The expression of directed caused accompanied motion events in Yurakaré

Abstract

This chapter gives an overview of the expression of directed caused accompanied motion events in Yurakaré (isolate, Bolivia) spoken discourse. Building on previous descriptive work by van Gijn (2005, 2006, 2011b), the chapter sets a focus on discourse frequencies of the relevant constructions, including a detailed analysis of the contributions of semantics and pragmatics to the expression of the four defining meaning components (directedness, causation, accompaniment, motion). In addition, I examine the variability in interactants’ choice of expression when describing the same event, emphasizing different aspects of the event with their choice. I argue that interactional strategies such as self‑ and cross-speaker repetition can explain part of the variability by influencing discourse frequencies.