ChesterHsieh2018

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ChesterHsieh2018
BibType ARTICLE
Key ChesterHsieh2018
Author(s) Chen-Yu Chester Hsieh
Title From turn-taking to stance-taking: Wenti-shi ‘(the) thing is' as a projector construction and an epistemic marker in Mandarin conversation
Editor(s)
Tag(s) EMCA, Epistemic right, Noun-copula-clause, Projector construction, Stance-taking, Terms of agreement, Wenti-shi, interactional linguistics
Publisher
Year 2018
Language English
City
Month
Journal Journal of Pragmatics
Volume 127
Number
Pages 107–124
URL Link
DOI 10.1016/j.pragma.2018.02.002
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title
Chapter

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Abstract

The noun-copula-clause (NCC) construction is a well-studied topic in English linguistics yet underexplored in languages like Mandarin. By investigating the use of wenti-shi (WTS) ‘(the) thing is/(the) problem is' in Chinese conversation, this study aims to contribute to this literature. Drawing on natural spoken data and the framework of Interactional Linguistics, I argue that WTS can serve in conversation as a retrospective projector construction that foreshadows upcoming content while connecting the content to the previous discourse and an epistemic stance marker that signals a shift in perspective and helps form a (counter-)informing act, allowing speakers to upgrade their epistemic rights in the process of pursuing agreement. The structural and functional features of WTS both demonstrate commonalities with NCC constructions in other languages and reflect the influence of its component parts and language-specific tendencies.

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