2Nd Proofs Studies in Corpus Linguistics (SCL) Colouring Meaning
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Colouring Meaning 2nd proofs Studies in Corpus Linguistics (SCL) Colouring Meaning SCL focuses on the use of corpora throughout language study, the development Collocation and connotation in figurative language of a quantitative approach to linguistics, the design and use of new tools for processing language texts, and the theoretical implications of a data-rich discipline. Gill Philip General Editor Consulting Editor University of Bologna Elena Tognini-Bonelli Wolfgang Teubert The Tuscan Word Centre/ University of Birmingham The University of Siena Advisory Board Michael Barlow Graeme Kennedy University of Auckland Victoria University of Wellington Douglas Biber Geoffrey N. Leech Northern Arizona University University of Lancaster Marina Bondi Anna Mauranen University of Modena and Reggio Emilia University of Helsinki Christopher S. Butler Ute Römer University of Wales, Swansea University of Michigan Sylviane Granger Michaela Mahlberg University of Louvain University of Nottingham M.A.K. Halliday Jan Svartvik University of Sydney University of Lund Susan Hunston John M. Swales University of Birmingham University of Michigan Stig Johansson Yang Huizhong University of Oslo Jiao Tong University, Shanghai Volume 43 Colouring Meaning. Collocation and connotation in figurative language John Benjamins Publishing Company by Gill Philip Amsterdam / Philadelphia 2nd proofs TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of 8 American National Standard for Information Sciences – Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1984. For mum and dad Cover design: Françoise Berserik Cover illustration from original painting Random Order by Lorenzo Pezzatini, Florence, 1996. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Philip, Gill. Colouring meaning : collocation and connotation in figurative language / Gill Philip. p. cm. (Studies in Corpus Linguistics, issn 1388-0373 ; v. 43) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Phraseology. 2. Semantics. I. Title. P326.5.P45P465 2011 401’.43--dc22 2010048689 isbn 978 90 272 2319 7 (Hb ; alk. paper) isbn 978 90 272 8723 6 (Eb) © 2011 – John Benjamins B.V. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, or any other means, without written permission from the publisher. John Benjamins Publishing Co. · P.O. Box 36224 · 1020 me Amsterdam · The Netherlands John Benjamins North America · P.O. Box 27519 · Philadelphia pa 19118-0519 · usa 2nd proofs Table of contents List of tables and figures xi Acknowledgements xiii chapter 1 A search for meanings 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Meanings and words 2 1.3 Words, collocations, phrases 6 1.4 Meaning in the mind 10 1.5 Meanings in use 11 1.6 Navigating variation 12 chapter 2 Idioms and idiomaticity 15 2.1 What is an idiom? 15 2.1.1 Compositionality and analysability 17 2.1.2 Salience 19 2.1.3 Semantic transparency 21 2.1.4 Truth conditions 22 2.1.5 Dimensions of idiomaticity 23 2.2 Idioms and collocations 24 2.3 A search for meaning(s) in idioms and metaphorical collocations 26 2.3.1 Idioms: Word meaning and beyond 26 2.3.2 Colour words in collocations 29 2.3.3 Colour words in language corpora 32 2.4 Into the wide blue yonder 33 chapter 3 Co(n)text and meaning 35 3.1 The idiom principle 35 3.2 Extended units of meaning 38 2nd proofs viii Colouring Meaning Table of contents ix 3.3 Collocation 39 5.4 Relexicalisation 120 3.3.1 Defining collocation 40 5.4.1 Blue in the face 121 3.3.2 Collocation in the digital age 43 5.4.2 Red tape 124 3.3.3 Idioms as complex collocations 45 5.4.3 Red ink 128 3.4 Grammatical and lexical abstractions 50 5.5 Metaphor and re-metaphorisation 130 3.4.1 Colligation 50 5.6 Semantic preference, variation, and “imageable” idioms 136 3.4.2 Semantic preference 54 5.7 Toeing the line 140 3.5 Secondary semantics 58 3.5.1 The heart of the matter 58 chapter 6 3.5.2 Semantic prosody and related phenomena 59 Variation, metaphor and semantic association 143 3.6 Semantic prosody (i), a.k.a. semantic association 61 6.1 Don’t count your chickens… 143 3.6.1 Idioms and evaluation 61 6.1.1 Variants and corpus data 143 3.6.2 A closer look at connotation 67 6.1.2 Finding variants: The case of the grass is always greener 146 3.6.3 Cultural connotation 72 6.2 Variation of key constituents 148 3.6.4 Metaphor within semantic association 74 6.2.1 Semantic variation 149 3.7 Semantic prosody (ii): Discourse and pragmatic functions 