Cognitive status and referential acts in functional discourse grammar

Abstract

In Functional Discourse Grammar, both Ascription and Reference are characterized as actional processes and are captured at the Interpersonal Level of linguistic description. Additionally, the temporal sequencing of Discourse Acts seems relevant to establishing dependency relations among them. However, the remainder of the levels of representation in the theory contain static descriptions of linguistic structures and not of processes. In this paper, I will argue that this is the result of an inherent contradiction between FDG’s characterization as a static grammar and the dynamicity of verbal interaction, which is best solved if the theory commits itself to the procedural nature of the Interpersonal Level. In order to do so, the different categories that have been identified in the literature on the cognitive status of referents should find relevance in the grammar. Elaborating upon García Velasco (2014), I will show that the temporal dimension of the text creating activity and referent accessibility, are relevant for a full account of constituent preposing in Spanish.