Discourse Pragmatics and the Verb

<p>First published in 1990 this collection investigates grammatical categories associated with the verb as they are used by speakers and writers in real discourses and texts. Focusing on tense aspect mood and voice in French Spanish and Italian each chapter underscores the importance of context in our understanding of how grammatical categories work. Above and beyond their basic ‘grammatical functions’ categories of the verb are shown to operate in such capacities as structuring information in discourse establishing point of view in a text and creating textual cohesion. Importantly this volume reflects the crucial role discourse-pragmatics factors play in our interpretation of the meanings of categories of grammar.</p>