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In:Discourse Segmentation in Romance Languages
Edited by Salvador Pons Bordería
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 250] 2014
► pp. 121–155

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Absolute initial position

 | Val.Es.Co Research Group
 | IULMA | University of Valencia
Published online: 14 November 2014
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https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.250.05est
This paper argues in favour of a discourse position called Absolute Initial Position (AIP). AIP is the place where conversationalists set up the basis for a new conversation, what implies choices regarding the number of participants, their role, the private/public character of the communicative event or the (non) predetermined character of turn-taking. As a result, AIPs are places where major changes in context can take place.
AIPs are filled in by a very reduced set of linguistic alternates: greetings, formulae, vocatives and a very narrow subset of discourse markers. Beyond their heterogeneity, AIP-markers share two common functions: they either validate the hearer or validate the message.
As a result of the existence of AIPs, discourse markers can be divided into three differents groups: DMs which fit into an AIP; b) DMs which do not fit into an AIP; c) DMs which, when placed into an AIP, invoke a previous context
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