Aspects of 'bale' (‘yes’) in Persian Discourse: Its Functions, Positions, and Evolution
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[1] Sun Yat-sen University
Sun Yat-sen University
China
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- Localización: Studia linguistica: A journal of general linguistics, ISSN 0039-3193, Vol. 75, Nº 3, 2021, págs. 623-658
- Idioma: inglés
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
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Resumen
This paper examines the different functions of bale (‘yes’) in Persian by identifying its positions in the syntagmatic chain. As such, it reveals a significant correlation exists between the function types, various positions, and the frequency of bale, which appears on the left periphery (LP), on the right periphery (RP), and in the medial, detached or free-standing mode at a rate of 20.5%, 9.5, 2.1%, and 67.9%, respectively. On LP, it can function for all the three types (e.g. propositional, textual, and interpersonal) involved in it. Besides, on LP it is generally associated with textual and subjective usages, but its position on RP can be explained in terms of intersubjectivity. The function of bale as a detached thetical is argued to be predominant in an intersubjective phenomenon motivated by paying attention to/from the addressee. Furthermore, a diachronic survey of the bale development suggests that it has started as a connective, a confirmative, or an emphatic response markers on LP; then, it has moved to RP to fulfill more intersubjective usages
