A great amount of sociolinguistic research in contact situations has centered on phonological and morphosyntactic variables, but studies of discourse-pragmatic features in contact situations are scarce and incipient. Discourse-pragmatic features are syntactically optional elements that are used to guide, structure, or express a stance towards discourse (Pichler, 2013, p. 4). These features are hallmarks of grammaticalization because of their decategorialization to fulfill pragmatic functions (Brinton, 2006; Traugott, 1995). Their analysis in language contact situations can shed light on contact-induced change, since they occur on the periphery of grammar and appear to constitute a part of grammar that is highly permeable (e.g. Brody, 1987; 1995; Dajko & Carmichael, 2014). Previous studies of discourse-pragmatic features in contact situations widely focus on a recipient language in which discourse-pragmatic features from a donor language are inserted or calqued (e.g. Lipski, 2005; Salmons, 1990; Torres, 2002), without considering the linguistic and social conditioning of these features in the donor language, which is crucial to assess the permeability of discourse. This dissertation assesses the permeability of discourse in the speech of eighteen Spanish-English bilinguals from Southern Arizona. In doing so, it analyzes the linguistic and social conditioning of three discourse-pragmatic features that are prominent in both languages. These discourse-pragmatic features include the discourse marker like in English and its equivalents como, como que, and like in Spanish, quotatives, and general extenders. It was expected that these discourse-pragmatic features would be highly permeable in the speech of these bilinguals; however, contact with English did not radically influence the use of any of these discourse-pragmatic features in the Spanish of these bilinguals. This dissertation contributes to our understanding of the permeability of discourse in bilingual speech. In addition, it explores how this knowledge can be applied in pedagogical contexts.

Cette thèse propose une exploration synchronique du paradigme des quotatifs en anglais oral, suite à l’avènement dans ce groupe fonctionnel de deux nouvelles formes, GO et BE LIKE, apparues il y a moins de cinq décennies. Elle s’inscrit dans la continuité de plusieurs études antérieures visant à rendre compte du système quotatif de l’anglais depuis les phases précoces de ce changement linguistique désormais avéré. À partir d’un corpus de données originales, cette thèse examine les différentes fonctions pragmatiques, interactionnelles et discursives des quotatifs afin de mettre au jour certains facteurs de distribution de ces marqueurs en discours. L’approche adoptée est à la fois polysystémique, pluri-théorique et multimodale : la langue est un système complexe, dans lequel plusieurs sous-systèmes interagissent pour participer à la construction de l’interaction. Afin de rendre compte de cette multiplicité, l’application conjointe de plusieurs systèmes d’analyse et de plusieurs approches théoriques est indispensable. Cette thèse tient également compte de la dimension multimodale de la langue orale. Elle examine, qualitativement et quantitativement, les fonctions accomplies par les quotatifs en termes de représentation, de réitération d’événements antérieurs et de performance. Elle propose également un tour d’horizon des diverses stratégies narratives attribuables aux quotatifs lorsqu’ils participent conjointement à la construction de séquences dialoguées. Ce travail montre qu’en définitive, ce n’est que par la combinaison de plusieurs grilles d’analyse qu’il est possible de réduire le nombre d’événements imprévisibles dans les productions de la langue orale en interaction. / This thesis gives a synchronic account of the quotative paradigm in oral English, subsequently to the recent arrival of the new introducers GO and BE LIKE less than five decades ago. It stands in the wake of earlier studies that have aimed at analysing the quotative system of English since the earliest phases of this recently attested change in progress. The study was carried out on a corpus of original data, the Cambridge Student Corpus, which contains semi-guided dyadic conversations between British and Irish native speakers. This thesis examines, from an empirical point of view, the various pragmatic, interactional and discourse functions of quotatives in order to shed light on their complementary distribution in oral interaction. The chosen approach is polysystemic, multi-theoretic and multimodal. Language is a complex system, within which several sub-systems interact to participate in building spoken interaction. In order to account for this complexity, it is necessary to apply several methods of analysis and various linguistic theories simultaneously. This thesis also takes into account the multimodal aspects of oral interaction. It gives a qualitative and quantitative account of quotatives with respect to their functions of representation, reiteration of prior events and multimodal performance. It also examines various narrative strategies that these markers may implement as they participate together in the elaboration of sequences of dialogue. This work illustrates the notion that only through a combination of different methods can the analyst reduce the number of unexplained events that occur in oral interaction.