Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
quotative
adjective
/ˈkwoʊ.tə.tɪv/
Definition
A linguistic term used to refer to expressions that introduce a quotation or speech.
Examples
- In the sentence, ‘He was like, I can’t believe it!’, ‘like’ serves as a quotative for the reported speech.
- She said, ‘He was all, I have no idea!’ which uses ‘all’ as a quotative expression.
Meaning
The term ‘quotative’ describes a way in which speech is reported or attributed to a speaker, usually introducing what someone has said.
Synonyms
- reporting
- attributive
- speech-introducing
