A Basic Course in Anthropological Linguistics (Studies in Linguistic ...

DISCOURSE AND VARIATION 123
other kinds of words, often function as anaphoric and cataphoric particles in
conversations.
The foregoing discussion highlights the fact that sentences are not
constructed as autonomous structures, but rather as parts of larger discourse
units. In this view of sentence composition, it is obvious that sentence grammar
tells only a small part of the story. Personal pronouns, for instance, are chosen
typically to function as anaphoric or cataphoric devices serving conversational
needs.
There are many kinds of such devices in conversation. Their function is
to keep the conversation flowing smoothly with minimal effort. Another such
device is known as a gambit. A gambit is a word or phrase used to open a
conversation, to keep it going, to make it smooth, to repair any anomaly within
it, and thus to maximize its economy. The following are common English
gambits:
(1) Uhhuh...yeah...hmm...aha...
(2) You agree with me, don’t you?
(3) May I ask you a question?
(4) He arrived Monday; sorry, I meant Tuesday.
The grunt-like expressions uttered in (1) are part of a strategy for
acknowledging that one is listening to an interlocutor, especially on the phone.
Total silence is not an appropriate gambit in English, although it may be in
other languages. The gambit in (2) is called a tag question-it is a questioning
strategy that is designed to seek approval, agreement, consent, not an answer.
Utterance (3) is an opening gambit for starting, taking a turn, or entering into
a conversation. In English, expressions such as May I? Sorry, but could you
tell me.. . ? Excuse me? are all opening gambits. Utterance (4) is a gambit known
as a repair. When there is a minor breakdown in a conversation, or something
is not explained properly, then repairs allow the speaker to solve the problem.
DISCOURSE
In the previous chapter, the notion of speech act was introduced. A speech act
is an utterance that aims to bring about, modify, curtail, or irhbit some real
action. The utterance Be carejid!, for instance, would have the same effect as
putting a hand in front of someone to block him or her from crossing the road
carelessly. The statement I sentence you to life imprisonment uttered by a