Invocation or apostrophe?
-
William FitzGerald
Abstract
We investigate how idioms of prayer operate along a complex set of rhetorical dimensions, all of which take the conversation frame as a starting point. We present results of a search of idioms from the UCLA NewsScape archive. After distinguishing invocationary acts of the divine from the more “fossilized” apostrophic (i.e. fictive) reference to the divine, we propose a four-dimensional model of prayer. Each dimension is an axis bounded by two poles: factive/ fictive, pathos, ethos, and attitude. Instances of prayer often manifest alignments and misalignments along one or more of these axes.
Abstract
We investigate how idioms of prayer operate along a complex set of rhetorical dimensions, all of which take the conversation frame as a starting point. We present results of a search of idioms from the UCLA NewsScape archive. After distinguishing invocationary acts of the divine from the more “fossilized” apostrophic (i.e. fictive) reference to the divine, we propose a four-dimensional model of prayer. Each dimension is an axis bounded by two poles: factive/ fictive, pathos, ethos, and attitude. Instances of prayer often manifest alignments and misalignments along one or more of these axes.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors ix
- Acknowledgements xi
-
Part I. Introduction
- Fictive interaction and the conversation frame 3
- Fictive interaction and the nature of linguistic meaning 23
-
Part II. Fictive interaction as cognitive reality
- Generic integration templates for fictive communication 45
- Real, imaginary, or fictive? 63
- Silent abstractions versus “ Look at me ” drawings 87
-
Part III. Fictive interaction as discourse structure
- Persuading and arguing with the reader 113
- Invocation or apostrophe? 131
- On discourse-motivated “sorries” 151
-
Part IV. Fictive interaction as linguistic construction
- What about? 171
- Fictive questions in conditionals? 193
- Intonation of fictive vs. actual direct speech in a Brazilian Portuguese corpus 215
- Polish nominal construction involving fictive interaction 235
- Evidential fictive interaction (in Ungarinyin and Russian) 255
- Recursive inflection and grammaticalized fictive interaction in the southwestern Amazon 277
-
Part V. Fictive interaction as communicative strategy
- “Say hello to this ad” 303
- The use of interactive structures as communicative strategy in Dutch and Portuguese aphasic speakers 323
- Echolalia as communicative strategy 343
- About the contributors 363
- Author index 369
- Language index 375
- Subject index 377
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors ix
- Acknowledgements xi
-
Part I. Introduction
- Fictive interaction and the conversation frame 3
- Fictive interaction and the nature of linguistic meaning 23
-
Part II. Fictive interaction as cognitive reality
- Generic integration templates for fictive communication 45
- Real, imaginary, or fictive? 63
- Silent abstractions versus “ Look at me ” drawings 87
-
Part III. Fictive interaction as discourse structure
- Persuading and arguing with the reader 113
- Invocation or apostrophe? 131
- On discourse-motivated “sorries” 151
-
Part IV. Fictive interaction as linguistic construction
- What about? 171
- Fictive questions in conditionals? 193
- Intonation of fictive vs. actual direct speech in a Brazilian Portuguese corpus 215
- Polish nominal construction involving fictive interaction 235
- Evidential fictive interaction (in Ungarinyin and Russian) 255
- Recursive inflection and grammaticalized fictive interaction in the southwestern Amazon 277
-
Part V. Fictive interaction as communicative strategy
- “Say hello to this ad” 303
- The use of interactive structures as communicative strategy in Dutch and Portuguese aphasic speakers 323
- Echolalia as communicative strategy 343
- About the contributors 363
- Author index 369
- Language index 375
- Subject index 377
