Modification as a linguistic ‘relationship’: Ajust soproblem in Functional Discourse Grammar

Abstract

AbstractThis study traces the relationship between two erstwhile separate linguistic elements,justandso, within the framework of Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG). In keeping with FDG’s form-oriented function-to-form approach, the study proceeds semasiologically by, first, examining the uses of relatively independent forms (i.e.the focus particlejustmodifyingsoas a degree word and a manner proform), then turning to more tightly-knit structures (i.e. just soas a subordinator of purpose and condition), and finally, looking at the fixed expressionjust soused as a part of a pragmatic marker. Using data from theCorpus of Contemporary American Englishand theCorpus of Historical American English, we argue that the different meanings ofjust soraise a number of issues related to the analysis of modification in FDG, namely the status and function of the modifierjustin the constructions under discussion and the concomitant representation ofso. Furthermore, the analysis shows that FDG can model very precisely the interplay of semantic and pragmatic information in the stages whenjust sois still compositional, withjustproviding interpersonal (i.e.pragmatic) andsorepresentational (i.e.semantic) information, as well as its development into the non-compositional and purely pragmatic discourse markerjust so you know.