Creating meso-contexts: The functions of metapragmatic expressions in argumentative TV talk shows
AbstractMetapragmatic expressions (MPEs) show the speaker’s reflexive awareness of language use. Drawing on an argumentative TV talk show, this article explores the functions of MPEs in the host’s utterances from the sociocognitive approach (SCA). It argues that MPEs are employed to create “meso-contexts” so as to ensure the progression of the interactions as intended. The data analysis indicates that different types of MPEs activate prior contexts conventionally tied to them, and an interplay between prior contexts and emergent actual situations results in the construction of meso-contexts, which adjust the situational salience of relevant senses to direct the ongoing of interaction.
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2004 ◽
Vol 20
(2)
◽
pp. 197-210
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