On two types of dicendial causal markers (with a special focus on the languages of Eurasia)

Abstract

Constructions involving speech act verbs are a well-known diachronic source of adverbial connectors, but the latter have so far received less attention in the literature compared to other common products of grammaticalization of verba dicendi, such as reportatives or complementizers. This paper focuses on dicendial causal markers in the languages of Eurasia. The majority of such elements fall into two distinct types (“saying / having said” and “if you / one say(s) why”), defined on the basis of their formal make-up, but clearly diff erent in their positional and semantic properties as well. It is shown that the differences between the two types are directly linked to their diachronic origins. Previously proposed universal grammaticalization clines for speech act verbs can only be relevant for the fi rst type. The paper also puts forward hypotheses concerning the syntactic status of causal clauses introduced by markers of the two types and sketches prospective avenues for further languagespecific research.