quote-unquote

[Dennis R. Preston]

In two places (1994, Content-oriented discourse analysis and folk
linguistics. Language Sciences 16,2:285-330 and 1993, The uses of
folk linguistics. International Journal of Applied Linguistics
3,2:181-259) I have written about the "softener" (rather than
contradictory or synonym for "so-called") use of "quote-unquote."
It's a very interesting discourse ploy that could use some more work.
The examples I found were used in connection with the speaker's
sensitivity to references to social class.

dInIs


>That's how we used to do/say it in copy editing and publishing:
>quote-endquote.
>
>SOD
>
>
>
>George Thompson wrote:
>
>>  I have always supposed that "unquote" represents "end quote": "our
>>president is a quote great war leader end quote" and that those who
>>suppose otherwise are the ones who say "unquote" and put it
>>immediately after the word "quote" rather than after the words
>>being quoted.  {Notice the careful avoidance of prescriptivism
>>here.)  Nor would I ever type "quote . . . endquote" or expect to
>>read "quote unquote".  I would expect to use and to see actual
>>quotations marks.  (A bit of prescriptivism creeps in here, I
>>admit.  But nobody's perfect.)
>>
>>  There are also people who indicate a quotation when speaking by
>>wiggling two fingers at the beginning and the end of the quotation.
>>
>>  GAT
>>
>>  George A. Thompson
>>  Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre",
>>Northwestern Univ. Pr., 1998.
>>
>>  ----- Original Message -----
>>  From: sagehen <sagehen at WESTELCOM.COM>
>>  Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 11:30 am
>>  Subject: Re: UN-words
>>
>>  > Larry Horn writes:
>>  > >  Your
>>  > >"unquote" is a bit different, because I'm not quite sure how to
>>  > >describe it's category when used in metalinguistic contexts like
>>  > >"He's a quote linguist unquote" or "He's a quote unquote linguist".
>>  > >(The AHD lists it as a noun, but I'm not sure I agree.)
>>  > ~~~~~~~~~
>>  > On the face of it, quote/unquote looks to be functionally
>>  > equivalent to
>>  > do/undo:  doesn't sound like a noun to me.  (I was NOT going to call
>>  > attention to your "it's" but I see you've already blushed.)
>>  > A. Murie
>>  >

--
Dennis R. Preston
University Distinguished Professor
Department of Linguistics & Germanic, Slavic,
      Asian & African Languages
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1027
e-mail: preston at msu.edu
phone: (517) 432-3099