Granularity in the Verbalization of Events and Objects
A cross-linguistic study
Author
The study departs from the observation that in expressing ideas, some languages encode more details than others. It investigates whether languages encode events and/or objects at a coarse-grained (e.g., put, glass) as opposed to a fine-grained (e.g., lay, wine glass) level systematically. The level of detail is termed granularity, which is viewed as a cline from fine-grained (semantic specificity) to coarse-grained meaning (semantic generality). Four languages are investigated: German, English, Greek, and Turkish. The study draws on elicited data from a naming task. The verbalization of events is based on event and object descriptions in selected semantic domains. The results reveal significant granularity effects between languages and language types (satellite-framed vs. verb-framed). The study is relevant for scholars interested in linguistic typology, lexical and semantic typology, contrastive linguistics, event representation, psycholinguistics, and cognitive semantics.
[Studies in Language Companion Series, 233] 2023. xviii, 536 pp.
Publishing status: Available
© John Benjamins
Table of Contents
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Preface | pp. xvii–xviii
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Chapter 1. Introduction | pp. 1–18
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Chapter 2. Theoretical background: Basic assumptions and key concepts | pp. 19–85
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Chapter 3. Data collection
and methodological decisions | pp. 86–107 -
Chapter 4. Events of putting and taking | pp. 108–148
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Chapter 5. Events of dressing and undressing | pp. 149–178
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Chapter 6. Events of eating and drinking | pp. 179–201
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Chapter 7. Events of cutting and breaking | pp. 202–224
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Chapter 8. Events of hitting and kicking | pp. 225–245
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Chapter 9. Events of opening and closing | pp. 246–276
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Chapter 10. Events of washing | pp. 277–293
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Chapter 11. Motion events: Terrestrial motion | pp. 294–314
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Chapter 12. Aqua motion | pp. 315–332
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Chapter 13. Drinking vessels | pp. 333–352
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Chapter 14. Sitting objects | pp. 353–371
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Chapter 15. Clothing items | pp. 372–393
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Chapter 16. Theoretical discussion | pp. 394–440
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Chapter 17. Conclusion and outlook | pp. 441–445
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References | pp. 447–460
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Appendix. Etic grids and stimuli | pp. 461–529
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Index | pp. 531–536
Subjects
Main BIC Subject
CFK: Grammar, syntax
Main BISAC Subject
LAN009060: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / Syntax