Does Searle’s challenge affect chances for approximating assertion and quotative modal wollen ?
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Hans-Martin Gärtner
Abstract
The possibility of reporting on overheard monologic or ‘secret’ language use by means of the German quotative modal wollen shows that a ‘volitional-epistemic’ analysis of the latter is problematic. This finding allows making a further distinction between Searle’s and Zaefferer’s analyses of assertion, indicating that only the former, based solely on speaker commitment, would be able to properly approximate assertion and quotative wollen. However, embeddability of wollen under negation casts doubt on the desirability of such an approximation. Keywords: assertion; commitment; embedding; quotative evidentials; volition
Abstract
The possibility of reporting on overheard monologic or ‘secret’ language use by means of the German quotative modal wollen shows that a ‘volitional-epistemic’ analysis of the latter is problematic. This finding allows making a further distinction between Searle’s and Zaefferer’s analyses of assertion, indicating that only the former, based solely on speaker commitment, would be able to properly approximate assertion and quotative wollen. However, embeddability of wollen under negation casts doubt on the desirability of such an approximation. Keywords: assertion; commitment; embedding; quotative evidentials; volition
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- List of contributors ix
- Preface xi
- Practical theories and empirical practice – facets of a complex interaction 1
-
Part I. Empirical practice
- The embodiment of linguistic meaning 35
- Infants’ encoding of social interaction as a conceptual foundation for the acquisition of argument structure 55
- Referring to colour and taste in Kilivila 71
- Yucatec demonstratives in interaction 99
- Many languages, one knowledge base 129
-
Part II. Practical theories
- Nen assentives and the phenomenon of dialogic parallelisms 159
- Evidentiality, modality, focus and other puzzles 185
- Does Searle’s challenge affect chances for approximating assertion and quotative modal wollen ? 245
- The pragmatics of argumentation 257
- Implicature of complex sentences in error models 273
- The semantics of functional spaces 307
- Language index 325
- Name index 327
- Subject index 333
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- List of contributors ix
- Preface xi
- Practical theories and empirical practice – facets of a complex interaction 1
-
Part I. Empirical practice
- The embodiment of linguistic meaning 35
- Infants’ encoding of social interaction as a conceptual foundation for the acquisition of argument structure 55
- Referring to colour and taste in Kilivila 71
- Yucatec demonstratives in interaction 99
- Many languages, one knowledge base 129
-
Part II. Practical theories
- Nen assentives and the phenomenon of dialogic parallelisms 159
- Evidentiality, modality, focus and other puzzles 185
- Does Searle’s challenge affect chances for approximating assertion and quotative modal wollen ? 245
- The pragmatics of argumentation 257
- Implicature of complex sentences in error models 273
- The semantics of functional spaces 307
- Language index 325
- Name index 327
- Subject index 333
