Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

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539 Glossary for any unfamiliar terms

From discourse to social contexts | 231

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Vocatives occur frequently in radio phone-ins and similar non-face-to-face

contexts. The vocative is used for managing the talk – that is bringing callers in,

controlling their talk and dismissing them when their contribution is deemed to be

sufficient:

A: Welcome back to the programme. Alistair, thanks for your call. Enjoyed

talking to you. Now it’s Jack on line 2. Hi, 

Jack? Good afternoon to you.

Hello there.

B: Hello.

A: Hi how are you?

Ritual and sociable contexts

118c

Vocatives often occur ritualistically, for example, to identify participants when

food is being served, even though it may be obvious from gaze and body

orientation who is being addressed. In such contexts vocatives can occur alone as

a single turn:

[a hostess is offering and serving food at a dinner table]

A: Bits of everything here. Richard? 

B: No thank you. 

A: No? Pauline? 

C: Fine thank you. 

A: Kevin? 

D: No. I’m full. 

Vocatives also often occur in contexts where the purpose is purely sociable and

where no real information is exchanged (phatic contexts), e.g. greetings, how-are-

you

’s, remarks about the weather:

The = sign indicates an utterance which is cut short

The + sign indicates an interrupted turn which continues at the next + sign

[two colleagues, A and B, are talking informally about vocational courses they

may be allowed to go on and C enters in the middle of the conversation; hiya

and hey are very informal alternatives to hello]

A: I mean it’s obviously been passed okay by Pat Cromwell and ultimately

that’s the person who’s making the decisions+ 

B: Mm. 

A: +as to who goes on it as far as I’m concerned. And= 

C: Hiya Lynn. 

B: Hey Pat. 

A: Hiya Pat. Erm.

B: So that’s= 

A: that’s the+ 

B: Yeah. 

A: +decision out of my hands.

232 | From discourse to social contexts

Cambridge Grammar of English

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