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Chapter 11. Words also exist in a world

On the pattern ‘X’ does not exist; it’s called ‘Y’
  • Bert Cappelle
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Existential Constructions across Languages
This chapter is in the book Existential Constructions across Languages

Abstract

Clause sequences of the type ‘X’ does not exist – its correct name is ‘Y’ use descriptive negation in the first clause but also have something literally contradictory about them that is reminiscent of metalinguistic negation. I argue that the negative existential in such clause sequences exhibits a use-mention mix without blending descriptive and metalinguistic negation. The apparent contradiction can be resolved by acknowledging that words are not abstract labels lacking any substantial existence but also have a concrete reality in a ‘world of words’. Speakers often use the clause sequence studied here as a rhetorical device to point out that other speakers, for whom a word has currency, have a flawed view of the non-linguistic world.

Abstract

Clause sequences of the type ‘X’ does not exist – its correct name is ‘Y’ use descriptive negation in the first clause but also have something literally contradictory about them that is reminiscent of metalinguistic negation. I argue that the negative existential in such clause sequences exhibits a use-mention mix without blending descriptive and metalinguistic negation. The apparent contradiction can be resolved by acknowledging that words are not abstract labels lacking any substantial existence but also have a concrete reality in a ‘world of words’. Speakers often use the clause sequence studied here as a rhetorical device to point out that other speakers, for whom a word has currency, have a flawed view of the non-linguistic world.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Funding vii
  4. Contributors ix
  5. Chapter 1. Existential constructions 1
  6. Part I. Existence and related constructions
  7. Chapter 2. Existential predication and have-possessive constructions in the languages of the world 34
  8. Chapter 3. Impersonal existence in the weather domain 68
  9. Part II. Existence and information structure
  10. Chapter 4. Pure existentials vs. pure presentationals 102
  11. Chapter 5. Presentational clefts, existentials and information structure 139
  12. Chapter 6. On a continuum from categorical to thetic judgment 180
  13. Part III. Existence and quantification
  14. Chapter 7. The Finnish existential clause 220
  15. Chapter 8. Partition and existence 245
  16. Part IV. Existence and negation
  17. Chapter 9. Is the French verb manquer ‘lack, miss’ a negative existential predicate? 284
  18. Chapter 10. ‘To be’ and its negation in Latvian 301
  19. Chapter 11. Words also exist in a world 325
  20. Index 347
  21. Language index 352
https://doi.org/10.1075/hcp.76.11cap

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Funding vii
  4. Contributors ix
  5. Chapter 1. Existential constructions 1
  6. Part I. Existence and related constructions
  7. Chapter 2. Existential predication and have-possessive constructions in the languages of the world 34
  8. Chapter 3. Impersonal existence in the weather domain 68
  9. Part II. Existence and information structure
  10. Chapter 4. Pure existentials vs. pure presentationals 102
  11. Chapter 5. Presentational clefts, existentials and information structure 139
  12. Chapter 6. On a continuum from categorical to thetic judgment 180
  13. Part III. Existence and quantification
  14. Chapter 7. The Finnish existential clause 220
  15. Chapter 8. Partition and existence 245
  16. Part IV. Existence and negation
  17. Chapter 9. Is the French verb manquer ‘lack, miss’ a negative existential predicate? 284
  18. Chapter 10. ‘To be’ and its negation in Latvian 301
  19. Chapter 11. Words also exist in a world 325
  20. Index 347
  21. Language index 352
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