Chinese Language and Discourse An International and Interdisciplinary Journal· 2026Q1
Problems in speaking and case marking
- 1citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
The Saisiyat case marker 'ka' functions not only grammatically but also as a tool to manage speech production difficulties, such as lexical search and narrative planning, during real-time discourse.
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Key points
- The Saisiyat case marker 'ka' is used to manage speech production difficulties in narrative discourse.
- It functions as a tool for self-initiated self-repair, including replacing, inserting, recycling, and aborting parts of speech.
- 'Ka' is involved in managing challenges during referential specification, lexical search, and narrative planning.
- The functions of 'ka' are best understood as dynamically emerging in real-time speech production, not fixed grammatical categories.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract This study examines how the case marker ka is used in the management of speech production difficulties in Saisiyat narrative discourse. Drawing on a corpus-based analysis of Pear Story retellings and traditional narratives, the study investigates operations of self-initiated self-repair, including replacing, inserting, recycling, and aborting ( Schegloff 2013 ). While ka has traditionally been analyzed as a case marker or an NP-internal linker, the findings reveal that it also plays a pivotal role at moments of production difficulty, serving as either the trouble source or the initiator of repair during referential specification, lexical search, and narrative planning. The discussion argues that the functions of ka are best understood not as fixed grammatical categories but as emerging dynamically in real-time speech production. By situating ka within the framework of self-initiated self-repair, this study contributes to a usage-based understanding of grammar as a resource for managing problems in speaking, particularly in endangered languages.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Chinese Language and Discourse An International and Interdisciplinary Journal, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Language and Linguistics
Language and LinguisticsArts and Humanities