1,720,995 research outputs found
Exemplification and Categorization: The Case of Japanese
No full textThe book aims to examine the relationship between exemplification and categorization, using linguistic data from Japanese to better understand how people create and communicate conceptual categories in real-life situations (cf. the notion of ad hoc categories). In the book, exemplification is defined in functional terms as a process through which a speaker signals that a given entity should be construed as representative of a larger category of similar entities. The status of example can thus be encoded by means of dedicated analytical markers that overtly signal the exemplifying relation (e.g. for example), but also by making explicit reference to the larger category from which the examples have been selected. Through a case-study on four Japanese exemplifying markers (ya, nado, tari, toka), this book aims to understand (i) how examples are used and encoded by speakers to make reference to conceptual categories, (ii) what types of categories speakers can create and communicate by means of exemplification, (iii) how the relationship between exemplification and categorization can be used by speakers to achieve specific discourse effects, such as vagueness and politeness
The hedging function of exemplification: Evidence from Japanese
No full textThe aim of this paper is to examine the usage of three Japanese exemplifying markers (i.e. tari, toka, nado) as hedging strategies. At the theoretical level, the investigation allows to discuss the functional extension of exemplifying strategies to hedges. Since exemplification construes elements as examples of larger sets, we argue that the relationship between these two core units can be exploited by speakers to perform several communicative functions, including semantic approximation and pragmatic hedging. At the empirical level, first we provide a detailed account of the types of hedging operations performed by these markers, that is, affecting the semantics of a proposition or operating on pragmatic aspects such as the illocutionary force or the speaker's commitment. Then, using data from a web corpus of Japanese, we examine how the usage of exemplifying markers as hedges in actual occurrences gives rise to other discourse effects such as vagueness and politeness
The role of exemplification in the construction of categories: the case of Japanese
No full textThe aim of this paper is to examine the role of exemplification in categorization processes, that is, how examples can be used in discourse to communicate conceptual categories. Based on data from present-day Japanese and a corpus-driven methodology, it will be shown that exemplifying constructions can be used 1) to refine already explicit categories by contextualizing and actualizing the reference, and 2) to create categories ex novo by triggering associative inferences and abstractive processes. Accordingly, a detailed analysis of the linguistic properties of the examples will be provided in order to identify recurring encoding patterns and correlations with the functions described above. Furthermore, it will be argued that, although any conceptual category can be lexicalized by means of a category label, there exist some interesting correlations between the coding of the examples and the labelling of the category. Finally, we will conclude by showing that the linguistic analysis of exemplification can provide useful insights regarding the modalities in which the human brain categorizes
Split ergativity in the NENA dialects
No full textDifferent types of split ergativity are attested in North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic (NENA) dialects, a group of over a hundred varieties spoken by Jewish and Christian communities in south-eastern Turkey, northern Iraq and north-western Iran. Although historically Aramaic is nominative-accusative, some ergative phenomena developed early through the influence of Iranian languages, especially Kurdish, which are ergative or have been ergative at some stage of their history. Nevertheless, the NENA dialects show some interesting autonomous developments, such as the extension of the ergative suffix to all intransitive verbs.
