Get fulltext from our e-platform
Metalanguage in Interaction
Hebrew discourse markers
Metalanguage in Interaction is about the crystallization of metalanguage employed throughout interaction into the discourse markers which permeate talk. Based on close analysis of naturally-occurring Hebrew conversation, it is a synchronic study of the grammaticization of discourse markers, a phenomenon until now mostly studied from a diachronic perspective. It constitutes the first monograph in the fields of Hebrew interactional linguistics and Hebrew discourse markers.
The book first presents what is unique to the present approach to discourse markers and gives them an operational definition. Discourse markers are explored as a system, illuminating their patterning in terms of function, structure, and the moments in interaction at which they are employed. Next, detailed analysis of four Hebrew discourse markers illuminates not only the functions and grammaticization patterns of these markers, but also what they reveal about quintessential aspects of Israeli society, identity, and culture. The conclusion discusses commonalities and differences in the grammaticization patterns of the four markers, and relates the grammaticization of discourse markers from interaction to projectability in discourse.
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 181] 2009. xvi, 258 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Published online on 13 October 2009
Published online on 13 October 2009
© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Table of Contents
- Transcription conventions | pp. xi–xii
- Preface | pp. xiii–xiv
- Acknowledgments | pp. xv–xvi
- Chapter 1: Introduction. Metalanguage in interaction: Discourse markers as a system | pp. 1–40
- Chapter 2: The interpersonal realm. The discourse marker nu: Israeli Hebrew impatience in interaction | pp. 41–77
- Chapter 3: The textual realm. The discourse marker bekitsur: Retroactively constructing digressions | pp. 79–125
- Chapter 4: The cognitive realm. The discourse marker ke'ilu: Realizing the need to rephrase | pp. 127–170
- Chapter 5: Between realms. The discourse marker tov: Accepting while shifting | pp. 171–205
- Chapter 6: Concluding remarks. Grammaticization from interaction | pp. 207–232
- Author index | pp. 251–252
- Subject index | pp. 253–258
“Metalanguage in Interaction: Hebrew Discourse Markers breaks new ground in both the theory and analysis of discourse markers. Maschler's careful and thorough study of several Hebrew discourse markers shows how central they are to the production and interpretation of discourse from cognitive, textual and interpersonal perspectives. In addition to detailed and insightful analysis of the structural properties, functions and use of particular markers in an extensive corpus of conversational interaction, Maschler highlights the crucial, but often neglected, process of grammaticization of markers, their prosody and their role in bilingual switching. I highly recommend her book for scholars and students who want to learn not just about discourse markers, but also about discourse and language in general.”
Deborah Schiffrin, Georgetown University
“In this pioneering work on discourse markers in Hebrew Yael Maschler provides a unique window on Hebrew talk-in-interaction. It is a very welcome addition to our growing understanding of cross-linguistic similarities and differences in the use of discourse markers to express a variety of interactional stances, from impatience to ironic disagreement.”
Elizabeth Closs Traugott, Stanford University
“Where do discourse markers come from? This book offers fascinating answers. Few books show so convincingly how language is shaped by interaction.”
Peter Auer, University of Freiburg
“Maschler's Metalanguage in Interaction: Hebrew discourse markers is an excellent piece of careful research, important for scholarship on Hebrew, on discourse markers and on processes of grammaticization. Pragmatists, grammaticization scholars, sociocultural researchers and conversational analysts would all find a wealth of insights in this highly recommended book.”
Mira Ariel, Tel Aviv University
“I think this book will be interesting to anyone involved in determining how language works in 'real life'. In addition to linguists, scholars interested in cross-cultural communication, Israeli culture, and the evolution and uses of discourse markers in any language will find this book enlightening. The major contribution here is the combination of a study of discourse markers as such with a real-time description of their absorption into a new (or newly revived) language in a newly created society. We can see discourse markers in their formative stage and look forward to a future study in, say, 50 years' time.”
