A Multi-Lingual Study on Subjective Event Construal and the Development of Interpersonal Function

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26370564
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: English linguistics
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: HAYASE NAOKO 大阪大学, 言語文化研究科(言語文化専攻), 准教授 (00263179)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): WATANABE Junya 筑波大学, 大学院人文社会系, 准教授 (20349210)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 対人関係機能 / 懸垂分詞 / 意味変化 / 主観性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This project has shown that dangling-participle-related expressions acquire new functions, i.e., interpersonal or discursive functions. Specifically, (1) A supposing-clause, which is originally used as a dangling subordinate clause, shows insubordination and can be used as a main clause with special intersubjective meaning; (2) A past participle _granted_, originated from dangling granted-clause, come to be used independently to show a responsive function in discourse; and (3) A new expression _speaking of which_ as a chunk emerges from another dangling clause beginning with _speaking of_, and come to serve again as a interpersonal or discursive function.
It has been also revealed that all the examples share some intersubjective function, while the semantic path varies depending on the form of dangling participles, i.e. whether it is present participles or past participles.

Free Research Field

認知言語学　構文文法研究