Re: The article for abstract nouns

From: Wes Williams (WesWilliams@usa.net)
Date: Sun Jan 04 1998 - 00:18:01 EST


Rolf Furuli wrote:

> <<<<<<At 4:20 AM -0600 1/2/98, Wes Williams wrote:
> >Dear Carl and Rolf,
> >
> Wes,
>
> I also agree with your #2 above, but from another point of view we could
> also apply #1. I enclose an excerpt from a comment I sent you some time ago
> about the same question (that which you lost):
>
> In your examples about peaches and pigs you yourself have pointed to a
> harmonization with my claims above by using the word "metaphorical". This
> is neither a lexical nor a grammatical/syntactical category, but a
> pragmatic one. To call a human being a pig is contrafactual, and the only
> reason why it is accepted, is a CONVENTION we learn that the use of this
> word ascribes certain qualities to the person. Because metaphorical use is
> based on convention it is completely irrelevant to the question whether the
> occurrence of a predicate nominative before the verb makes it exclusively
> qualitative or not. This must be demonstrated by syntactical examples and
> not by either lexical or pragmatic ones. As long as we don`t argue this
> way, Dixon and his friends have the upper hand.
>

Dear Rolf and Carl,

Thank you for your helpfulness, really. I found in Cotterell and Turner the
discussion of metaphor. They wrote on p.300 that metaphor is a formal lie. (Just as
Rolf wrote above). To convert to fact, we would need to convert to simile "The man
is like a pig." In so doing, this throws metaphor out of the comparison arena with
factual PNs. Therefore, I think that Dixon is on far weaker ground than he has come
to realize. However, I don't think I will continue pressing him into a corner. On
the other hand, I would like to produce a brief article on showing that substantive
count nouns with qualitative emphasis do not lose their reference.

Carl, this is a fine learning forum. I'm glad it's still tolerant.

Wes



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