Beverly A. Lewin, Tel Aviv University, in Functions of Language, Vol. 19:1 (2012)
Cited by (78)
Cited by 78 other publications
Borreguero Zuloaga, Margarita & Reza Kazemian
Alvanoudi, Angeliki
2025. Pragmatic and prosodic aspects of the negative directive
ðe mu les? (‘tell me’) in Greek conversation. In Multimodal Communication from a Construction Grammar Perspective [Constructional Approaches to Language, 38], ► pp. 285 ff.
Alvanoudi, Angeliki
Ismail, Mohd Sufian & Anida Sarudin
Kruk, Jessica
König, Christa & Bernd Heine
2025. The grammar of interactives in !Xun (Namibia). In The Grammar of Interaction [IVITRA Research in Linguistics and Literature, 46], ► pp. 212 ff.
Locatell, Christian
Majhenič, Simona, Mitja Beras & Janez Križaj
Rubinstein, Aynat
Olga V. Sokolova
Ben-Moshe, Yotam M. & Yael Maschler
Kuleshova, A. V. & T. V. Slastnikova
Slaměníková, Tereza & David Uher
Villalobos Cardozo, Mercedes, Ludivine Crible & Liesbeth Degand
Polak-Yitzhaki, Hilla & Yael Maschler
Rhee, Seongha
2023. On the development of discourse markers from elliptical
structures. In Different Slants on Grammaticalization [Studies in Language Companion Series, 232], ► pp. 198 ff.
Birnie‐Smith, Jessica
Shefer, Hagit
Alvanoudi, Angeliki & Valérie Guérin
2021. The discourse markeralein Bislama oral narratives. Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages 36:2 ► pp. 264 ff.
Degand, Liesbeth & Ludivine Crible
2021. Discourse markers at the peripheries of syntax, intonation and
turns. In Pragmatic Markers and Peripheries [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 325], ► pp. 19 ff.
Heine, Bernd, Gunther Kaltenböck, Tania Kuteva & Haiping Long
2021. On the rise of discourse markers. In Studies at the Grammar-Discourse Interface [Studies in Language Companion Series, 219], ► pp. 23 ff.
Kim, Kyu-hyun & Kyung-Hee Suh
2021. Formulation questions and responses in Korean TV talk show interactions. In Questioning and Answering Practices across Contexts and Cultures [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 323], ► pp. 193 ff.
Koch, Christian & Britta Thörle
Marmorstein, Michal
2021. Discourse markers as a lens to variation across speech and writing. Functions of Language 28:2 ► pp. 153 ff.
Shan, Yi
Shan, Yi
Silber-Varod, Vered, Mária Gósy & Anat Lerner
Verschueren, Jef
Bolozky, Shmuel & Ruth A. Berman
2020. Parts of speech categories in the lexicon of Modern Hebrew. In Usage-Based Studies in Modern Hebrew [Studies in Language Companion Series, 210], ► pp. 265 ff.
Haselow, Alexander
2020. Local and global structures in discourse and interaction. In Grammar and Cognition [Human Cognitive Processing, 70], ► pp. 267 ff.
Haselow, Alexander
2021. Discourse markers and brain lateralization. In Studies at the Grammar-Discourse Interface [Studies in Language Companion Series, 219], ► pp. 157 ff.
Haselow, Alexander & Gunther Kaltenböck
2020. The brain and the mind behind grammar. In Grammar and Cognition [Human Cognitive Processing, 70], ► pp. 1 ff.
Heine, Bernd, Tania Kuteva & Haiping Long
2020. Dual process frameworks on reasoning and linguistic discourse. In Grammar and Cognition [Human Cognitive Processing, 70], ► pp. 59 ff.
Henkin, Roni
2020. Sociolinguistics of Modern Hebrew. In Usage-Based Studies in Modern Hebrew [Studies in Language Companion Series, 210], ► pp. 51 ff.
Kern, Joseph
Kuzai, Einat
Marmorstein, Michal & Yael Maschler
Pekarek Doehler, Simona, Yael Maschler, Leelo Keevallik & Jan Lindström
2020. Complex syntax-in-interaction. In Emergent Syntax for Conversation [Studies in Language and Social Interaction, 32], ► pp. 1 ff.
