Whales, Candlelight, and Stuff Like That: General Extenders in English Discourse

by Maryann Overstreet

Overview

This innovative work provides the first comprehensive account of general extenders ("or something," "and stuff," "or whatever"). Combining insights from linguistics, cognitive psychology, and interactional sociolinguistics, the author demonstrates that these small phrases are not simply vague expressions, but have a powerful role in making interpersonal communication work. The audience for this book includes linguists, scholars of English, teachers of English as a first and a second language, sociolinguists, psycholinguists, and communications researchers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195125740
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	02/17/2000
Series:	Oxford Studies in Sociolinguistics
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	1350L (what's this?)

About the Author

University of Hawaii, Manoa

Editorial Reviews

"It is clear that O (Overstreet) has made a large contribution to our understanding of the uses of general extenders and has demonstrated the importance of investigating the interpersonal function of language, especially in areas where ideational analysis is only partially successful. It is well worth reading."—Notes on Linguistics

From the Publisher