Abstract
This article examines the syntax and semantics ofplease. Using a mainstream generative syntactic framework, I propose that syntactically integratedpleaseis a discourse marker that marks the clause in which it occurs as a request.Pleasemay appear clause-initially or clause-medially as determined by a number of factors, including clause type, modality, negation and the application of ellipsis. There is also a homophonous markerpleasethat occurs in clause-final position; clause-finalpleasedoes not mark requestsper sebut ‘bonds’ a speaker and addressee, reinforcing their relationship as requester and requestee. This analysis ofpleaseprovides support for syntactic approaches to speech act structure, particularly the claim that illocutionary force is part of narrow syntax rather than a solely pragmatic phenomenon. The article provides support for pursuing a model of the syntax–discourse interface in which interactions between discourse markers and clause-internal functional elements, such as mood and modality, form the interface between syntax and discourse.
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