Instruction grammar from perception via grammar to action / Simon Kasper.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kasper, Simon.

Series:

Trends in linguistics. Studies and monographs ; 1861-4302 volume 293.

Trends in linguistics. Studies and monographs, 1861-4302 ; volume 293

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Semantics.

Genre:

Academic theses.

Physical Description:

xxvii, 530 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Berlin : De Gruyter Mouton, [2015]

Summary:

Bringing together evidence from natural and social sciences, the work introduces the non-reductionist Instruction Grammar programme. Viewed from within the practicalities of the lifeworld, utterances are described as instructions to simulate perceptions and attributions for action. The approach provides solutions to long-standing philosophical problems of cognitive grammar theories and traditionally puzzling syntactic phenomena. The series publishes state-of-the-art work on core areas of linguistics across theoretical frameworks as well as studies that provide new insights by building bridges to neighbouring fields such as neuroscience and cognitive science. The series considers itself a forum for cutting-edge research based on solid empirical data on language in its various manifestations, including sign languages. It regards linguistic variation in its synchronic and diachronic dimensions as well as in its social contexts as important sources of insight for a better understanding of the design of linguistic systems and the ecology and evolution of language. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Introduction: the argument of this book 1

1.1 Overview: the relationship between syntax and semantics 2

1.2 Predicate-argument structures 7

1.3 The metaphysics of thematic roles 16

1.4 The structure of this book 19

Part I Research programme 25

Introduction 27

2 A Culturalistic Pragmatist research programme 29

2.1 Research programmes 36

2.1.1 On research programmes in general 36

2.1.2 The need for a new research programme 40

2.2 A new research programme 52

2.2.1 The subject-matter of the programme 52

2.2.2 The "individual" level in the model 53

2.2.3 Observable facts, observations, and heuristics 55

2.2.4 Implementing the data level 66

2.2.5 Excursus: converging evidence 71

2.2.6 Multidisciplinarity 73

2.2.7 Species, community, and sciences 75

2.3 Excursus: a brief sketch of "Chomskyan Linguistics" 78

2.4 Action-theory grounded in lifeworld differentiations 83

2.5 Summary of part I 94

Part II Grounding the linking competence in sub-competences 97

Introduction 99

3 Perception, conceptualization, and action 100

3.1 Perception 100

3.1.1 Grounding the talk about perception in practical differentiations 101

3.1.2 The significance of perception for the linking competence 105

3.1.3 Sensation 106

3.1.3.1 The eye 107

3.1.3.2 The lateral geniculate nucleus and the primary visual cortex 109

3.1.3.3 The integration of basic visual features 110

3.1.3.4 Two visual pathways 115

3.1.3.5 Motion/movement perception 118

3.1.3.6 The embodied nature of the percept 121

3.1.4 Determinants in identification (1) 123

3.1.4.1 Salience and the power of the stimulus 127

3.2 Identification and conceptualization: actional notions and their grounding 129

3.2.1 Identification in perception and conceptualization for action 130

3.2.1.1 Determinants in identification (II): pertinence and the power of the perceiver 137

3.2.1.2 Features, affordances, relations, and the power of frequency 143

3.2.1.3 Causality as the enhancement of constant conjunctions and stimulus generalization 153

3.2.1.4 The actor/cognizer as (limited/self-serving) pragmatic 162

3.2.2 Action competence and intersubjectivity 171

3.2.2.1 Action competence 172

3.2.2.2 Intersubjectivity and understanding action 179

3.2.2.3 Reasons and causes 183

3.2.3 The significance of attribution for the linking competence 187

3.2.4 Case study: attribution in precarious events 192

3.2.4.1 The research project "Syntax of Hessian Dialects (SyHD)" 193

3.2.4.2 Scenario D 195

3.2.4.3 Scenario B 198

3.2.4.4 Scenario F 200

3.2.4.5 Evaluation 202

3.3 The conceptualization of spatial relations and their coding in language 206

3.3.1 The significance of spatial relation conceptualization and coding 209

3.3.2 Motivation and exploitation in trajector/landmark-syntactic structure mappings 215

3.3.3 Hypostatization and the relationship between trajector/landmark and thing/circumstance 237

3.3.3.1 Conceptual metaphor and the status of target domain "concepts" 237

3.3.3.2 Affordances again 241

3.3.3.3 Competing motivations, instances, and generalizations 243

3.3.3.4 How linguistic0 hypostatization feeds back to conceptualization 249

3.3.4 The status of spatial schemas: what relational expressions designate 250

3.3.5 Manner and path in relational expressions 259

3.3.6 Fixing reference in acquisition 262

3.3.7 Fixing reference in motivated and exploited language use 265

3.3.8 Limits of hypostatization 272

3.3.9 Spatial relations and syntactic constructions 274

3.4 The grounding of temporal relations and their coding in language 280

3.4.1 Temporal relations and their significance 281

3.4.2 Syntactic structures suggesting another adicity than there is conceptually 283

3.4.3 The temporal organization of circumstances in sensation 286

3.4.4 The temporal organization of circumstances in identification/conceptualization 288

3.4.5 The temporal organization of circumstances in attribution 290

3.4.6 Coding the temporal organization of circumstances 292

3.4.7 Transitions and the identity of states, processes, and activities 297

3.4.8 "Event headedness", "co-composition", and "boundedness" 300

3.5 On the significance of verbs and circumstances 305

3.6 Summary of part II 308

Part III The linking competence 311

Introduction 313

4 Linking syntax and semantics 313

4.1 The division of labor of the formal constituents 317

4.1.1 The "bare" construction (irrespective of inflectional morphology) 318

4.1.2 The "bare" noun in the NP and PP (irrespective of inflectional morphology) 321

4.1.3 The "bare" verb (plus preposition) (irrespective of inflectional morphology) 325

4.1.4 Agreement morphology 330

4.1.5 Phrase order 332

4.1.6 Case morphology 335

4.1.6.1 Case in general 335

4.1.6.2 Case study: the German dative 346

4.1.7 The multilayered instruction 363

4.2 Reducing the remaining formal underspecification 364

4.2.1 The PSC preference as an epiphenomenon of a (responsible) causer preference 365

4.2.2 Animacy and the RCP 368

4.2.3 Individuation and the RCP 370

4.2.4 Person and the RCP 372

4.2.5 Empathy and the RCP 373

4.2.6 The RCP and indexical instructions 374

4.3 Linking in performance 375

4.3.1 Motivated construction-conceptualization mappings 376

4.3.2 The utterance as instruction - obeying the instruction 382

4.3.3 The utterance as instruction - building up the instruction 395

4.4 Some German linking phenomena 403

4.4.1 "Unergative" versus "unaccusative" constructions 404

4.4.2 Auxiliary choice 411

4.4.3 Conditions on passivization and imperativization 420

4.4.4 The dative alternation 424

4.4.5 The locative alternation 430

4.4.6 The conative alternation 434

4.4.7 The partitive alternation 439

4.4.8 Resultative constructions 444

4.4.9 Weather verbs 448

4.4.10 A note on coercion 455

4.5 Future prospects: predictions and consequences 456

4.6 Summary of part III 467

5 Conclusion 469.

Notes:

Revised thesis (doctoral) - Philipps-Universität, Marburg, 2012.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9783110438970

3110438976

OCLC:

913722479

Publisher Number:

9783110438970