Arguing for a wide conception of grammar: The case of final particles in spoken discourse

Abstract

The grammatical status of final particles in spoken English, such as then, though, anyway, and but, is undefined, as the various labels used in the literature (e.g. connectors, linking adverbials, conjuncts) show. This indeterminacy derives from the functional diversity of these particles. They not only link units of (spoken) discourse, but may also create a link between a discourse unit and an implied proposition; they are used to express subjective meanings and to modify illocutionary force. As such particles represent a borderline case between grammar and pragmatics, they invite discussion of the usefulness of a strict grammar-pragmatics divide and suggest a conception of grammar that goes beyond the level of “well-formed” sentences. A distinction will be made between “microgrammar”, which refers to sentence-internal strucural relations, and “macrogrammar”, referring to structural relations beyond isolated sentences. Final particles are analyzed as grammatical elements on the macrogrammatical level.