The expression of interpersonal and textual functions in Czech and in English: The Czech postfix -pak and its translation counterparts

Abstract

The study explores the possibility to use translation counterparts as “markers” (Malá, 2013), or “methodological anchors” (Gast, 2015), of discourse functions, i.e. formal correlates of interpersonal and textual functions, which make it possible to detect these functions in the text, and to compare their expression cross-linguistically. We focus on Czech expressions containing the postfix -pak (such as, copak – ‘what + pak’, kdepak – ‘where + pak’). The postfix -pak is shown to be a polyfunctional indicator of discourse function (cf. Grepl and Karlík, 1998). The expressions ending in -pak were found to have content / speaker-related functions (such as deliberative meaning, emotional evaluation, (im)possibility) as well as communication / addressee-oriented functions (appeal, establishing/maintaining contact) (cf. Aijmer, 2013; Šebestová and Malá, 2016).