English 306A; Harris The cognitive basis of language Metaphoricity, metonymy Symbolicity (relation...

English 306A; Harris

The cognitive basis of language

Metaphoricity, metonymySymbolicity (relation of convention)Indexicality (relation of association)Iconicity (relation of resemblance)


At every level• Sounds combine into

syllables and morphemes

• Morphemes combine into words

• Words combine into phrases and sentences

• Sentences combine into turns or paragraphs

• Turns combine into conversations

• Paragraphs combine into texts

Elements + combinatorics


SignsSignifier/signified pairs

Indexassociation

Iconresemblance

Symbolassociation-by-convention

Meaning

signifier

signified

“cow”QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.


Types of signs

IndexA sign defined by relationship of association (especially cause and effect). Prototypically, think fever.

IconicA sign defined by relationship of resemblance. Prototypically, think picture.

SymbolicA sign defined by relationship of arbitrariness, convention, and learning. Prototypically, think word.


Dimensions of signs

IndexicalityA semiotic tendency defined by relationship of association (esp. cause and effect).

IconicityA semiotic tendency defined by relationship of resemblance.

SymbolicityA semiotic tendency defined by relationship of arbitrariness, convention, and learning.


Metaphor and metonymy

Indirect representationSomething (called the source) carries the primary signification for something else (target) that ordinarily holds that signification.

Metaphor is iconicThe source/target relationship is an asserted resemblance: the target is said to be like the source in some way.

Metonymy is indexicalThe source/target relationship is (not exactly necessary but) drawn from the same habitat: the target is related to the source in some way.


Metonymy—The principle of set membership

One element of a set or a relationship (the source) singled out to represent other element(s) (the target)

• Hollywood loves westerns.• Toronto collapses!• Calgary wins in OT!• All hands on deck.• Thirty head of cattle.


Metaphor—The principle of analogy

One element (the source) represents another element (the target), to which it is unrelated.

• My love is red, red rose.• Homer is a pig.• Toronto is toast.• The table leg is broken.• The orthopedic wing is closed.• Fire kills thousands every year.

(Personification)



“Pussy”


“Pussy”


“Pussy”


“Pussy”


“Pussy”

Metaphor• Target = vagina• Source = cat• Attributes

• Warm• Furry•


“Pussy!” Stage 1

Metonymy (synecdoche)

• Target = woman• Source = pussy-as-

vagina

The ultimate devaluing of a (category of a) person: to a small anatomical component.

!


“Pussy!” Stage 2

Metaphor• Target = the insult

victim• Source = woman (not

vagina)• Attributes

• Weak• Soft• Quitter

• Means ‘Opposite of a man’, but in a wholly evaluative way.

=


“Pussy”

Metaphor Metonymy Metaphor

Indexicality, Iconicity• a relatively mundane

example of ordinary language

• not a fancy literary or rhetorical device

• these processes, and figuration generally, are pervasive


We now return you to regular programming

F


Metonymy, metaphor

to go tyson to go ballistic

Associa

tion

Simila

rity

analogyRepresentationThe picture is metaphoric; the expression isn’t


Conceptual metaphors

TIME IS MONEYspend a day, invest three months, bank your overtime, cost me a weekend, …

ARGUMENT IS WARhe attacked my point, I defended it well, she shot me down, I blew her out of the water, …

ANGER IS HEATyou make my blood boil, I was steamed, he has a fiery temper, she's a hothead, …


























Conceptual Metonymy

PRODUCER FOR PRODUCTI only read Dr. Seuss, she wore Calvin Klein last night, the Wolf Blass has too much tannin, …

CONTAINER FOR CONTAINEDthat’s a tasty dish, the needle was the death of her, he drank the whole bottle, …

PERSON FOR INSTRUMENTI’m parked out back, she’s the lead guitar, he’s the drill press, …

PLACE FOR PEOPLEBC voted conservative, Alberta likes cowboy movies, Thunder Bay is surprisingly liberal, …

