Bibliogr. s. 68-69

In this paper it is proposed that say-markers can be approached as interactional devices which define the perspective from which we can view and assess the source of the knowledge imparted by speakers in an institutional setting. Combining research into clausal pragmatic markers with insights from Discourse Space Theory and the time-travelling approach to reality reconstruction, the analysis demonstrates that say-markers are strategically used by courtroom interactants for their immediate interpersonal goals. As the data suggest, in an adversarial context, speakers rely on say-markers to assert authority and to control discourse, on the one hand, and to assess the validity of their interlocutor’s arguments, on the other. Finally, it is observed that say-markers operate as interactional “signposts” which enable purposive shifts between I- and you-perspectives as well as past and present realities.