This Is the Thing : A Cognitive/typological Investigation into the Concept Of 'thinghood'.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fortescue, Michael D.

Series:

Human Cognitive Processing Series

Human Cognitive Processing Series ; v.79

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Semantics.

Cognitive grammar.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (232 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam/Philadelphia : John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2026.

Summary:

This monograph investigates for the first time words like 'thing' of maximal semantic generality across languages.

Contents:

Intro

Table of contents

Preface

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 The historical origins of 'thing' words

2.1 Words for 'thing' in Indo-European languages

2.2 Words for 'thing' outside of Indo-European

Chapter 3 The semantics of 'thing' words

3.1 What counts as 'thinghood'?20

3.2 The semantic extension of 'thing' words

Chapter 4 The abstractness of 'thing' words

4.1 Degrees of abstractness

4.2 The categorization of 'things'

Chapter 5 The thing as gestalt

5.1 Gestalt theory

5.2 The Figure/Ground relationship

Chapter 6 Things in context

6.1 Reference to 'things' in texts

6.2 The variety of contextual influences on words

6.3 The eigenstate model of 'things'

Chapter 7 Misplaced concreteness

7.1 Why 'soul' and 'mind' are not things

7.2 What is meant by 'soul' in animistic and European cultures

7.3 Words for 'mind'

Chapter 8 What 'it' refers to

8.1 'It' words across languages

8.2 The semantic extent of 'it' words

8.3 Neuter gender and classificatory systems

Chapter 9 There's something to it…

9.1 Indefinite pronouns

9.2 There's nothing to it

Chapter 10 Further functions of 'thing' and 'something' words

10.1 The grammatical functionality of 'thing' words

10.2 Doing something

Chapter 11 The properties of things

11.1 Primary and secondary qualities

11.2 The intrinsic shape of things

11.3 Interaction with things

Chapter 12 Philosophical and scientific approaches to 'things'

12.1 Changing philosophical positions through the ages

12.2 A scientific perspective on the perception of objects

Chapter 13 The 'thing' in art

13.1 The relation to visual perception in European art

13.2 Abstraction in Northwest Coast Indian art

Chapter 14 The semantic source of 'thing' words revisited

14.1 Semantic change and variation.

14.2 Alternative words for 'thing'

Chapter 15 Conclusions

Abbreviations

References

Appendixes

Appendix 1 Words for body and animal

'Body' words

'Animal' words

Appendix 2 Words for shape, form and figure

Subject index

Name index

Language index.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Part of the metadata in this record was created by AI, based on the text of the resource.

ISBN:

90-272-4427-8

9789027244277

OCLC:

1568049051