Abstract
AbstractBottom lineoccurs in several phrases, including the [(the) N is] construction. Its constructionalization is more advanced than that of other nouns: it can now be used as a true discourse marker, in the left or in the right periphery. The data confirm the influence of position on pragmatic function. Cataphoricbottom linemainly fulfills discursive functions (summation, contradiction, sub-topic shift or topic-resumption), while anaphoricbottom lineis an intersubjective expression that signals turn and topic closure and aims at pre-empting potential disalignment. However, the cataphoric discourse marker is also undergoing incipient intersubjectification. This is due to the deletion of the copula, which allowsbottom lineto have scope over the interlocutor’s discourse rather than simply over its host sentence.
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