77 6.2.2 Lexical variation 150 3.7.1 Semantic prosody and the context of situation 78 6.3 Variation of hue: Emphatic nuances in the expression of emotion 152 3.7.2 Semantic prosody and idioms 80 6.4 Variation of tone: Ameliorative and pejorative nuances 155 3.8 Idioms and the idiom principle 81 6.5 Variation of saturation: Emphasis and defocusing 157 6.6 Culturally constructed colour scales 160 chapter 4 6.7 Pandora’s box 164 Words in usual collocations: Delexicalisation 83 4.1 Meanings that come out in the wash 83 chapter 7 4.2 From origin to use 86 Punning, word play and other linguistic special effects 167 4.3 Caught red-handed 89 7.1 Optimal innovation 167 4.4 Once in a blue moon 95 7.2 Changes to the canonical form 169 4.5 Passando la notte in bianco 101 7.2.1 Translation 169 4.6 Salient meaning, phraseology and delexicalisation 105 7.2.2 Variation exploiting rhyme and assonance 172 4.7 Out of the frying pan… 106 7.3 Expansion, addition and combination 175 7.4 Canonical forms in non-canonical cotext 178 chapter 5 7.5 More on seeing red/blue/green… 180 Phrases in context: Relexicalisation 109 7.5.1 Juxtaposition, delexicalisation and salience 181 5.1 Variation inside the unit of meaning 109 7.5.2 Implicit meaning 183 5.2 Colligational preference and modification 110 7.5.3 Ringing the changes: Variation inside and out 186 5.2.1 White elephant 111 7.6 The grass is always greener… 188 5.2.2 Brown-nose 114 7.7 The effects of variation 195 5.2.3 Colligational tendencies and their exceptions 116 5.3 Semantic preference and re-metaphorisation 118 2nd proofs x Colouring Meaning chapter 8 Words and meanings 197 8.1 A few words about meaning 197 8.2 Meaning what you say vs. saying what you mean 198 List of tables and figures 8.3 Meanings in words 199 8.4 Famous last words 209 References 211 Table 1.1 Collocation profile for black and white Appendix 221 Table 1.2 Collocation profile for in black and white Index 225 Table 3.1 Collocation plot for the pot calling the kettle black Table 3.2 Collocation plot for con le mani nel sacco Table 3.3 Top 20 collocates of wedding by t-score and MI Table 3.4 Collocates of al settimo at node +1 Table 3.5 Associative connotations by type Table 4.1 Caught… and contexts of situation Table 5.1 Complete listing of POS variations found in data Table 5.2 Semantic preference for blue in the face Table 5.3a Semantic preferences for red tape (i) nouns Table 5.3b Semantic preferences for red tape (ii) verbs Table 5.4 Semantic preferences for bleed red ink Table 5.5 Semantic preference in red rag to a bull Table 6.1 Search strings for locating variant forms of the grass is always greener Table 6.2 The colours of anger in Italian and English Table 7.1 Variation exploiting rhyme or assonance Table 8.1a Unit of meaning: light relief Table 8.1b Context of situation: light relief Table 8.2a Unit of meaning: grasp the nettle Table 8.2b Context of situation: grasp the nettle Table 8.3 Conceptual schema: hammer Table 8.4a Unit of meaning: crying over spilt milk Table 8.4b Context of situation: crying over spilt milk Table 8.5a Unit of meaning: cat among the pigeons Table 8.5b Context of situation: cat among the pigeons Table 8.6a Unit of meaning: on the horizon Table 8.6b Context of situation: [significant other] on the horizon Table 8.7a Unit of meaning: lesser of two evils 2nd proofs xii Colouring Meaning Table 8.7b Context of situation: lesser of two evils Table A1. Black Table A2. White Acknowledgements Table A3. Red Table A4. Green Table A5. Yellow Table A6. Blue Several people have played an instrumental role in the creation of this book. Table A7. Grey In the first place, that it came to be written at all is thanks to Encarnacion Table A8. Pink Hidalgo Tenorio, who prodded me into writing up a monograph on my “hobby- Table A9. Purple horse” topic of colour words and connotation. Hopefully in the pages and chap- Table A10. Brown ters to come, it will become apparent it is in fact a very serious topic as well as Table A11. Orange being an excellent vehicle for delving into the mysterious relationship between meaning in the mind and meaning in use. Figure 3.1 Completed collocational framework The ideas developed here, as well as having been heavily influenced by J. R. Figure 3.2 The semi-prepackaged phrase the faintest idea Firth and John Sinclair’s writings, owe much to Bill Louw’s studies into colloca- Figure 3.3 Progressive distillation of the pot calling the kettle black tion, contexts of situation, and their relationship to special effects in text.