Universals of narrative pragmatics
A Polynesian case study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3988179 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Robin Hooper (0000-0002-1063-0917, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1998 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 1998-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Linguistics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0024-3949 • E-ISSN: 1613-396X |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1515/ling.1998.36.1.119 |
| OpenAlex | W1973102827 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
Detailed discussions of the microlinguistic organization of narrative have concentrated on European languages. This paper broadens the scope of enquiry with a study of oral narratives in Tokelauan, a Polynesian language. It provides some support for the view that there are universals of narrative pragmatics, describable in general terms as requirements for narrative texture or grounding, realized in part through tense/aspect, and for embedded evaluation. Tokelauan narratives display structural and functional similarities to those of English and Romance languages. Basic narrative clauses have distinctive syntax, and tense/aspect and word order are the major means for conveying different levels of grounding. An aspectual alternation found in narrative clauses has a similar function to the historic present tense alternation characteristic of European languages. I suggest that evaluative strategies involving lexical and clausal units, such as repetition and constructed dialogue, are universal or at least widespread stylistic features of the oral narrative genre, whereas grammatical features that convey affective or evaluative meaning are highly language-specific and result in distinctive textual patterns and narrative poetics; yet these operate within a framework that is recognizably the same as that which has been observed elsewhere
Linguistic universal · Linguistics · Narrative · Pragmatics · Problem of universals · Theoretical linguistics · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Philosophy · Phonetics and Phonology Research · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation
From aspect to information structure
Operator focus in discourse and grammar
Sequentiality in the narratives of Tirax, an oceanic language spoken on Malakula, Vanuatu
The function of the Historical Present tense
Analyse du discours et grammaire de texte
Typologie syntaxique et grammaire de texte
Perception verbs, directional metaphor and point of view in Tokelauan discourse
| Citations per year | 0.26 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1999 - 2025 (27) |
| Highly cited | No |