The proverbial discourse tradition in the history of English
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Claudia Lückert
Abstract
The present contribution sheds light on the mental representation of proverbs in relation to the norms and conventions of discourse traditions (cf. Koch, 1997; Oesterreicher, 1997). While the proverbial tradition is seen as a very important discourse tradition of medieval England (for example Schaefer, 1992; Shippey, 1994; Aurich, 2012a), it is widely acknowledged that it is no longer as influential in modern times. The article introduces a new model of mental representation (“dual layer storage model of proverb representation”) which is a modified version of the “superlemma model of idiom representation” (Sprenger et al., 2006). This new model incorporates a facilitation process in line with the usage-based view (e.g. Bybee, 2013). The article argues that the particular norms and conventions of discourse traditions in the history of English which are connected with the proverbial tradition have an effect on the strength of the representation of proverbs in the mind.
Abstract
The present contribution sheds light on the mental representation of proverbs in relation to the norms and conventions of discourse traditions (cf. Koch, 1997; Oesterreicher, 1997). While the proverbial tradition is seen as a very important discourse tradition of medieval England (for example Schaefer, 1992; Shippey, 1994; Aurich, 2012a), it is widely acknowledged that it is no longer as influential in modern times. The article introduces a new model of mental representation (“dual layer storage model of proverb representation”) which is a modified version of the “superlemma model of idiom representation” (Sprenger et al., 2006). This new model incorporates a facilitation process in line with the usage-based view (e.g. Bybee, 2013). The article argues that the particular norms and conventions of discourse traditions in the history of English which are connected with the proverbial tradition have an effect on the strength of the representation of proverbs in the mind.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Linguistic norms and conventions 1
- Usage guides and the Age of Prescriptivism 1
- “Splendidly prejudiced” 29
- Paradigm shifts in 19th-century British grammar writing 49
- Promotional conventions on English title-pages up to 1550 73
- What can we learn from constructed speech errors? 99
- The proverbial discourse tradition in the history of English 129
- Testing a stylometric tool in the study of Middle English documentary texts 149
- Pragmatic and formulaic uses of shall and will in Older Scots and Early Modern English official letter writing 167
- Studying dialect spelling in its own right 191
- Index 213
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Linguistic norms and conventions 1
- Usage guides and the Age of Prescriptivism 1
- “Splendidly prejudiced” 29
- Paradigm shifts in 19th-century British grammar writing 49
- Promotional conventions on English title-pages up to 1550 73
- What can we learn from constructed speech errors? 99
- The proverbial discourse tradition in the history of English 129
- Testing a stylometric tool in the study of Middle English documentary texts 149
- Pragmatic and formulaic uses of shall and will in Older Scots and Early Modern English official letter writing 167
- Studying dialect spelling in its own right 191
- Index 213
