Discourse grammar

Discourse Grammar (DG) is a grammatical framework that grew out of the analysis of spoken and written linguistic discourse on the one hand, and of work on parenthetical expressions, including Simon C. Dik's study of extra-clausal constituents, on the other. Initiated by Gunther Kaltenböck, Bernd Heine and Tania Kuteva, the framework is based on the distinction between two organizing principles of grammar where one concerns the structure of sentences and the other the linguistic organization beyond the sentence.

In accordance with the perspective adopted in this framework, linguistic units such as formulae of social exchange, interjections, discourse markers and other prefabricated expressions, which tend to be assigned a more marginal status in many models of mainstream linguistics, are interpreted as playing an important role in structuring linguistic discourse.

Work on Discourse Grammar (DG) has been inspired by a number of different works, in particular by Simon C. Dik's theory of Functional Grammar according to which linguistic discourse is composed of two different kinds of linguistic material, referred to, respectively, as clausal and extra-clausal constituents. On the other hand, it has benefitted greatly from research on the nature of parenthetical categories and the concept of supplements.

DG is composed of all the linguistic resources that are available for designing texts, irrespective of whether these are spoken or written (or signed) texts. It is viewed both as an activity, a real-time interactional tool, and a knowledge store consisting of a set of conventional linguistic units plus their combinatorial potential. An elementary distinction between two main domains of speech processing is made, referred to as Sentence Grammar and Thetical Grammar.

Sentence Grammar is organized in terms of propositional concepts and clauses and their combination. It has been the only, or the main subject of mainstream theories of linguistics. The concern of Thetical Grammar is with theticals, that is, with linguistic discourse units beyond the sentence, being syntactically, semantically, and typically also prosodically detached from expressions of Sentence Grammar. These units include what is traditionally referred to as parenthetical constructions but are not restricted to them. The main categories of Thetical Grammar are conceptual theticals (including comment clauses, discourse markers, etc.) as well as various other extra-clausal categories such as vocatives, formulae of social exchange, and interjections. While being separate in principle, the two domains interact in multiple ways in shaping linguistic discourse. The main way of interaction is via cooptation, an operation whereby chunks of Sentence Grammar such as clauses, phrases, words, or any other units are deployed for use in Thetical Grammar.

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