Discourse viewpoint as network

Abstract

This paper argues that multiplicity of viewpoint is the norm in discourse, and is best studied in terms of networks of local viewpoints contributing to and supervised by a higher-level Discourse Viewpoint: rather than a hierarchical ‘list’, then, viewpoint in discourse involves networked configurations. Depending on the viewpoint network required for interpretation, one and the same linguistic form (even a lowly grammatical form such as a pronoun or a determiner) may carry a different meaning, and viewpoint functions emerge in a wide range of contexts, which necessitates study of a broad range of data, not just narratives. The examples discussed in this paper thus include, alongside narrative excerpts, quotes from film discourse, examples of a popular internet meme, and the a contemporary piece of video art, all of which evince multiple viewpoint configurations every bit as complex as in traditional narrative, requiring among other things compressions and zoom-outs to be established between discourse, belief and narrative spaces; defocusing and refocusing; and decompression of a discourse and its embodiment. In all cases, we propose that the different viewpoints are reconciled and understood at the level of the Discourse Viewpoint space, regulating and supervising the network.

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 53 citations exist upstream.