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Communication or memory mismatch?

Towards a cognitive typology of questions
  • Wolfgang Schulze✝
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Aspects of Meaning Construction
This chapter is in the book Aspects of Meaning Construction

Abstract

Questions are traditionally interpreted as a universal strategy in human language that invites the addressee to share his/her knowledge with the speaker. Hence, questions are seen as a basic property of human communication. However, from a cognitive point of view, it may be asked whether questions (together with their constructional representations) reflect a specific state of cognition, conceptualized in terms of interrogativity. Referring to the framework of Radical Experientialism (Cognitive Typology in linguistic terms), I will propose a model of interrogativity that concentrates on the meaning of questions as such. It will be argued that interrogativity is the immediate reflex of a memory mismatch that may occur when processing outer world stimuli. Its most prototypical (and embodied) expression is that of pitch variation, frequently accompanied by secondary mismatch echoes that can be grammaticalized as question morphemes, particles, tags and so on. The communicative value of questions is viewed as a secondary cognitive hypothesis on mismatch mapping strategies in an interindividual setting.

Abstract

Questions are traditionally interpreted as a universal strategy in human language that invites the addressee to share his/her knowledge with the speaker. Hence, questions are seen as a basic property of human communication. However, from a cognitive point of view, it may be asked whether questions (together with their constructional representations) reflect a specific state of cognition, conceptualized in terms of interrogativity. Referring to the framework of Radical Experientialism (Cognitive Typology in linguistic terms), I will propose a model of interrogativity that concentrates on the meaning of questions as such. It will be argued that interrogativity is the immediate reflex of a memory mismatch that may occur when processing outer world stimuli. Its most prototypical (and embodied) expression is that of pitch variation, frequently accompanied by secondary mismatch echoes that can be grammaticalized as question morphemes, particles, tags and so on. The communicative value of questions is viewed as a secondary cognitive hypothesis on mismatch mapping strategies in an interindividual setting.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of contributors ix
  4. Introduction. The construction of meaning in language 1
  5. Part I: Metonymy and metaphor
  6. Experiential tests of figurative meaning construction 19
  7. High-level metaphor and metonymy in meaning construction 33
  8. The role of metonymy in meaning construction at discourse level 51
  9. Chained metonymies in lexicon and grammar 77
  10. Arguing the case against coercion 99
  11. When Zidane is not simply Zidane, and Bill Gates is not just Bill Gates 125
  12. Collocational overlap can guide metaphor interpretation 143
  13. Part II: Mental spaces and conceptual blending
  14. Constructing the meanings of personal pronouns 171
  15. The construction of meaning in relative clauses 189
  16. Constraints on inferential constructions 207
  17. The construction of vagueness 225
  18. Communication or memory mismatch? 247
  19. Brutal Brits and persuasive Americans 265
  20. Index of authors 283
  21. Index of subjects 285
  22. Index of metonymies and metaphors 289
https://doi.org/10.1075/z.136.16sch

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of contributors ix
  4. Introduction. The construction of meaning in language 1
  5. Part I: Metonymy and metaphor
  6. Experiential tests of figurative meaning construction 19
  7. High-level metaphor and metonymy in meaning construction 33
  8. The role of metonymy in meaning construction at discourse level 51
  9. Chained metonymies in lexicon and grammar 77
  10. Arguing the case against coercion 99
  11. When Zidane is not simply Zidane, and Bill Gates is not just Bill Gates 125
  12. Collocational overlap can guide metaphor interpretation 143
  13. Part II: Mental spaces and conceptual blending
  14. Constructing the meanings of personal pronouns 171
  15. The construction of meaning in relative clauses 189
  16. Constraints on inferential constructions 207
  17. The construction of vagueness 225
  18. Communication or memory mismatch? 247
  19. Brutal Brits and persuasive Americans 265
  20. Index of authors 283
  21. Index of subjects 285
  22. Index of metonymies and metaphors 289
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