Pragmatic constraints in Usage-based Phonology, with reference to some Dutch phrases

This paper explores the representation of pragmatic constraints on speech production in the framework of Usage-based Phonology. It presents an empirical account of the pragmatic function and phonetic form of a set of Dutch phrases and shows that frequency of usage, which has been a main focus of usage-based linguistic research, does not suffice to explain the observed phonetic patterns. Reference to a pragmatic level of organisation is crucial, and the remainder of the paper is concerned with accommodating this level of organisation in a usage-based representational framework The paper outlines an account in which pragmatic constraints are categories of lexical organisation, and generalisations about the linguistic design of particular pragmatic contexts are encoded in cognitive schemas The paper suggests that the account is broadly compatible with views on the role of pragmatics in linguistic representation put forward in the Conversation Analysis literature. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.