The Interactive Stance : Meaning for Conversation

431 Pages·2012·1.903 MB·English

by  Jonathan Ginzburg

The Interactive Stance
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The Interactive Stance
Meaning for Conversation
JONATHAN GINZBURG
1
3
GreatClarendonStreet,Oxfordox26dp
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ISBN ––––
         
Contents
Acknowledgements viii
ListofFigures x
ListofTables xi
ListofAcronyms xii
 Interaction,Grammar,andtheBehaviouralSciences 
. Introduction 
. WhyaTheoryofDialogueContextisImportantfor
BehaviouralScientists 
. ATheoryofDialogueContext:AntecedentsandPay-off 
. ARoadMapforthisBook 
 FromCommunitariantoInteractiveSemantics 
. ContextinDialogue:anInitialSketch 
. CommunitarianSemanticsBumpsintoConversation 
. IntegratingSemanticsandMetacommunication 
 ASemanticOntologyforDialogue 
. Introduction 
. TheType-TheoreticWorld:BasicNotions 
. ConstructingEntitiesintheType-TheoreticWorld 
. Summary 
 BasicInteractioninDialogue 
. Introduction 
. PublicvsPrivateContextinInteraction 
. PublicContextinInteraction 
. BasicInteraction:theEvolutionoftheDGB 
. ScalingDowntoMonologue 
. ConversationalGenres 
. Summary 
 AGrammarforDialogue 
. Introduction 
. TTR-BasedGrammar:Motivation 
. ATTR-BasedFragment 
. KeepingTrackofConstituents 
. RootUtterances 
. Summary 
vi Contents
 GroundingandCRification 
. Introduction 
. ClarificationRequests:FormandContent 
. GroundingandCRification:TwoVerySimpleSystems 
. InteractingoverGrammaticallyGovernedContent:
InformalPicture 
. SuccessfulGrounding 
. ClarificationContextUpdateRules 
. AProtocolCombiningGroundingandCRification 
. RepetitionClarificationRequests 
. Summary 
 Non-SententialUtterancesinConversation 
. Introduction 
. DataandBasicTheoreticalPicture 
. AnalysingNSUs:SomeExistingStrategies 
. TowardsaTheoryofNSUConstructions 
. PropositionalLexemes 
. Focus-EstablishingConstituents 
. DeclarativeFragments:ShortAnswers 
. Sluicing 
. RepriseFragmentsandRepriseSluices 
. InitiatingNSUs 
. Summary 
 Extensions 
. DuologueandMultilogue 
. UnifyingSelf-andOther-Correction 
. ADeeperViewofGroundingandCRification 
. DevelopmentalEvidenceonNSUs 
. QuantificationandAnaphorainDialogue 
 AnInteraction-OrientedTheoryofMeaning 
. TheInteractiveStance 
. LinkinguptheWorld,Grammar,andInteraction 
. Results:anOverview 
. EmbeddingGrammarinInteraction 
. WhatEveryTheoryofMeaningforSpokenLanguageMust
Embrace 
AppendixA TheExternalDomain 
A. TheType-TheoreticUniverse 
A. Propositions,Questions,Outcomes 
Contents vii
AppendixB TheInteractionDomain 
B. InformationStatesandDialogueGameboards 
B. ConversationalRules 
B. MoveUpdateRules 
B. QUD/FACTUp/Downdates 
B. TotalInformationStateRules 
B. Pending-BasedRules 
B. Multilogue-Orientedrules 
AppendixC TheGrammaticalDomain 
C. GeneralNotions 
C. Lexicon 
C. PhrasalTypes 
References 
Index 
Acknowledgements
Thatthisbookwasconceivedanddespitearatherlonggestationperiod(longereven
than that of the frilled shark (Chlamydoselachus anguineus)) reached some sort of
termination is due to many people. I would like to thank those who contributed
directlytotheworkreportedhereandwhoseencouragementhasbeenanimportant
sourceofsupport.DuringourfirstlunchmeetingasIwasstartingmypost-docin
Edinburgh, Robin Cooper suggested to me that dialogue would be an interesting
area to go into. His influence on the work reported here is pretty evident. I would
like to thank him for many productive interactions and for his patient correction
ofmyvarioustype-theoreticalerrorsandmisdemeanours.ShalomLappinhasbeen
mycollaboratoronanumberofdialogueprojectsandmuchelseinLondon—flour
andtheoryinvaryingmeasures,meetingbySappho’sstatueatthebackentrance,in
goodtimesandotherwise.PatHealeyandIstartedcollaboratinginareadinggroup
ondialogueinEdinburghcalledDIRTIESTandresumedthecollaborationinLon-
donwithROSSINIandDieT.My(ex-)Ph.D.studentsatKing’s,MattPurver,Raquel
Fernández,andZoranMacura,allcontributedsignificantlytothiswork,takingitin
variousdirectionsIcouldnothavedonemyself.
StaffanLarssonimplementedandfurtherdevelopedanearlierversionofthetheory
presented here—an important inspiration to subsequent work. The NLP group at
