Chapter 7
The Lithuanian focus particles net ‘even’ and
tik ‘only’ and clause peripheries
The present chapter investigates the Lithuanian
focus particles net ‘even’ and tik
‘only’ and their potential to occur in clause peripheries. The
results of the analysis provide evidence that net
and tik have the potential to appear in clause
peripheries; however, as peripheral elements, they are not so common
in spoken Lithuanian. It is observed that net and
tik share a set of functions with focus
particles in Germanic as well as Romance languages: in clause
peripheries, they contribute to discourse structure and common
ground management as well as encode (inter)subjective information.
Both Lithuanian particles exhibit language-specific properties too,
though: they serve as illocutionary force modifiers not only
strengthening the illocutionary force of a speech act but also
softening it.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Features of focus particles in clause peripheries
- 3.Data and methods
- 4.Distribution of net and tik in
spoken Lithuanian
- 5.Lithuanian particles net and
tik: General characteristics
- 6.Lithuanian particles net and
tik: Towards clause peripheries
- 7.Clause-peripheral functions of net
- 7.1Discourse structuring
- 7.2Marking speaker’s viewpoint
- 7.3Modifying illocutionary force
- 8.Clause-peripheral functions of tik
- 8.1Modifying illocutionary force: Softening speech acts
- 8.2Modifying illocutionary force: Strengthening speech acts
- 9.Concluding remarks
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Acknowledgements
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Notes
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Abbreviations
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References