On the (complicated) relationship between direct and indirect reports

pp. 53-71

in: Alessandro Capone, The pragmatics of indirect reports, Berlin, Springer, 2016

Abstract

In this chapter, I discuss subtle differences between direct and indirect reports, to conclude that they are mainly a matter of degree, although there are non-negligible syntactic differences, as direct reports admit interjections, while indirect reports, allegedly, do not (I provide a sketch of an explanation why interjections, if they were uttered in indirect reports, could not count as quoted segments of mixed indirect reports). I discuss the issue of opacity and I claim that in direct reports, especially those of the strict type, opacity is a result of interpreting the report verbatim; opacity is a pragmatic phenomenon in indirect reports. I discuss transformations like eliminations and expansions. I discuss differences on the basis of the interpretation of pronominals, and the possibility of using the report as a summary. I also discuss implicit indirect reports.