Open AccessEmbedded imperatives in Semitic, Germanic, and other languages
Author(s) -
Lutz Edzard
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
oslo studies in language
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1890-9639
DOI - 10.5617/osla.8490
Subject(s) - semitic languages , linguistics , germanic languages , computer science , context (archaeology) , phenomenon , history , german , philosophy , arabic , archaeology , epistemology
Several Semitic and Germanic languages, just as languages belonging to other language families (Slovenian, Korean), embed imperatives and thus use direct speech in syntactical context, where most other languages would use subordinate clauses. This kind of embedding can entail “shifting indexicals” and “imposters”, i.e. the reference to one and the same person with different persons in the verbal and pronominal system, even within one and the same phrase. In this paper, departing from the Germanic and other data presented so far in this context, I attempt a descriptive analysis of this phenomenon focusing on Semitic, with only hints to elements of a formal analysis.