Favourite puzzles: Revisiting categories in grammar, usage and discourse from functional perspectives

Abstract

This introduction to the special issue “Grammar, usage and discourse: Functional studies offered to Kristin Davidse” first briefly reviews Kristin Davidse’s rich and varied trajectory in functional and cognitive linguistics, highlighting in particular the links between the domains represented by the contributions to the issue and the doctoral research she has supervised over the years. The central questions surrounding grammar (especially interpersonal grammar), usage and discourse (including literary discourse) which inform the different contributions are subsequently discussed, and a concluding section offers a number of celebratory and grateful salutes.