Regina Weinert (Sheffield) p.71-98
2011 Issue 1
Abstract
In a range of spoken genres, German demonstratives der, dieetc. and personal pronouns er, sie etc. are equally frequent, in some demonstratives even dominate. In terms of function, the two pronoun classes appear to complement each other. While some features of demonstratives are associated with a foregrounding function, in other cases demonstratives are virtually or close to being the default pronoun. This paper provides evidence that demonstrative pronouns are in some contexts aligned with zero pronouns in spoken German, apparently violating models of referent accessibility. This aspect confirms that demonstratives are not necessarily focusing in spoken German, rather they contribute to reference and discourse cohesion. They have also been shown to signal involvement and affect. Despite the central role that German demonstrative pronouns play as cohesive and social devices in everyday interactions, they tend to receive only marginal attention in pedagogical materials. It is hoped that the growing body of corpus-based analyses will help to promote a shift towards greater recognition of the realities of spoken language.