Observations on the use of attention markers in Comrac Líadaine ⁊ Chuirithir

In a series of articles, Aaron Griffith (2008, 2010, 2011, 2013) and Bernhard Bauer (2018: 12-13) have shed light on the pragmatic function and the syntactic operation of the Old Irish notae augentes and the anaphoric pronoun suide/-side, which for practical purposes can be grouped together under the umbrella term ‘attention markers’. The com­paratively high incidence of these elements in the late Old Irish tale Comrac Líadaine ⁊ Chuirithir ‘The En­counter of Líadain and Cuirithir’ (Stifter forthc.), pro­vides an opportunity to test these hypo­theses and to add to and refine the description of their syntactic and pragmatic functions. In addition to two previously established functions, namely 1. to direct the mental focus of the recipients and 2. to distinguish between over­all and tempor­arily salient referents, two hitherto unrecognised usages of attention markers can be identified for Old Irish, namely 3. as argu­ment-fillers after quotative verbs, and 4. as verbal gender-mark­ers.