Dickins, J (2014) Associative meaning and scalar implicature: a linguistic-semiotic account. LinguisticaOnline (16). 1 - 38. ISSN 1801-5336
Abstract
This paper shows that three kinds of phenomena typically subject to disparate analyses are all forms of 'associative meaning': (i) extralinguistic-based, (ii) linguistic-based, and (iii) scalar implicature-based. It argues that scalar implicature in particular may be of three types: hyponymous, quasi-hyponymous, and pseudo-hyponymous. The paper begins with a basic definition of denotative and connotative meaning, and within connotative meaning of associative meaning. A formal model is provided for utterance-meaning, based around the notions of referent and ascription. This allows for a detailed formal analysis of extralinguistic- and linguistic-based associative meaning. The model is refined to address scalar implicature-based associative meaning, through a theory-based account of the distinction between ambiguity and indeterminacy, allowing for a formal analysis of 'some' and cardinal numbers. I also briefly consider a fourth type of associative meaning -- contextually determined associative meaning -- using Arabic examples, to illustrate the profound conventionality and language-specificity of the relevant aspects of meaning. Rather than providing a new account of how we understand the meaning of scalar implicatures, or other aspects of utterance-meaning, this paper adopts the standpoint that in order to understand how a hearer understands what an utterance means, we need to know first what it means; i.e. a coherent model of utterance-meaning is a sine qua non for the investigation of utterance cognition.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | (c) 2014, Department of Linguistics and Baltic Languages, Masaryk University. Reproduced with permission from the publisher. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Languages Cultures & Societies (Leeds) > Arabic & Middle Eastern Studies (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 14 Nov 2014 12:55 |
Last Modified: | 17 Nov 2014 21:00 |
Published Version: | http://www.phil.muni.cz/linguistica/art/dickins/di... |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Department of Linguistics and Baltic Languages, Masaryk University |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:81501 |