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Catherine E. Travis, Discourse markers in Colombian Spanish: A study in polysemy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 January 2007

Gabriel Bourdin
Affiliation:
Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, D.F. 04510, bourding@prodigy.net.mx

Abstract

Catherine E. Travis, Discourse markers in Colombian Spanish: A study in polysemy. Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter, 2005. Pp. xiii, 327.

This book sets an excellent example of how a semantic focus may enrich a theme usually identified as belonging to pragmatics. Discourse markers are usually considered to be discourse support resources (fillers). They are known in Spanish as muletillas ‘crutches’, with a negative evaluation. Because they are independent from the syntactic core structure, their presence seems arbitrary and optional. It is also generally believed that they do not contribute to the referential content of the clauses they are used in. Their use, however, is far from random; it is governed by precise conversational conditions and discourse criteria. Furthermore, they play an important pragmatic role in the verbal interaction associated with negotiation between speaker and hearer. This book with its detailed study is an excellent contribution to the field.

Type
BOOK NOTES
Copyright
2007 Cambridge University Press

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References

REFERENCE

Wierzbicka, Anna (1996) Semantics: Primes and universals. Oxford: Oxford University Press.