Metalinguistic Expressions Research Articles

Ku wstępnej typologii ironicznych wyrazów metajęzykowych (na podstawie języka rosyjskiego i polskiego)

The paper is an attempt to determine the features of an ironical metalinguistic (reflexive) expressions that could be used as a criteria for these expressions typology and to present the draft of such typology. Relevant features of units studied here are provided by results of semantic, pragmatic and discourse analysis of some examples. It is shown that basic criteria include the identity of reflexive comment sender, the relations between communicative agents and the type of contradiction between the metalinguistic expression and the context (generally the utterance commented by an ironist).

Beyond sarcasm: The metalanguage and structures of mock politeness

This paper aims to cast light on the somewhat neglected area of mock politeness. The principle objectives are to describe the ways that mock politeness is talked about and performed. In order to investigate such usage, I analyse data from informal, naturally occurring conversations in a UK-based online forum. The paper introduces a range of metalinguistic expressions which are used to refer to mock polite behaviours in lay interactions and describes the different structures of mock polite behaviours. The analysis shows that both metalanguage and structure are more diverse than anticipated by previous research and, as a result, the paper argues against equating mock politeness with sarcasm and calls for further research into mock politeness as an important strategy of impoliteness.

Blockage Revision

Blockage revision is a version of descriptor revision, i.e. belief change in which a belief set K is changed with inputs whose success conditions are metalinguistic expressions containing the belief predicate $$\mathfrak {B}$$B. This is a highly general framework that allows a single revision operator $$\circ $$? to take inputs corresponding to sentential revision ($$K\circ \mathfrak {B}p$$K?Bp), contraction ($$K\circ \lnot \mathfrak {B}p$$K??Bp) as well as more complex and composite operations. In blockage revision, such an operation is based on a relation $$\rightharpoondown $$? of blockage among the set of potential outcomes. $$X\rightharpoondown Y$$X?Y signifies that if X satisfies the success condition of a belief change, then Y cannot be its outcome. The properties of blockage revision are investigated, and conditions on the blocking relation are specified that characterize various properties of the resulting operation of change.

L’emploi d’expressions métalangagières : phénomènes de saillance et travail interprétatif

This paper examines the phenomena of textual salience as well as the interpretative mechanisms linked to the use of metalinguistic expressions. It focuses on the expressions “so to speak”, “I almost said X” and “what we might call X”.Since these expressions both show a reflexive approach to one’s own discourse and point up the textual element which is targeted, they can lead the addressee to understand the targeted element as salient. The syntactic and semantic properties of the metalinguistic expressions are examined in this paper, as they explain the position of the salient element (knowing that this position depends on the metalinguistic expression used). These properties also account for the interpretation of the salient element.The purpose of this study is to determine the nature of the salience achieved and to understand the enunciative operations as well as the cognitive mechanisms involved. The study is carried out in the framework of the Theory of Enunciative Operations and includes considerations borrowed from usage-based Cognitive Linguistics.

Reflexive Expressions as Discourse Strategies in Teachers' Talk to Children with Developmental Language Disorders in Language-based Kindergartens

The purpose of this study is to examine teachers’ reflexive expressions (REs) referring to what has been said or about to be said by the child, and directed at Typically Developing (TD) preschool and kindergarten children and at children with Developmental Language Disorders (DLD) who attend language-based kindergartens. Specific aims included (a) identifying the use of REs in teachers’ talk during circle-time meetings (in language-based kindergartens, and regular preschool or kindergarten); (b) characterizing the REs based on their form and function; and (c) identifying the similarities and differences between REs directed toward TD children and those directed toward children with DLD. Thirty-one circle-time sessions were recorded: ten at preschools for TD children, ten at kindergartens for TD children, and 11 at language-based kindergartens. Verbal interactions were transcribed and analyzed, using the Child Language Data Exchange System (CHILDES), and coded for categories of REs. Six major categories of REs were identified, with some categories emerging more frequently than others. Two categories differentiated teachers’ talk to TD children from those directed to children with DLD – metalinguistic expressions and requests for reported speech. These findings highlight the idea that in order to meet children’s needs, teachers should be aware of the important role that interactional strategies play in scaffolding language development. Analyzing REs provides an opportunity to reflect on teachers’ instructive assumptions about how to support linguistic and conversational skills of children with DLD.

Meta-linguistic axioms as a foundation for computing with words

Meta-linguistic axioms are proposed in analogy to the axioms of classical theory as a foundation for Computing With Words. Consequences of these meta-linguistic expressions are explored in the light of Interval-valued Type-2 Fuzzy Sets. The mapping of meta-linguistic axioms to Fuzzy Disjunctive and Conjunctive Canonical forms generate two set theoretic axioms for each meta-linguistic axiom that is composed of two elements such as commutativity and four set theoretic axioms for each meta-linguistic axiom that is composed of three elements such as associativity as opposed to one axiom that is generated in the classical theory. The set theoretic axioms double or quadruple because the basic equivalences of the classical theory break down in fuzzy theory. In this setting, we become aware that first, these new axioms hold as a matter of degree, and secondly there is an upper and lower limit with which they hold as a matter of degree.

Radical quotation and real repetition

AbstractIn this essay I argue for a constructivist account of the entities composing the object languages of Davidsonian truth theories and a quotational account of the reference from metalinguistic expressions to interpreted utterances. I claim that ‘radical quotation’ requires an ontology of repeatable events with strong similarities to Derrida's account of iterable events. In part one I summarise Davidson's account of interpretation and Olav Gjelsivk's arguments to the effect that the syntactic individuation of linguistic objects is only workable if interpreters make richer assumptions about semantic properties than Davidson can tolerate. In part two I show that the objectivist account of syntactic objects which Gjelsivk's arguments presuppose is incompatible with one corollary of Davidsonian semantic indeterminacy: namely, the relativity of language to interpretative scheme. In place of this an account of radical interpretation is presented in which a quotational theory of metalinguistic reference furnishes the requisite relativity. In part three I argue that this account requires that particular utterance events must be repeatable to be radically quotable and give reasons why particularity and repeatability are not incompatible.