"The 'NP' is one of the least controversial grammatical units that linguists work with. The NP is often assumed to be universal, and appears to be robust cross-linguistically (compared to 'VP' or even 'clause') in that it can be manipulated in argument positions in constructed examples. Furthermore, for any given language, its internal structure (order and type of modifiers) tends to be relatively fixed. Surprisingly, however, the empirical basis for 'NP' has never been established. The chapters in this volume examine the NP in ordinary interactions from diverse languages, including little-studied languages as well as better-researched ones, in a variety of interactional settings. Together, these chapters show that cross-linguistically, the category NP is not as robust as has been assumed: it is realized only in temporally unfolding human interaction, its structural status thus constantly being negotiated in terms of participants' social agendas"--.

• The ‘Noun Phrase’ across Languages
• Editorial page
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Table of contents
• 1. Introduction
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• Part I. Languages from Europe
• 2. The Finnish ‘se että’ initiated expressions: NPs or not?
  • Introduction
  • Background
  • Data and methods
  • The status of ‘se että’ initiated expressions as NPs
    • NP-like features of ‘se että’ initiated expressions
    • Non-NP-like features of ‘se että’ initiated expressions
    • Summary: ‘Se että’ initiated expressions as NPs
  • A diachronic perspective on ‘se että’ initiated expressions
  • Towards the grammaticization of ‘se että’
  • Conclusions
  • Data sources
  • References
  • Appendix. Transcription symbols
• 3. Emergent complex noun phrases: On-line trajectories of ‘relativized’ NPs in French talk-in-interaction
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Formal properties of on-line emergent relativized NPs
    • 2.1 Relativized NPs resulting from self-incrementation
    • 2.2 Relativized NPs resulting from other-incrementation
  • 3. The interactional workings of on-line emergent relativized NPs
    • 3.1 Self-incrementing an NP by means of an RC: Pursuing uptake and repairing reference
    • 3.2 Other-incrementing an NP by means of an RC: Initiating referential repair and accomplishing a disaligning action
  • 4. Discussion and conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 4. The noun phrase as an emergent unit in Finnish
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Data and methodology
  • 3. Grammatical characteristics of noun phrases in Finnish
  • 4. Argument NPs vs. free NPs in interaction
    • 4.1 Grammatical features
    • 4.2 Noun phrases from the perspective of reference
  • 5. Conclusions
  • Data source
  • References
• 5. Noun phrases in other-repetitions: Observations of Swedish talk-in-interaction
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Data
  • 3. The distribution of grammatical elements in repetitions
  • 4. Targets and functions of repetitions
    • 4.1 Head of a compound
    • 4.2 Single noun phrase: Noun, pronoun, proper name
    • 4.3 Object of a prepositional phrase
    • 4.4 Object of a verb phrase
    • 4.5 Constituent of a clause
  • 5. Summary on repetition forms, prosody and interactional function
  • 6. Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
  • Appendix. Transcription symbols
• 6. Asserting no-problemness in Spanish: ‘No hay (ningún) problema’ and the study of noun phrases in interaction
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. ‘No hay problema’
  • 3. ‘No hay *ningún* problema’
  • 4. Discussion and conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 7. Multimodal noun phrases
  • Introduction
  • The data and the collection
  • Simple NP-initiations: An article, a demonstrative, an adjective
    • Article
    • Demonstrative
    • Adjective
  • Complex NP-initiations
    • Article + adjective(s)
    • Demonstrative + adjective
  • Participant orientation to a multimodal noun phrase: Collaborative completion
  • Verbal completion of a multimodal noun phrase
  • Repair or re-completion?
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Transcription conventions
  • References
• 8. Nouns and noun phrases in other-initiated repair in English atypical interaction: A case study of Augmentative and Alternative Communication
  • Introduction
  • Background
    • Repair actions, personnel, and sequential trajectory
    • The relevance of competing preferences for AI
    • The grammatical relationship between the trouble source and repair
  • Data and method
  • Repairing the head noun in a noun phrase
  • Repairing more complex noun phrases
  • Discussion
  • Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
  • Appendix. Transcription symbols
• Part II. Languages from other parts of the world
• 9. Multiple nominal expressions in Garrwa conversation
  • 1. Introduction
    • 1.1 Noun phrases in Australian languages
  • 2. Garrwa
    • 2.1 Grammatical features of Garrwa
    • 2.2 Garrwa nominal words
  • 3. Analysis of multiple nominal expressions in Garrwa conversations: Demonstratives and common nominals
    • 3.1 Data for this paper
    • 3.2 Extract analysis – kulabajarra ‘‘hat’’
  • 4. Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
  • Appendix. Abbreviations
• 10. The pragmatics of ‘light nouns’ in Besemah
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Light nouns and noun-modifying constructions in Besemah
  • 3. Data
  • 4. Noun-modifying constructions in Besemah interaction
    • 4.1 Referring expressions
    • 4.2 Unattached light nouns in NMCs
    • 4.3 Light nouns in equational constructions
    • 4.4 Light nouns in lexicalizations and fixed expressions
  • 5. Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
  • A. Transcription conventions
  • B. Glossing conventions
• 11. NP clustering in Mandarin conversational interaction
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Scope and data
  • 3. Patterns of clustering NPs
    • 3.1 Multiple NPs for mutual gaze and joint attention
    • 3.2 Repeated (first person singular) pronouns for mitigation of stance and self-distancing
    • 3.3 Multiple NPs, in varying forms, for step-wise referential identification
    • 3.4 Jointly produced multiple NPs for stance negotiation and mutual orientation
      • 3.4.1 Referent establishment
      • 3.4.2 Referent elaboration
    • 3.5 Multiple NPs in list constructions
  • 4. Summary and discussion
    • 4.1 Locus, process, and nature of multiple NP units
    • 4.2 Multiple NP units as an interactional format
    • 4.3 Are multiple NP units features of grammar in interaction?
  • 5. Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
  • Appendix A. Transcription conventions
  • Appendix B. Gloss symbols
• 12. What can Japanese conversation tell us about ‘NP’?
  • 1. Introduction
  • 2. Traditional typological views of NP
  • 3. Data for our study
  • 4. Findings
    • 4.1 Particles?
    • 4.2 Modification?
    • 4.3 Summary
  • 5. Discussion and conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• 13. Robust argument phrases (DPs) but unruly NPs in Maa
  • 1. The problem and background
  • 2. Data and methodology
  • 3. Definitional challenges
    • 3.1 Common criteria for ‘noun’ and ‘noun phrase’
    • 3.2 Criteria for ‘determiner’
  • 4. The Maa determiner function
  • 5. Properties of Maa word bases that refer and modify
    • 5.1 Properties that group time-stable and Type I property-concept terms
    • 5.2 Order within the nominal phrase template
      • 5.2.1 Immediately after a determiner
      • 5.2.2 Lexemes in Position 1 or Position 2
      • 5.2.3 Order after the noun within the nominal phrase template
    • 5.3 Complement of a ‘be’ verb
    • 5.4 Perfect(ive) aspect morphology, inchoative aspect morphology, and morphological causative morphology
    • 5.5 Modification by olêŋ ‘very’
  • 6. Maa DPs as arguments and referring phrases in discourse
    • 6.1 Maa DPs as arguments and in syntax
    • 6.2 Maa proclitic determiners in discourse
    • 6.3 Contexts in which determiners are omitted
  • 7. Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
• Index