DOCSLIB.ORG

Collocation and Connotation

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Collocation and Connotation View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by AMS Acta COLLOCATION AND CONNOTATION: A Corpus-Based Investigation Of Colour Words In English And Italian by Gillian Susan Philip a thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of English The University of Birmingham March 2003 ii To M&D, M&B, and Ame and to ENEL, who made the end so memorable iii iv Acknowledgements A number of people have need of acknowledgement for the part they have played in this finished work. In the first place, there are the people responsible for getting me started in corpus linguistics – and who have helped guide me through this research: Elena Tognini Bonelli, John Sinclair, Geoff Barnbrook, and Bill Louw have all played a significant part, and I thank them warmly. Without the corpus providers, this research would of course have been impossible to carry out. Thanks are therefore due to the team at COBUILD for access to the Bank of English, and to Rema Rossini Favretti, director of the University of Bologna’s Centro Interfacoltà di Linguistica Teorica ed Applicata “Luigi Heilmann”, who kindly made the Italian CORIS data available to me. But it takes more than data and theory to write a thesis. In a time of inadequate funding for research in the humanities, I express my heartfelt thanks to those who believe in its worth and are prepared to finance it. Half of the fees for this course of studies were paid the University of Birmingham’s part-time student bursary. The remainder was paid by my father, whom I will have to keep in Chianti and mortadella for a good few years to come. Working in Italy, I have found the distance from fellow PhD students isolating and difficult. I must therefore thank those work colleagues – especially Kay, Julia, Stefy, and Fabio – whose interest and encouragement in my work have kept me going through good times and bad. My greatest thanks are reserved for my loved ones. Amedeo, Betty, Ally, Lorna, Dave and the boys, who provided (in no particular order): advice, support, encouragement, shoulders to cry on, proofreading services... as well as their unconditional love. v vi Abstract Many linguistic expressions are constructed around colour words: ‘see red’, ‘green with envy’, ‘whiter than white’. They appear to confirm the existence of connotative meanings, and are often cited in commentaries regarding connotative meaning. But to what extent does the functional linguistic use of these expressions correspond to their etymology? This study examines such colour-word expressions using authentic, naturally-occurring data drawn from general reference corpora in English and Italian. The corpus evidence turns theoretical linguistic description on its head. Those expressions that are said to prove the existence of connotative meanings do nothing of the sort. In communicative acts, they are chosen for their pragmatic value, not their compositional semantic content, and display the unmistakable signs of delexicalisation. However, connotative meaning does find its way into language in use: it abounds in the many and various innovative expressions based upon those delexicalised canonical forms. It is in translation that the full implications of delexicalisation and relexicalisation come to the fore. The realisation that conventional language is essentially delexicalised encourages the translator to work mainly with pragmatic, functional meaning. This prioritises the translation of meaning over word-form, resulting in a more faithful transmission of semantic content from one language to another. vii CONTENTS 0. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................1 0.1 BACKGROUND.....................................................................................................................................1 0.2 THIS STUDY..........................................................................................................................................2 1. COLOUR MEANING IN ACADEMIC AND NON-ACADEMIC SOURCES ............6 1.1 INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................6 1.2 COLOUR MEANING IN PHILOSOPHY, ÆSTHETICS AND ANTHROPOLOGY....................7 1.2.1 Colour Taxonomies: The Basic Colours .......................................................................................... 8 1.2.1.1 Berlin and Kay’s colour categories ............................................................................................... 9 1.2.1.2 Criticism of the categories ............................................................................................................. 11 1.2.1.3 Colour naming and colour meaning .............................................................................................. 13 1.2.2 Colour Meaning In Philosophy And Æsthetics: The Categorisation Of Colours ........................ 14 1.2.2.1 Colours and the elements............................................................................................................... 16 1.2.2.2 Colours and the humours............................................................................................................... 19 1.2.2.3 Other colour categories ................................................................................................................. 19 1.2.2.4 Discussion of colour categories ..................................................................................................... 20 1.2.3 Connotation And Symbolism............................................................................................................ 21 1.2.3.1 Black and white.............................................................................................................................. 22 1.2.3.2 Red ................................................................................................................................................. 23 1.2.3.3 Green and yellow ........................................................................................................................... 25 1.2.3.4 Blue ................................................................................................................................................ 27 1.2.3.5 The remaining colours ................................................................................................................... 