactic position– Can be negated– Complement clause may display dependen syntax

• Something’s still happening?– Syntactic looseness in final position– Phonological reduction in all positions– Formal reduction is being conventionalized in left

positions?– Formulaic ”left” variants

• Tycker jag med, tycker jag också

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Consequences of the asymmetries

• Emergence under different sequential conditions → consequential for syntax and (inter)action

• Jag tycker (att) de e– Action: evaluation projector + evaluation

• Tycker de e / (de) tycker jag e– Action: responsive evaluation projector + evaluation

• … tycker jag.– Action: evaluation + evaluation recontextualizer

• Afterthought, hedge

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Conclusion

• ’jag tycker’ as a case of left/right-asymmetry– Left forms have projections

• General projection units for emerging TCU:s– Left forms anchor the contribution with subjective

epistemicity– Right forms are expanded and syntactically related to

the preceding unit• No further projections → a short, formulaic unit

– Right forms recategorize, even downgrade, the preceding evaluation/assessment by subjectification

• Both syntax- and actionwise useful as increments

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• ’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 being specifically second (or subsequent) position forms– Responsive or elaborating moves

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• Structural indexicality of tycker (jag)• VS has special functions in dialogues in the

Swedish language that alternates between SV and VS (depending on syntactic position)– VS is used as a tying mechanism in syntagmatic

and sequential terms

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• What kind of grammar, then?– Global grammar # local grammars?– ”Local” grammars

• Grammar of first and second positions?• Grammar of left and right positions?• Grammar of epistemic markers?• Grammar of ’jag tycker’?

16.5.2012

jan lindström scandinavian languages , university of helsinki

Documents

tycker nog

clausejag tycker att

fr mjkigt tycker jag

som inte e bra

e bra whisperinglaughsc

e bra whisperingthink

som inte bra

e helt okej