quotative
9.5
A word or particle that introduces reported speech
- noun
- /ˈkwoʊtətɪv/
- Specialized
:
quotativo
- In the sentence, he said, 'I am happy', the quotative is 'he said'.
Examples
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The word 'like' often functions as a quotative in informal English conversations.
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In some languages, a special quotative is used to indicate reported speech.
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Linguists study how the quotative changes the meaning of a sentence.
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The word quotative is often used in linguistics.
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In some languages, a special quotative is used to indicate reported speech.
-
The word 'like' often functions as a quotative in informal English conversations.
-
In the sentence, he said, 'I am happy', the quotative is 'he said'.
Surface Forms
quotative singular
quotatives plural
Morphology
Etymology
Quotative as a noun also comes from the verb quote, meaning 'to repeat someone's words', and it names the small word or particle that does this job. So a quotative is the marker that tells listeners the next words are someone else's words.