28 1.3 COLOUR MEANING AND SCIENCE .............................................................................................29 1.3.1 Synæsthesia ........................................................................................................................................ 30 1.3.1.1 Kinds of synæsthesia ...................................................................................................................... 30 1.3.1.1.1 Chromatic-graphemic synæsthesia........................................................................................................... 31 1.3.1.1.2 Chromatic-lexical synæsthesia................................................................................................................. 32 1.3.1.1.3 Other synæstheæ...................................................................................................................................... 32 1.3.1.2 Colour meaning for synæsthetes .................................................................................................... 32 1.3.2 Colour In Behavioural Psychology................................................................................................... 33 1.4 OTHER VIEWS ON COLOUR..........................................................................................................35 1.4.1 Colour Consultancy........................................................................................................................... 36 1.4.2 Chromotherapy.................................................................................................................................. 37 1.4.3 Colour Meaning In Popular Culture ............................................................................................... 38 1.4.3.1 Global Color Survey ...................................................................................................................... 39 1.4.3.2 Journalism and colour meaning..................................................................................................... 39 1.5 CONCLUSION.....................................................................................................................................41 2. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE AND PHRASEOLOGY .......................................................43 2.1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................43 2.2 LITERAL AND NON-LITERAL LANGUAGE ...............................................................................44 2.2.1 Definitions Of Literal Language....................................................................................................... 44 2.2.1.1 Word meaning................................................................................................................................ 45 viii 2.2.1.2 Prototypical meaning..................................................................................................................... 47 2.2.1.3
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A System of Logic Ratiocinative and Inductive Presenting a Connected View of the Principles of Evidence and the Methods of Scientific Investigation
    A System of Logic Ratiocinative and Inductive Presenting a Connected View of the Principles of Evidence and the Methods of Scientific Investigation John Stuart Mill Copyright © Jonathan Bennett 2017. All rights reserved [Brackets] enclose editorial explanations. Small ·dots· enclose material that has been added, but can be read as though it were part of the original text. Occasional •bullets, and also indenting of passages that are not quotations, are meant as aids to grasping the structure of a sentence or a thought. Every four-point ellipsis . indicates the omission of a brief passage that seems to present more difficulty than it is worth. In this work such omissions are usually of unneeded further examples or rewordings. Longer omissions are reported between brackets in normal-sized type.—When a word is spoken about in this version, it is usually put between quotation marks; Mill himself does that with phrases and sentences but not with single words.—Mill here refers to contemporaries by their surnames; in the original he is less abrupt—‘Archbishop Whateley’, ‘Professor Bain’, and so on. First launched: June 2012 Contents Introduction . 1 I: Names and propositions 7 Chapter 1: The need to start with an analysis of language . 7 Chapter 2: Names . 9 Chapter 3: Things that are denoted by names . 19 Chapter 4: Propositions . 34 Chapter 5: The import of propositions . 39 Chapter 6: Merely verbal propositions . 48 Chapter 7: The nature of classification. The five predicables. 53 Chapter 8: Definition . 60 Mill’s System of Logic Glossary accidentally: You have your height accidentally, meaning denote: In its root sense this mean ‘stand for’, ‘refer to’—so that your height could have been different without that that ‘mankind’ denotes the human race, your name denotes affecting who you are.
    [Show full text]
  • CONCEPTS, DEFINITIONS, and MEANING Author(S): TYLER BURGE Source: Metaphilosophy, Vol
    CONCEPTS, DEFINITIONS, AND MEANING Author(s): TYLER BURGE Source: Metaphilosophy, Vol. 24, No. 4 (October 1993), pp. 309-325 Published by: Wiley Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/24439033 Accessed: 11-04-2017 02:15 UTC REFERENCES Linked references are available on JSTOR for this article: http://www.jstor.org/stable/24439033?seq=1&cid=pdf-reference#references_tab_contents You may need to log in to JSTOR to access the linked references. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms Wiley is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Metaphilosophy This content downloaded from 128.97.244.236 on Tue, 11 Apr 2017 02:15:14 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms © The Metaphilosophy Foundation and Basil Blackwell Ltd. 1993. Published by Blackwell Publishers, 108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK and 238 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA METAPHILOSOPHY Vol 24, No 4, October 1993 0026-1068 CONCEPTS, DEFINITIONS, AND MEANING* ** TYLER BURGE The Aristotelian tradition produced many of the elements of what is widely thought of as "the traditional view" of concepts. I begin by attempting to summarize this view. The summary runs roughshod over numerous distinctions that were dear to various thinkers who contributed to this general conception of concepts.
