Unexpressed Subjects in English: An Empirical Analysis of Narrative and Conversational Discourse

(Hardback)

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Language structure is shaped by communicative needs. This is borne out in Unexpressed Subjects in English: An Empirical Analysis of Narrative and Conversational Discourse, in which Amy M. Lindstrom challenges previous assumptions of what is grammatically possible in English by examining contexts in which speakers omit subjects. It is generally assumed that inflected verbs in English are always accompanied by overt subjects. However, a corpus-based analysis of interactive conversation and monologic narrative reveals that several variables contribute to a rigorous account of subject (un)expression in spoken American English. These include the discourse/pragmatic factors of accessibility and chronological ordering, the prosodic effect of linking, the mechanical effect of priming, and the semantic factor of verb class. Higher degrees of linking, cohesion, and connection lead to higher instantiations of unexpressed subjects. Lindstrom demonstrates that unexpressed subjects in English warrant attention as a deliberate, strategic device in discourse, where patterns of distribution challenge the assumption that subject expression is obligatory as an innate grammatical rule.

Reviews

"This exciting new book is an important contribution to research on morphosyntax and language variation in particular. Lindstrom's extensive researchrefutesthe widespread assumption that English prohibits subject omission by revealing contexts and motivations underlying null subjects. Through careful analysis ofboth conversations and narratives,Lindstrom furthers our understanding of the ways in which speakers manipulate grammar to achieve communicative goals."--Naomi Shin, University of New Mexico -- Naomi Shin, University of New Mexico
"This book makes a substantial contribution to our knowledge about subject expression. Such a detailed analysis of subject expression in English allows linguists to see cross-linguistic parallels in the conditioning of subject expression, which the author carefully and clearly highlights for the reader."--Dora LaCasse, University of Montana -- Dora LaCasse, University of Montana

Author Bio

Amy M. Lindstrom is assistant professor of linguistics at Old Dominion University.