The syntax of temperature predications
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Regina Pustet✝
Abstract
The syntactic structures encountered in clauses containing temperature concepts tend to differ from the ones employed in standard intransitive clause types. These constructions are remarkable not only because of their unusual internal makeup, but also because of the great variety in syntactic patterns they exhibit. However, despite the considerable variety in the structure of temperature clauses, identical or near-identical temperature constructions recur in languages around the world with amazing regularity. The present study seeks to explore the reasons for the variety in the structure of temperature predications, as well as the reasons for the frequent recurrence of similar or identical construction types at the cross-linguistic level. The conclusion drawn from the available data is that both phenomena are due to cognitive principles, which allow varying construals of temperature events, but which, because of the universality of these principles, also limit the conceptualization of temperature events to a specific set of possible construals.
Abstract
The syntactic structures encountered in clauses containing temperature concepts tend to differ from the ones employed in standard intransitive clause types. These constructions are remarkable not only because of their unusual internal makeup, but also because of the great variety in syntactic patterns they exhibit. However, despite the considerable variety in the structure of temperature clauses, identical or near-identical temperature constructions recur in languages around the world with amazing regularity. The present study seeks to explore the reasons for the variety in the structure of temperature predications, as well as the reasons for the frequent recurrence of similar or identical construction types at the cross-linguistic level. The conclusion drawn from the available data is that both phenomena are due to cognitive principles, which allow varying construals of temperature events, but which, because of the universality of these principles, also limit the conceptualization of temperature events to a specific set of possible construals.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of Maps viii
- Acknowledgements x
- Introducing “The linguistics of temperature” 1
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PART 1. Africa
- “Hard sun, hot weather, skin pain” 43
- The semantics and metaphorical extensions of temperature terms in Gurenɛ 73
- Unravelling temperature terms in Sɛlɛɛ 107
- Lexicalisation of temperature concepts in Gbaya (an Ubanguian language of C.A.R.) 128
- Climate, temperature and polysemous patterns in French and Wolof 151
- Temperature terms in selected African languages 187
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PART 2. Eurasia
- Adjectives of temperature in Latvian 216
- What’s hot and what’s not in English and Serbian 254
- In the warmth of the Ukrainian temperature domain 300
- Asymmetries in Italian temperature terminology 333
- Temperature terms in Modern Greek 354
- Temperature terms in Modern Eastern Armenian 392
- Facts, feelings and temperature expressions in the Hindukush 440
- Blowing hot, hotter, and hotter yet 471
- Temperature adjectives in Finnish 491
- Temperature terms in Nganasan 537
- Temperature terms in Khalkha Mongolian 570
- Temperature terms in Lao, Southern Zhuang, Southern Pinghua and Cantonese 594
- Subdomains of temperature concepts in Japanese 639
- Why is it not cool? Temperature terms in Indonesian 666
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PART 3. The Americas
- Temperature domain in West Greenlandic 703
- “There is no thermostat in the forest” – the Ojibwe temperature term system 721
- Temperature terms and their meaning in Yucatec Maya (Mexico) 742
- Temperature terms in Mapudungun 776
- Temperature terms in Hup, a Nadahup language of Amazonia 792
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PART 4. Australia and Oceania
- Bardi temperature terms 815
- Temperature terms in northern Vanuatu 832
- Temperature terms in Kamang and Abui, two Papuan languages of Alor 858
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PART 5. Typology
- The syntax of temperature predications 889
- Subject Index 917
- Language Index 929
- Name Index 931
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of Maps viii
- Acknowledgements x
- Introducing “The linguistics of temperature” 1
-
PART 1. Africa
- “Hard sun, hot weather, skin pain” 43
- The semantics and metaphorical extensions of temperature terms in Gurenɛ 73
- Unravelling temperature terms in Sɛlɛɛ 107
- Lexicalisation of temperature concepts in Gbaya (an Ubanguian language of C.A.R.) 128
- Climate, temperature and polysemous patterns in French and Wolof 151
- Temperature terms in selected African languages 187
-
PART 2. Eurasia
- Adjectives of temperature in Latvian 216
- What’s hot and what’s not in English and Serbian 254
- In the warmth of the Ukrainian temperature domain 300
- Asymmetries in Italian temperature terminology 333
- Temperature terms in Modern Greek 354
- Temperature terms in Modern Eastern Armenian 392
- Facts, feelings and temperature expressions in the Hindukush 440
- Blowing hot, hotter, and hotter yet 471
- Temperature adjectives in Finnish 491
- Temperature terms in Nganasan 537
- Temperature terms in Khalkha Mongolian 570
- Temperature terms in Lao, Southern Zhuang, Southern Pinghua and Cantonese 594
- Subdomains of temperature concepts in Japanese 639
- Why is it not cool? Temperature terms in Indonesian 666
-
PART 3. The Americas
- Temperature domain in West Greenlandic 703
- “There is no thermostat in the forest” – the Ojibwe temperature term system 721
- Temperature terms and their meaning in Yucatec Maya (Mexico) 742
- Temperature terms in Mapudungun 776
- Temperature terms in Hup, a Nadahup language of Amazonia 792
-
PART 4. Australia and Oceania
- Bardi temperature terms 815
- Temperature terms in northern Vanuatu 832
- Temperature terms in Kamang and Abui, two Papuan languages of Alor 858
-
PART 5. Typology
- The syntax of temperature predications 889
- Subject Index 917
- Language Index 929
- Name Index 931