    [Show full text]
  • Annex to the BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2016/17
    Annual Report and Accounts 2016/17 Annex to the BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2016/17 Annex to the BBC Annual Report and Accounts 2016/17 Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by command of Her Majesty © BBC Copyright 2017 The text of this document (this excludes, where present, the Royal Arms and all departmental or agency logos) may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium provided that it is reproduced accurately and not in a misleading context. The material must be acknowledged as BBC copyright and the document title specified. Photographs are used ©BBC or used under the terms of the PACT agreement except where otherwise identified. Permission from copyright holders must be sought before any photographs are reproduced. You can download this publication from bbc.co.uk/annualreport BBC Pay Disclosures July 2017 Report from the BBC Remuneration Committee of people paid more than £150,000 of licence fee revenue in the financial year 2016/17 1 Senior Executives Since 2009, we have disclosed salaries, expenses, gifts and hospitality for all senior managers in the BBC, who have a full time equivalent salary of £150,000 or more or who sit on a major divisional board. Under the terms of our new Charter, we are now required to publish an annual report for each financial year from the Remuneration Committee with the names of all senior executives of the BBC paid more than £150,000 from licence fee revenue in a financial year. These are set out in this document in bands of £50,000.
    [Show full text]
  • 20 February 2015
    20 FEBRUARY 2015 30 years to the day EastEnders was first broadcast, one of EastEnders true icons, Kathy Beale returned to the show in a LIVE scene in last night’s episode in the UK, which will air in Australia on the 4th March on UKTV at 6.15pm. Last seen in 2000 before returning to South Africa, viewers believed that Kathy was killed in a car crash. However when Kathy comes home to Walford later this year, viewers will learn where Kathy has been and why she has stayed away so long… Played by Gillian Taylforth, Kathy appeared in the very first episode of EastEnders on the 19th February 1985. As one of the original cast, Gillian soon found herself at the heart of some of the soaps most memorable episodes, creating a character that has never been forgotten in EastEnders history. Storylines included her relationship and subsequent turbulent marriage to Phil Mitchell and the rape of Kathy by Wilmott Brown. Kathy’s return has been shrouded in secrecy. To keep her return under wraps the scenes were shot live on location to prevent her being seen prior to her episode transmitting. Talking about her return to EastEnders, Gillian said “When Dominic approached me with his plan, I was so shocked I got into my car and burst into tears! ‘Kathy’ has always been so close to my heart and it’s absolutely wonderful to be returning to the show and reprising the role” Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Executive Producer said “I have always made my feelings on Kathy Beale and Gillian Taylforth very clear – she is part of EastEnders history, mother to Ian and Ben and one of the most important and iconic television characters on British television.
    [Show full text]
  • Applied Epistemology and Understanding in Information Studies
    PUBLISHED QUARTERLY BY THE UNIVERSITY OF BORÅS, SWEDEN VOL. 22 NO. 4, DECEMBER, 2017 Contents | Author index | Subject index | Search | Home Applied epistemology and understanding in information studies Tim Gorichanaz Introduction. Applied epistemology allows information studies to benefit from developments in philosophy. In information studies, epistemic concepts are rarely considered in detail. This paper offers a review of several epistemic concepts, focusing on understanding, as a call for further work in applied epistemology in information studies. Method. A hermeneutic literature review was conducted on epistemic concepts in information studies and philosophy. Relevant research was retrieved and reviewed iteratively as the research area was refined. Analysis. A conceptual analysis was conducted to determine the nature and relationships of the concepts surveyed, with an eye toward synthesizing conceptualizations of understanding and opening future research directions. Results. The epistemic aim of understanding is emerging as a key research frontier for information studies. Two modes of understanding (hermeneutic and epistemological) were brought into a common framework. Conclusions. Research on the concept of understanding in information studies will further naturalistic information research and provide coherence to several strands of philosophic thought. What is information studies for? Presumably, the products and processes that result from information research are intended for some purpose. Information involves intellectual activity, and so it would seem that information products and processes contribute to some epistemic aims (i.e., goals related to knowing), among other possible aims. These aims are generally left implicit; explicating them, however, can clarify the contribution of a given study, product or service. It seems that information studies has long assumed knowledge as its default epistemic aim; understanding has emerged as an intriguing alternative in recent years, necessitating reconsideration of epistemic frameworks.
