Interlocutors

In some sentences both participants are expressed by the Subject, and there is no 'with'-phrase (cf example 1). In sentences like this, the Subject is assigned the FE role Interlocutors. In such sentences, the Subject always denotes more than one person, and it is understood that the reciprocal communication takes place between these two (or more) people. The Subject may denote two or more people either through conjunction, as in example 1, or through plurality, as in example 2, or by denoting a group, as in example 3. In each of these cases the FE Interlocutors is assigned. Notice that for nouns in the Discussion frame, it is possible for the Interlocutors role to be expressed by a prepositional phrase as in example 4. (1) The President and his advisor discussed the Venezuelan situation briefly before the summit. (2) The lawyers conferred before the trial. (3)The committee debated the bill for only a few minutes. (4) There was a brief exchange between the lawyers.