Grammar as an adaptive evolutionary product
-
T. Givón
Abstract
The functional correlates of grammatical constructions can be given heuristically as (i) “the discourse context within which the grammatical construction is used”. They can also be given as the more cognitive-sounding (ii) “the communicative intent of the speaker using the construction”. In this paper I will suggest that the cognitive-sounding definition (ii) above needs to be specified more precisely in cognitive terms, bringing it in line with more up-to-date work in cognitive neuro-science. More specifically, I will suggest that in using grammar, speakers create mental models of the knowledge (epistemic) and intention (deontic) states of their interlocutors, in a way already implicit in H. P. Grice’s work. These models are created rapidly, on-line, automatically and with high specificity of the ever-shifting communicative context. The traditional pragmatic notions of “communicative context” (i) and “communicative intent” (ii) may thus be expressed more precisely in terms of so-called “Theories of Mind”, i.e. the mental models socially-cooperative organisms build of the presumed mental states of their cooperating interlocutors.
Abstract
The functional correlates of grammatical constructions can be given heuristically as (i) “the discourse context within which the grammatical construction is used”. They can also be given as the more cognitive-sounding (ii) “the communicative intent of the speaker using the construction”. In this paper I will suggest that the cognitive-sounding definition (ii) above needs to be specified more precisely in cognitive terms, bringing it in line with more up-to-date work in cognitive neuro-science. More specifically, I will suggest that in using grammar, speakers create mental models of the knowledge (epistemic) and intention (deontic) states of their interlocutors, in a way already implicit in H. P. Grice’s work. These models are created rapidly, on-line, automatically and with high specificity of the ever-shifting communicative context. The traditional pragmatic notions of “communicative context” (i) and “communicative intent” (ii) may thus be expressed more precisely in terms of so-called “Theories of Mind”, i.e. the mental models socially-cooperative organisms build of the presumed mental states of their cooperating interlocutors.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors ix
- Editorial introduction xvii
- Publications of Angela Downing xxvii
- Grammar as an adaptive evolutionary product 1
- Towards a cognitive-functional model of text comprehension 41
- Towards an integrational approach in linguistics 81
- Expressing past habit in English and Swedish 97
- Do cognate and circumstantial complements of intransitive verbs form one ‘Range’? 129
- The unconscious, irresponsible construction in Modern Icelandic 149
- Modelling ‘selection’ between referents in the English nominal group 165
- Problems in NP structure 205
- Double-possessive nominalizations in English 217
- Pragmatics, word order and cross-reference 233
- Patterns of multiple theme and their role in developing English writing skills 257
- Interactive solution-problems 279
- The English Contrastive Discourse Marker instead 301
- Global and local attention in task-oriented conversation 313
- Metadiscursive and interpersonal values of pronominal topics in spoken Spanish 327
- Phatic communion and small talk in fictional dialogues 349
- Mister so-called X 359
- ‘Sorry to muddy the waters’ 395
- The discourse functionality of adjectival and adverbial epistemic expressions 419
- Modality across World Englishes 447
- Name index 469
- Subject index 473
- Language index 481
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors ix
- Editorial introduction xvii
- Publications of Angela Downing xxvii
- Grammar as an adaptive evolutionary product 1
- Towards a cognitive-functional model of text comprehension 41
- Towards an integrational approach in linguistics 81
- Expressing past habit in English and Swedish 97
- Do cognate and circumstantial complements of intransitive verbs form one ‘Range’? 129
- The unconscious, irresponsible construction in Modern Icelandic 149
- Modelling ‘selection’ between referents in the English nominal group 165
- Problems in NP structure 205
- Double-possessive nominalizations in English 217
- Pragmatics, word order and cross-reference 233
- Patterns of multiple theme and their role in developing English writing skills 257
- Interactive solution-problems 279
- The English Contrastive Discourse Marker instead 301
- Global and local attention in task-oriented conversation 313
- Metadiscursive and interpersonal values of pronominal topics in spoken Spanish 327
- Phatic communion and small talk in fictional dialogues 349
- Mister so-called X 359
- ‘Sorry to muddy the waters’ 395
- The discourse functionality of adjectival and adverbial epistemic expressions 419
- Modality across World Englishes 447
- Name index 469
- Subject index 473
- Language index 481