King’s,whichalsoincludedChristianEbert,LeifArdaNielsen,YoSato,andAdam
Wyner was a friendly environment for us all. Until one day...(computational, but
notonly)linguisticswasdeemedbyadministrativefiattobepersonanon-particularly
grata.Why?PickanarbitrarypageofLifeandFate(orreadmycolleagueNathanV.
Grubznig’shilariousBehindtheAcademicIronCurtain(forthcomingfromReaction
Publishers).Luckilythedecreewasrescinded,afteravigorouscampaignbyourcol-
leaguesthroughouttheworld,forwhichallinvolvedremaineternallygrateful.
TheseriesofworkshopswithintheLeverhulmeFoundation-fundedDialogueMat-
ters network, initiated and fronted by Ruth Kempson and Eleni Gregoromichelaki,
was a forum where Ruth and Eleni gave me the opportunityto present many half-
andoccasionallyevenlesswell-bakedideas—theaudiencesatpatientlythroughmy
invariablyramblingpresentations.AcollaborationwithIvanSag,whichresultedin
ourbookInterrogativeInvestigations,hasinfluencedthecurrentoneinanumberof
ways,notleastinprovidingitwithgrammaticalfoundations.Itwasinspiringtovisit
Gothenburg, as a guest of the INDI project, where I also interacted with Elisabet
Engdahl.IwasfortunatetobeaVisitorontheEUFPMarieCurieDEAWUproject
basedatPotsdamUniversity,whereManfredStedewasagreathost.Duringmytime
thereIbenefittedmuchfrominteractionswithDavidSchlangenandmembershipin
Acknowledgements ix
theGreifhagenerkreis(andtheBoheateashopinNiederbarnimstraße.).Manythanks
alsotoAlexChengyuFangforarrangingaveryproductivevisittotheCityUniversity
ofHongKong.IhavelearntalotovertheyearsfromTimFernando,MassimoPoesio,
andDavidTraum,andmuchappreciatetheirfriendship.
Iamalsogratefultovariousfriendsandcolleagueswhohaveread,listenedto,or
commented on portions of the work that ultimately made it into this book—Jens
Allwood, Alex Alsina, Nicholas Asher, Philippe Blache, Patrick Blackburn, Olivier
Bonami,PeterBosch,SusanBrennan,TedBriscoe,JustineCassell,EveClark,Herb
Clark, Arik Cohen, Anne Copestake, Francis Corblin, Paul Dekker, Mariapaola
D’Imperio,EditDoron,JanvanEijck,ChrisFox,Hans-MartinGärtner,SimonGar-
rod,HowardGregory,JeroenGroenendijk,GerdJäger,JacquesJayez,KatjaJasinskaya,
GrahamKatz,Rodger Kibble, AliKnott,FredrikKronlid,IvanaKruijff-Korbayova,
Fred Landmann, Alex Lascarides, Oliver Lemon, Peter Ljunglöf, Louise McNally,
Wilfried Meyer-Viol, Greg Mills, Anita Mittwoch, Stanley Peters, Martin Picker-
ing, Chris Piñón, Paul Piwek, Laurent Prévot, Steve Pulman, Aarne Ranta, Hannes
Rieser,VerenaRieser,KepaRodríguez,EmanuelSchegloff,JonShaheen,MandySim-
mons, Rob Stainton, Mark Steedman, Matthew Stone, the late Joe Taglicht, Alice
ter Meulen, Ray Turner, Carla Umbach, Enric Vallduvì, Carl Vogel, Pauline Welby,
AndrzejWiśniewski,AdamWyner,HenkZeevat,andYaelZiv.
Manythankstofouranonymousreviewerswhoreadthebookandprovidedmany
detailedcomments,whichhelpedimprovethebooksignificantly.JuliaSteeratOUP
hasbeenavitalentityinthebook’semergence—I’mreallygratefulforherhelpand
enthusiasmthroughout.ThanksalsotoJennyLunsfordandElmandiDuToitwhosaw
thebooktopresswithgreatcareandprofessionalismandtoJessSmithandGeoffrey
Sampsonforgreatcopyediting.
ThisbookwasfinishedafterImovedtoParis,toUniversitéParis–Diderot(Paris
).AnearlyversionofpartsofthisbookappearedinmyHabilitationthesisinFrench
(fromParis)—fortheirhelpwiththis,aswellasinterestingdiscussions,thanksto
AnneAbeillé,ClaireBeyssade,DanièleGodard,andJean-MarieMarandin.Justabout
thefinalversionofthisbookwaspresentedintwocoursesgiveninmydepartment,
theUFRd’Étudesanglophones,andattheUFRdeLinguistique.Iwouldliketothank
alltheparticipantsfortheirfeedbackandeveryonewhohashelpedmakemyarrival
heresopleasant,inparticularPhilipMiller.
Lastandprobablyaboveall—mynuclearfamilies.Myparentshavepatientlyand,
forthemostpart,tactfully(‘Yourbook,umwhenuh...’)followedmyprogressonthis.
Bookshavebeenknowntoeitherseparateorbringcouplestogether.Itwasnotmy
bookalonethatdidforDimitraKolliakouandmethelatter.WhileIwasburrowing
alongwiththisone,shebegandevelopingherliterarycareer,producingherfirstthree
novelsinGreek,aswellascollaboratingwithmeonseveralchildlanguageprojects.
Ourkids,DinaandMaya,arealwaystheretoremindoneofanalternativetakeon
what’sinteresting/funinlife.Itistothesewomeninmylifethatthisbookisdedicated.