Grammar-internal mimicking and analogy
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C. Jac Conradie
Abstract
Mimicking is a form of imitation according to which a construction or part-construction is inserted in its most typical or recognisable form in a morphological or syntactic context without regard to its proper grammatical integration. The purpose of mimicking rather than adapting a structure is inter alia to maintain or enhance the expressivity of the construction for reasons of economy. A mimicked structure is typically recognisable by a grammatical ‘clash’ or incongruity with its context. Three types of mimicking will be distinguished and analysed. As mimicking and analogy share imitation as a typical trait, the two processes are compared extensively. The types of analogy selected for purposes of comparison, are proportional analogy and paradigm levelling as the ‘canonical’ types of analogy, and extension and blending as two ‘peripheral’ types. The main conclusion arrived at is that mimicking and analogy in its canonical form are two distinct processes, but that a certain measure of overlap is found between mimicking, extension and blending.
Abstract
Mimicking is a form of imitation according to which a construction or part-construction is inserted in its most typical or recognisable form in a morphological or syntactic context without regard to its proper grammatical integration. The purpose of mimicking rather than adapting a structure is inter alia to maintain or enhance the expressivity of the construction for reasons of economy. A mimicked structure is typically recognisable by a grammatical ‘clash’ or incongruity with its context. Three types of mimicking will be distinguished and analysed. As mimicking and analogy share imitation as a typical trait, the two processes are compared extensively. The types of analogy selected for purposes of comparison, are proportional analogy and paradigm levelling as the ‘canonical’ types of analogy, and extension and blending as two ‘peripheral’ types. The main conclusion arrived at is that mimicking and analogy in its canonical form are two distinct processes, but that a certain measure of overlap is found between mimicking, extension and blending.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors ix
- Introduction 1
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Part I. Iconicity and conceptualization
- Iconicity by blending 13
- The Bashō code 25
- Iconicity in gotoochi-kitii ‘localized Hello Kitty’ 43
- Grammar-internal mimicking and analogy 63
- To draw a bow 引 83
- Spatiotemporal aspects of iconicity 95
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Part II. Visual iconicity
- From diagrams to poetry 121
- The iconized letter 141
- The semantics of structure 159
- Visual iconicity in Latin poetry 173
- Shared and direct experiential iconicity in digital reading games 191
- Iconicity, intermediality, and interpersonal meanings in a Social Semiotic Space 211
- Model and icon 233
- Degrees of indetermination in intersemiotic translation 247
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Part III. Auditory iconicity
- Sound, image and fake realism 263
- Opera, oratorio, and iconic strategies 275
- On some iconic strategies in concept albums within the Italian singer-songwriter tradition 295
- Iconically expressible meanings in Proto-Indo-European roots and their reflexes in daughter branches 311
- The lexical iconicity hierarchy and its grammatical correlates 331
- Author index 351
- Subject index 355
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors ix
- Introduction 1
-
Part I. Iconicity and conceptualization
- Iconicity by blending 13
- The Bashō code 25
- Iconicity in gotoochi-kitii ‘localized Hello Kitty’ 43
- Grammar-internal mimicking and analogy 63
- To draw a bow 引 83
- Spatiotemporal aspects of iconicity 95
-
Part II. Visual iconicity
- From diagrams to poetry 121
- The iconized letter 141
- The semantics of structure 159
- Visual iconicity in Latin poetry 173
- Shared and direct experiential iconicity in digital reading games 191
- Iconicity, intermediality, and interpersonal meanings in a Social Semiotic Space 211
- Model and icon 233
- Degrees of indetermination in intersemiotic translation 247
-
Part III. Auditory iconicity
- Sound, image and fake realism 263
- Opera, oratorio, and iconic strategies 275
- On some iconic strategies in concept albums within the Italian singer-songwriter tradition 295
- Iconically expressible meanings in Proto-Indo-European roots and their reflexes in daughter branches 311
- The lexical iconicity hierarchy and its grammatical correlates 331
- Author index 351
- Subject index 355