Polak-Yitzhaki, Hilla
2020. Emergent patterns of predicative clauses in spoken Hebrew discourse. In Emergent Syntax for Conversation [Studies in Language and Social Interaction, 32], ► pp. 127 ff.
Schwarzwald, Ora Rodrigue
2020. Inflection. In Usage-Based Studies in Modern Hebrew [Studies in Language Companion Series, 210], ► pp. 147 ff.
Carvalho, Ana M. & Joseph Kern
2019. The permeability of tag questions in a language contact situation. Pragmatics. Quarterly Publication of the International Pragmatics Association (IPrA) 29:4 ► pp. 463 ff.
Crible, Ludivine & Liesbeth Degand
Verschik, Anna & Elīna Bone
Berman, Ruth A.
2017. Developing construals of a narrative event sequence. In Social Environment and Cognition in Language Development [Trends in Language Acquisition Research, 21], ► pp. 199 ff.
Brandes, Gilad & Dorit Ravid
Fiorentini, Ilaria
2017. Italian discourse markers and modal particles in contact. In Pragmatic markers, Discourse Markers and Modal Particles [Studies in Language Companion Series, 186], ► pp. 417 ff.
Fiorentini, Ilaria & Andrea Sansò
2017. Intensifiers between grammar and pragmatics. In Exploring Intensification [Studies in Language Companion Series, 189], ► pp. 173 ff.
Nir, Bracha & Elisabeth Zima
Armon, Rony
Armon, Rony
Nir, Bracha
2016. Development of intra- and inter-clausal dependency in Hebrew. In Acquisition and Development of Hebrew [Trends in Language Acquisition Research, 19], ► pp. 259 ff.
Shor, Leon
Wei, Li
Garrity, Sarah, Cristian R. Aquino-Sterling & Ashley Day
Günthner, Susanne
2015. A temporally oriented perspective on connectors in interactions. In Temporality in Interaction [Studies in Language and Social Interaction, 27], ► pp. 237 ff.
Günthner, Susanne
2020. Practices of clause-combining. In Emergent Syntax for Conversation [Studies in Language and Social Interaction, 32], ► pp. 185 ff.
Günthner, Susanne
2024. Calibrating sensitive actions in palliative care consultations. In New Perspectives in Interactional Linguistic Research [Studies in Language and Social Interaction, 36], ► pp. 310 ff.
Maschler, Yael
2015. Word Order in Time. In Temporality in Interaction [Studies in Language and Social Interaction, 27], ► pp. 201 ff.
Maschler, Yael
2017. The emergence of Hebrew loydea / loydat (‘I dunno masc/fem’) from interaction. In Pragmatic markers, Discourse Markers and Modal Particles [Studies in Language Companion Series, 186], ► pp. 37 ff.
Maschler, Yael & Deborah Schiffrin
Tsirkin-Sadan, Avigail
Dajko, Nathalie & Katie Carmichael
Dori-Hacohen, Gonen
2014. Establishing social groups in Hebrew. In Constructing Collectivity [Pragmatics & Beyond New Series, 239], ► pp. 187 ff.
Dori-Hacohen, Gonen
Nir, Bracha, Gonen Dori-Hacohen & Yael Maschler
Silber-Varod, Vered
2014. Dependencies over prosodic boundary tones in spontaneous spoken Hebrew. In Dependency Linguistics [Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today, 215], ► pp. 207 ff.
Yang, Shanru
Maschler, Yael & Gonen Dori-Hacohen
Henkin-Roitfarb, Roni
Aijmer, Karin & Anne-Marie Simon-Vandenbergen
Maschler, Yael & Roi Estlein
[no author supplied]
2020. Dualistic approaches to the analysis of forms and structures in languages. In Grammar and Cognition [Human Cognitive Processing, 70], ► pp. 157 ff.
[no author supplied]
2020. Dualistic approaches to language and cognition. In Grammar and Cognition [Human Cognitive Processing, 70], ► pp. 27 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 6 march 2026. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.