Echo-syntax and metarepresentations

So-called echo-questions are known for their particular behaviour. The aim of this paper is to prove that a systematic relationship can be established between their unique syntactic properties, their semantic import, their distribution in discourse and the range of possible interpretations they can receive. More specifically, I will try to show that they are metarepresentations by virtue of their very syntactic structure. As such they constitute an instance of grammaticalisation of interpretive use: they are interpretations of attributed representations. My approach will be developed by assuming the guidelines of Chomskyʹs minimalist framework for syntax, and Sperber and Wilsonʹs Relevance theory for semantics and the inferential construction of meaning.