The different types of split ergativity exhibited by the NENA dialects concern the expression of tense and aspect of the verbal phrase (ergativity developed only in the perfective aspect), the gradual extension of the ergative suffix to intransitive verbs, the expression of the pronominal object and the creation of new accusative markers and, finally, the expression of the pronominal subject. All these split-ergativity phenomena create a rather complex alignment system which can provide useful insights for future linguistic studies on ergativity
Using ambiguity and vagueness to avoid problematic answers: the case of Italian abbastanza
No full textThis paper focuses on the use of the Italian adverb abbastanza ‘enough, quite’ when it is used as a stand-alone reply to potentially problematic and face-threatening questions. Despite its positive semantics, in some contexts, this word can be perceived as vague or even ambiguous by speakers, in the sense that it is possible to interpret it both as a (vague) ‘yes’ and a (vague) ‘no’, thus functioning as an off-record politeness strategy. To verify in which contexts this word can be perceived as ambiguous and vague, we will examine data gathered from a questionnaire specifically created and from corpora of contemporary Italian (KIParla corpus and ItTenTen). The analysis will confirm a correlation between the level of ambiguity and contexts where the speaker is asked to evaluate something strongly related to the hearer. Finally, we will argue how the potential ambiguity of this adverb is linked to its core semantics of quantitative adequacy
Exemplification and categorization: the case of Japanese
Full text linkThis research investigates the linguistic coding and functions of exemplifying constructions (i.e., linguistic constructions that signify exemplification), with a special focus on their role in constructing on-line contextually relevant categories at the cognitive level (cf. Barsalou 1983, 2010, Mauri 2016). More specifically, we argue that exemplifying constructions are used as overt strategies to make explicit the online construction of conceptual categories, allowing the hearer to identify relevant exemplars as starting points for inferential and abstraction processes
Constructing lists to construct categories
Full text linkThe aim of this paper is to analyze list constructions as linguistic tools to build categories in discourse, identifying the inferential processes leading from list constructions to categorization and examining the semantic and morphosyntactic elements that activate abstractive reasoning within lists. Based on real occurrences of lists in written and spoken Italian, we will first of all propose a crucial distinction between exhaustive and non-exhaustive lists, arguing that (non-)exhaustivity determines the layer at which the construction of a category occurs, namely the layer of presupposition or the ‘what-is-said’ part of the utterance. We will then focus on non-exhaustive lists, arguing that they directly communicate a bottom-up, exemplar-driven abstraction, characterized by the presence of an inherently indexical reference (i.e. reference to further Xs characterized by some underlying Property P), which will lead us to call it ‘indexical categorization’. The linguistic analysis of how indexical categorization is expressed in discourse will show a major distinction between (i) elements characterized by an indexical semantics, which trigger the abstraction process, and (ii) elements providing semantic clues towards the correct construction of the indexical category. We will conclude by taking a broader perspective and by explaining the patterns observed for indexical categorization in the light of the wider process of online reference construction
Come districarsi tra descrizioni teoriche che offuscano i dati? Un approccio tipologico ai connettivi non-esaustivi oltre la logica
No full textIl presente contributo esamina i problemi metodologici che possono emergere in una ricerca tipologica qualora si indaghi un fenomeno scarsamente riconosciuto e descritto nella letteratura. L’indagine sarà svolta utilizzando come esempio lo studio dei connettivi non esaustivi, i.e. un tipo di connettivo usato esclusivamente in contesti di liste non esaustive per indicare l’esistenza di ulteriori elementi simili a quelli espressamente citati. Nella discussione, saranno prese in considerazione le varie fasi della ricerca tipologica, a partire dalla costruzione del campione fino all’analisi delle grammatiche descrittive. Lo scopo del contributo è quello di proporre soluzioni che possano integrare la metodologia tipologica classica con un approccio bottom-up, che parta dal puro dato linguistico, e da una analisi critica e attenta della grammatica descrittiva
Uso (e abuso) delle categorie ad hoc nel discorso politico su Twitter
No full textThis paper examines how list constructions are used in political discourse on Twitter to share specific positions regarding migratory phenomena, and as such they should be ana- lyzed critically. List constructions implicitly communicate that their members are part of an ad hoc conceptual category, therefore suggesting that they should be considered similar in some way. Using a corpus of tweets and through a search for keywords relating to migra- tory phenomena, we will show how migrants are mostly included in lists with inanimate and vague members or animate members with negative connotations. NGOs co-occur in lists with traffickers/smugglers, implicitly communicating that they are entities engaged in similar activities. Finally, the persuasive effect of lists is often reinforced by repetition and alliteration, rhetorical tools that could contribute to the naturalization of ad hoc categories
Come districarsi tra descrizioni teoriche che offuscano i dati? Un approccio tipologico ai connettivi non-esaustivi oltre la logica
No full textIl presente contributo esamina i problemi metodologici che possono emergere in una ricerca tipologica qualora si indaghi un fenomeno scarsamente riconosciuto e descritto nella letteratura. L’indagine sarà svolta utilizzando come esempio lo studio dei connettivi non esaustivi, i.e. un tipo di connettivo usato esclusivamente in contesti di liste non esaustive per indicare l’esistenza di ulteriori elementi simili a quelli espressamente citati. Nella discussione, saranno prese in considerazione le varie fasi della ricerca tipologica, a partire dalla costruzione del campione fino all’analisi delle grammatiche descrittive. Lo scopo del contributo è quello di proporre soluzioni che possano integrare la metodologia tipologica classica con un approccio bottom-up, che parta dal puro dato linguistico, e da una analisi critica e attenta della grammatica descrittiva
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