    [Show full text]
  • Reference and Denotation in Semantics
    Reference And Denotation In Semantics ChristosAlfred is Jansenism:primp applicably. she apprehend puristically and uptears her ladykin. Inner Vic rustles pyramidally. Is immersed in terms of propositions as well as one hand, by the user also be no reference in turn be To signify an unsupported extension or points of reference and applies notions of control of a student written language studied in other species. So on various kinds of natural languages are able to the foundation of a clause that of lines in reference and denotation symbols, since many indexical expressions by convention. Frege had previous two-step semantic theory There's reference and then the's sense The distinction is primarly motivated by many fact that 'ab' can be informative. One kind is semantics and reference in this explanation would accordingly, which a coin came before our utterances true premises. Intension and extension Definition Example & Facts. Semantic theories are justified by reference to the actual semantic facts that insight are. In judicial branch of linguistics known as pragmatics a presupposition or PSP is its implicit assumption about blue world the background belief relating to a utterance whose plight is toll for granted in discourse Examples of presuppositions include Jane no longer writes fiction Presupposition Jane once wrote fiction. Kaplan Demonstratives An Essay on the Semantics Logic Metaphysics and. Reference versus Denotation In Reference and Definite Descriptions Keith. Analyzing meaning Language Science Press. Proof-theoretic semantics paradoxes and the distinction. In pragmatics the act claim which a speaker or writer uses language to puppet a hearer or reader to identify something is called reference.
    [Show full text]
  • Thesis Final Draft.Pages
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Glasgow Theses Service Bell, Stuart (2016) "Don't Stop": Re-Thinking the Function of Endings in Narrative Television. PhD thesis http://theses.gla.ac.uk/7282/ Copyright and moral rights for this thesis are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the Author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the Author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given. Glasgow Theses Service http://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] “Don’t Stop…” Re-thinking the Function of Endings in Narrative Television Stuart Bell (MA, MLitt) Submitted in fulfilment for the requirements for the degree of Doctor Of Philosophy School of Culture and Creative Arts College of Arts University of Glasgow November 2015 (c) Stuart Bell, November 2015 !1 Abstract “Don’t Stop…” Re-thinking the Function of Endings in Television This thesis argues that the study of narrative television has been limited by an adherence to accepted and commonplace conceptions of endings as derived from literary theory, particularly a preoccupation with the terminus of the text as the ultimate site of cohesion, structure, and meaning. Such common conceptions of endings, this thesis argues, are largely incompatible with the realities of television’s production and reception, and as a result the study of endings in television needs to be re-thought to pay attention to the specificities of the medium.
    [Show full text]
  • What Is a Worldview?), in Van Belle, H
    Cite as: Vidal, C. (2008) Wat is een wereldbeeld? (What is a worldview?), in Van Belle, H. & Van der Veken, J., Editors, Nieuwheid denken. De wetenschappen en het creatieve aspect van de werkelijkheid, in press. Acco, Leuven. What is a worldview? Clément Vidal. Center Leo Aopstel Free University of Brussels Krijgskundestraat 33, 1160 Brussels, Belgium Phone +32-2-640 67 37 | Fax +32-2-6440744 clement.vidal.philosophons.com http://clement.vidal.philosophons.com Abstract: Content: Introduction.....................................................2 The first part of this paper proposes a The worldview agenda....................................2 precise definition of what a worldview is, Leo Apostel ..............................................................2 and why there is a necessity to have one. What is a worldview? ..............................................3 The second part suggests how to Back to the fundamental questions.......................3 construct integrated scientific Examples of different worldviews........................5 worldviews. For this attempts, three Necessity to have a worldview...............................7 Scientific worldviews.......................................8 general scientific approaches are Systems theory as a universal language for proposed: the general systems theory as the science........................................................................8 endeavor for a universal language for Problem-solving approach......................................9 science, a general problem-solving approach
    [Show full text]
  • Frege on Sense and Reference Phil Language
    Ted Sider Frege on Sense and Reference Phil Language Basic idea: phrases (like de nite descriptions) can have different senses even when they have the same reference (or “nominatum”). 1. Sense Now it is plausible to connect with a sign (name, word combination, expression) not only the designated object, which may be called the nom- inatum of the sign, but also the sense (connotation, meaning) of the sign in which is contained the manner and context of presentation… The nominata of ‘evening star’ and ‘morning star’ are the same but not their senses… The sense of a proper name is grasped by everybody who is suf ciently familiar with the language or totality of designations of which the proper name is a part… The regular connection between a sign, its sense and its nominatum is such that there corresponds a de nite sense to the sign and to this sense there corresponds again a de nite nominatum; whereas not one sign only belongs to one nominatum (object). In different languages, and even in one language, the same sense is represented by different expressions. It is true, there are exceptions to this rule. Certainly there should be a de nite sense to each expression in a complete con guration of signs, but the natural languages in many ways fall short of this requirement. We must be satis ed if the same word, at least in the same context, has the same sense. It can perhaps be granted that an expression has a sense if it is formed in a grammatically correct manner and stands for a proper name.
