Metatextual indicators and phraseological units in a multimodal corpus

Abstract

The present work aims to address the combined use of phraseological units and metatextual indicators in spoken language, that is, the mechanisms used to introduce phraseological units to listeners. Exhaustive knowledge of how metatextual indicators are employed in discourse is, no doubt, highly valuable in identifying phraseological units in cases where immediacy is a main factor, as is common in different types of interpreting. The main characteristics of metatextual indicators are considered, along with their different categories to date, taking as a starting point such works as those of Čermák (2005) and Goddard (2009). An analysis is also provided of the 100 most recent uses of the metatextual indicator as the saying goes from a search in the multimodal NewsScape corpus. Studying these 100 uses leads to the general conclusion that this indicator tends to precede phraseological units – overwhelmingly proverbs – and that the phraseological units tend to be used without any modifying mechanisms. However, there are numerous cases, while still a minority, of quotations and, within them, allusions to elements that go beyond their classic conception – such as the notable inclusion of cases where the speaker manipulates the canonical meaning of phraseological units.