Abstract

SYNTAX OF QUOTES IN DIRECT AND INDIRECT STYLE WITH A VERB IN CARACAS SPEECH. Lingüística [online]. 2012, vol.28, n.1, pp.223-246. ISSN 2079-312X.

In this study I describe the syntactic structure of quotes in direct and indirect styles with a verb by a sample of low educational attainment speakers from the Corpus sociolingüístico del habla de Caracas, Preseea-Caracas 2004-2010. The analysis focuses on the following aspects: i) types of quotes, ii) verbs that introduce quotes, iii) position of the reporting verb, iv) subject, v) direct object and vi) indirect object. The results show a trend toward the use of direct style with the verb ‘decir’ (say) in indicative mood, in present and 1st or 3rd person singular; the reporting clause is usually in initial position; the subject tends to be present through a pronoun that, generally, is ‘yo’(I) or ‘él/ella’ (he or she); the direct object is almost always a clause; regarding the indirect object, it is not possible to establish a clear trend toward its use in the quotes studied.

Keywords : direct speech; indirect speech; quotes with verbs; syntax; Caracas speech.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )