Chapter 4
From focus marking to illocutionary modification
Functional developments of Italian solo
‘only’
This paper investigates the polyfunctionality of
the Italian adverb solo ‘only’. Beside its
prototypical use as an exclusive focus particle, the adverb
solo has developed some secondary uses which
have not yet been investigated: connective uses (uses as a
conjunctional adverb and as a discourse marker) and illocutive uses
(use as an illocutionary operator tied to specific speech-act
types). By analyzing the different contexts of occurrence and
possible paths of semantic change, the meaning variation of
solo is described and a synchronic
categorization is laid out. Particular attention has been devoted to
its illocutive uses, the meaning of which displays a complex
interrelationship between features pertaining to the information
structure level (focus marking, common ground management) and
features connected to the speech-act domain (marking of the
illocutionary force and speech-act specification in an interpersonal
perspective).
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Basic notions of information structure
- 3.Solo as a focus particle
- 3.1Focus particles and information structure
- 3.2The meaning of solo
- 4.Functional developments of solo: Connective uses
- 5.Functional developments of solo: Illocutive uses
- 5.1Directive speech acts
- 5.2Assertive speech acts
- 5.3A possible bridging context for solo in
assertive speech acts
- 5.4Illocutive uses of solo: Summary
- 6.Conclusions
-
Notes
-
References
-
Corpora
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Jasionytė-Mikučionienė, Erika
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