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 | 233

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A: It was the right place, was it? 

B: Yes. The right place. Yeah. Yeah. 

C: They were horrible. 

D: Do you know the people, dad? 

C: Yeah. 

In the above examples the vocatives do not simply identify the addressees. A shift

of conversational topic or an encouragement to continue and expand a topic is

indicated. In both the above extracts the vocative occupies end position. In the

following extract it occurs close to the topical information that needs to be

confirmed. In this example A calls on his wife, B, to confirm certain information:

[speakers are discussing a well-known family of traditional Irish musicians]

A: Er we we were in er Cork weren’t we, Barbara, and we heard his brother.

Which brother was it we heard?

B: Er, Sean, I think.