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In:Cross-linguistic Register Variation
Edited by Sylvi Rørvik and Marlén Izquierdo
[Studies in Corpus Linguistics 125] 2026
► pp. 214–236

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Chapter 9
Mirativity in exclamative constructions

A cross-linguistic and crossregister approach

ORCiD logo with link | University of Mons
Published online: 20 February 2026
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/scl.125.09tro
Abstract
This chapter details an exploration of mirativity, a semantic category signalling a proposition as new, from a cross-linguistic and cross-register perspective. English and French exclamative constructions in parliamentary discourse and written fiction are examined for their conceptual incongruity and functional performativity (as outlined by Krawczak & Glynn, 2015) and, to this end, are compared in terms of syntactic realisation, performative elements, such as exclamation marks or interjections, and degree of incongruity. In general, the exclamative constructions in question are found to demonstrate weak mirativity, but French constructions prove more mirative than English constructions and show more variation across registers, with French exclamatives from written fiction exhibiting stronger mirativity.
Article outline
  • 1.The exclamative construction in English and French
  • 2.Data and method
    • 2.1Data
    • 2.2Method
  • 3.Results
    • 3.1Exclamative constructions across registers
    • 3.2Syntactic realisations of exclamative constructions
    • 3.3Functional performativity in exclamative constructions
    • 3.4Conceptual incongruity and exclamative constructions
  • 4.Conclusions
  • Note
  • References
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