Metalanguage and Metapragmatics: Linguistic Reflexivity Revisited
Kang, Byongchang (2022) ‘Metalanguage and Metapragmatics: Linguistic Reflexivity Revisited’, Language and Linguistics, Vol. 95, pp. 1-26.
ABSTRACT
The goal of this paper is to re-examine some key aspects of linguistic reflexivity from the perspective of metapragmatics. The range of metapragmatic phenomena includes not only metalinguistic and metacommunicative commentary, but also reflexive properties resulting from indexicals and pragmatic markers. Moreover, metapragmatic reflexivity is linked to language ideologies and enregisterment. By considering these aspects, this paper attempts to improve Roman Jakobson’s original model of linguistic reflexivity (M/M, C/C, N/C, C/M), resulting in a model of five types (M→M, M→C, M(M), C(M), C({C}). This new typology of linguistic reflexivity is characterized by the relational dimensions of explicit/implicit and contiguous/simultaneous/governing.
Key words: linguistic reflexivity, metalanguage, metapragmatics, Roman Jakobson, indexicality