The linguistics of zero: A cognitive reference point or a phantom?

Elena Tribushinina

doi:10.1515/FLIN.2009.012

Article

The linguistics of zero: A cognitive reference point or a phantom?

Elena Tribushinina

Published/Copyright: December 14, 2009

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From the journal Volume 43 Issue 2

Insights from cognitive psychology indicate that the zero value on a scale is an important reference-point phenomenon in the processing of relative adjectives. However, linguistic evidence for the reference-point status of the zero value has not been provided hitherto. In this paper, I search for such evidence by analyzing the use of dimensional adjectives denoting vertical size in two languages – English and Russian. Three types of linguistic implications of the zero are discussed. First, the zero point is crucial to the account of markedness asymmetry between antonymous adjectives. Second, the reference-point status of the zero value motivates differences in the compatibility of relative adjectives with maximality adverbs in languages such as Russian. Third, the location of the zero point and the position of the entity vis-à-vis the zero point have implications for adjective-noun combinability.

Keywords:: adjectives; antonymy; markedness; degree modification; spatial vocabulary; cognitive reference point

Computational Linguistics and Psycholinguistics, Research Centre, University of Antwerp, City Campus, Building L, Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium. e-mail: Elena.Tribushinina@ua.ac.be

Received: 2007-12-14

Revised: 2008-05-22

Accepted: 2008-10-14

Published Online: 2009-12-14

Published in Print: 2009-December

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/FLIN.2009.012

Keywords for this article

adjectives; antonymy; markedness; degree modification; spatial vocabulary; cognitive reference point