    [Show full text]
  • FIRST PROOF Article Number: LALI: 01404
    Article Number: LALI: 01404 Denotation vs Connotation 1 a0005 Denotation vs Connotation E Rigotti and A Rocci, University of Lugano, Lugano, which has wider currency in contemporary philo- Switzerland sophical and linguistic semantics, while the corre- ß 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. sponding use of ‘‘connotation’’ is nowadays rarer. The precise meaning of all the above terms is highly theory-dependent and varies in subtle but decisive s0005 Introduction ways also within the same broad tradition of logico- p0005 The terminological pair of antonyms ‘‘denotation’’ philosophical semantics. ‘‘Reference’’ and ‘‘denota- and ‘‘connotation’’ has been variously used in philos- tion’’ both concern the relation between linguistic ophy, linguistics, semiotics and stylistics to indicate a expressions and things in the world and are often number of diverse distinctions in the realm of mean- used interchangeably. Some authors (cf. Lyons, 1995 ing, in particular dichotomic distinctions between and Allan, 2001), however, draw a distinction be- what different students have seen as fundamentally tween the two along the following lines: ‘‘denotation’’ different kinds (or aspects) of meaning. Before corresponds to the virtual relationship between a lin- embarking on a review of the diverse technical uses guistic expression and a thing or set of things in the of ‘‘denotation’’ and ‘‘connotation,’’ it is perhaps use- world (e.g. dog denotes the set of entities in the world ful to examine the semantic values suggested by their which are correctly called dog), while ‘‘reference’’ etymology and word formation. The deverbal noun indicates the relationship between an expression and denotatio attested in postclassical Latin, is derived what the speaker is talking about by using this ex- from the compound verb de-noto, ‘to mark out, pression in a given utterance (e.g., the reference of point out, specify, indicate,’ literally indicating the dog in a particular utterance of the sentence the dog physical action of ‘setting a mark (nota) on some- barks).
    [Show full text]
  • 3.5 the Structure of Definitions: Extension and Intension
    M03_COPI1396_13_SE_C03.QXD 10/12/07 11:54 AM Page 96 96 CHAPTER 3 Language and Definitions one’s person—satisfy the meaning of “carry” in that law? Justice Stephen Breyer argued that Congress intended the word in its ordinary, everyday meaning, without the artificial limitation that it be immediately accessible. Quoting Robinson Crusoe and Moby Dick, he pointed to the common use of “carry” to mean “convey in a vehicle.” The mandatory sentence, he con- cluded, is thus properly imposed. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg found Breyer’s literary evidence selective and unpersuasive; in response, she offered quotations from Rudyard Kipling, the TV series M.A.S.H., and President Theodore Roosevelt’s “Speak softly and carry a big stick” to show that “carry” is properly understood in the federal statute to mean “the gun at hand, ready for use as a weapon” [Muscarello v. U.S., U.S. 96-1654 (1998)]. In this controversy, which side puts forward the better precising definition? 3.5 The Structure of Definitions: Extension and Intension A definition states the meaning of a term. When we look closely at the literal (or descriptive) meaning of a term, however, we see that there are different senses in which that term has meaning. With those different senses distinguished (our object just below), we will also see that definitions may be grouped and under- stood not only on the basis of their functions (as in the preceding section), but in view of the way those definitions are built: their structure. We focus on general terms—terms that are applicable to more than one object—which are of critical importance in reasoning.
    [Show full text]
  • Types of Connotative Meaning, and Their Significance for Translation
    This is a repository copy of Types of connotative meaning, and their significance for translation. White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/140563/ Version: Accepted Version Book Section: Dickins, J orcid.org/0000-0003-0665-4825 (2019) Types of connotative meaning, and their significance for translation. In: Faiq, S, (ed.) Discourse in Translation. Routledge , Abingdon, Oxon, UK , pp. 135-162. ISBN 978-1-138-29816-3 © 2019 selection and editorial matter, Said Faiq; individual chapters, the contributors. This is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in Discourse in Translation on 21 November 2018, available online: https://www.routledge.com/9781138298163. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Reuse Items deposited in White Rose Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the White Rose Research Online record for the item. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ Types of connotative meaning, and their significance for translation James Dickins Abstract This chapter defines connotative meaning (connotation) as all meaning which is not denotative meaning (denotation) – this latter involving the overall range of reference, in a particular sense, of an expression.
    [Show full text]