PLACE FOR INSTITUTIONOttawa raised our taxes again, Queen’s Park changed the speed limits, …


Indexicality is metonymic

Defined by association

There must be a certain physical, temporal, or conceptual relation between referential objects for the words/expressions to function


Indexicality

EgocentricitySpeaker-oriented• Deixis (pointing

words)

AnthropocentrismHuman-oriented• Inherent orientation

(human-body orientation projected to objects)


Indexicality

Deictics

Gk. deiktos ≈ “to show”• Pointing words

Langauge which works by ‘gesturing outward’ from speaker (the ego), to other objects


Indexical orientation — Deictic centre

Lexical egocentricity

Pronouns• EGO = 1st person (I, me, …)• EGO+others = 1st person

plural (we, us, …)• Hearer-of-EGO = 2nd person

(you, your, …)• Hearer-of-EGO+others = 2nd

person plural (you, your, …)• Not-EGO-and-not-hearer-of-

EGO = 3rd person (he, she, it, …)

• Not-EGO-and-not-hearer-of-EGO+others = 3rd person plural (they, them, …)


Indexical orientation — Deictic centre

Lexical egocentricity

Proximals• Speaking location

• Where-EGO-is: here, near, … • Where-EGO-is-not: there,

far, …• Speaking time

• When-EGO-is: now, today, … • When-EGO-is-not: then,

tomorrow, …• Relative location to speaker

• Close-to-EGO: this, these, …• Not-close-to-EGO: that,

those, ..


Indexicality?

Anthropocentricity

Gk. anthropos ≈ “man” (hu)man-centred

Inherent orientation: human orientation projected onto artefacts and entities)

• front, back• left, right• before, behind


Deictic (egocentric) vs. Inherent (anthropocentric) Orientation

egocentric

anthropo-

centric


Anthropocentricity




Indexicality?


Anthropocentricity




= personification= metaphorical

Indexicality?


Iconicity is metaphoric

Defined by similarity (rather than association)

Sequential order“Don’t drink and drive”

DistanceImmediacy of action

QuantityReduplication


Iconicity is metaphoric

Defined by similarity (rather than association)

Sequential order“Don’t drink and drive”

DistanceImmediacy of action

QuantityReduplication


Iconicity

Principle of sequential order

Unless marked, the order of words mirrors the order of events.

• He kicked sand in my face and I got mad.

• I got mad and he kicked sand in my face.


Iconicity

Principle of distance

Linguistic distance (proximity) tends to mirror conceptual distance.

• She squeezed me.• She gave me a squeeze.• She gave a squeeze to

me.


Iconicity

Principle of quantity

Length of utterance correlates with (speaker’s perception of) quantity of concept.

• Dinosaurs lived a l o o o n g time ago.

• Dinosaurs lived a long, long, long, … time ago.

• Lawyerese.• Political speeches.


Iconicity — Principle of quantity

Reduplication

Japanesehito 'person'hitobito ’group of people'kami 'god'kamigami ’group of gods'

Mandarinxiao 'small'xiaoxiao 'very small'gaoxing 'happy'gaogaoxingxing 'very happy'



Reduplication

/ora¯/ = man / ora¯ ora¯/ = all sorts of men

/anak/ = child /anak anak/ = all sorts of children

/ma¯a/ = mango / ma¯a ma¯a / = all sorts of mangoes



Reduplication

/ora¯/ = man / ora¯ ora¯/ = all sorts of men

/anak/ = child /anak anak/ = all sorts of children

/ma¯a/ = mango / ma¯a ma¯a / = all sorts of mangoes

Download the SIL IPA fonts to

see these transcriptions in

PPS files


Any questions?

Metaphoricity, metonymySymbolicity (arbitrariness, convention, learning)Indexicality (relation of association)

• Egocentricity (deixis)• Anthropocentricity (inherent orientation)

Iconicity (relation of resemblance)• Sequential order• Distance• Quantity

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English 306A; Harris The cognitive basis of language Metaphoricity, metonymy Symbolicity (relation...

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