A multimodal approach to grammatical aspect | CU Experts

Abstract; This paper offers a multimodal approach to grammatical aspect, traditionally seen in linguistics as a; verbal-morphological category. Using conversation analysis and interactional linguistics, we take as our object of study turn; completions done with bodily movements and non-lexical vocalizations, focusing on the aspectual information they construct, and; how this information is oriented to as relevant to the trajectory of action underway. We argue that the aspectual information; constructed through the practice of completing a turn with bodily movements and non-lexical vocalizations is part of demonstrating; the speaker’s experiential knowledge relevant to the epistemic claims being made, in the service of securing some form of; affiliative uptake from the recipient regarding those claims. Pursuits designed in this way provide the recipient access to the; speaker’s “way of viewing the internal temporal constituency of [the] situation” (Comrie; 1976: 3). Furthermore, we show that the aspectual information conveyed (i) by bodily movements, and (ii) co-occurring; non-lexical vocalizations, are somewhat distinct from each other. Our study is the first that we are aware of to examine the; category of grammatical aspect in turn completions and in this embodied and social-interactional way. Data are in American; English.

Neyra R; Butler M; Munch Nicolaisen E; Sbertoli-Nielsen P; Tam CL; Fox BA; Raymond CW

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