Generative grammar has moved on from its old theories about syntax. Can we please do the same with their semantic theories, too?
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Category Archive: Cognitive Linguistics
We’re getting over the peak and headed toward the end. The practical take away is coming.
Semantic theory: it’ll get harder before it gets hardest.
Meaning is hard. Unfortunately, I’m not going to make any easier here.
Compounds are complicated. They are formally complex, involving wide variation in their morphological/lexical formation. These formal complexities introduce their own series of semantic challenges.
Here are 5 forthcoming books related to the study of language and Ancient Greek that I’m looking forward to and perhaps you should be aware of, if you’re interested in Ancient Greek grammar.
With the great success from publication the The Greek Verb Revisited: A Fresh Approach for Biblical Exegesis now a couple years behind us and the great labor of writing, editing, rewriting and more editing all, but happy distant memory, it seems worthwhile to share the conclusion to the article I contributed to the volume.
I examined the question of Greek prohibitions and the much argued about expressions: stop doing X (imperfective aspect) and do not start X (perfective aspect). Traditionally these expressions are wholly associated their respective aspect verb form as motivation for their meanings, going back to journal articles from over 100 years ago. In my article, I put forward an alternative approach, suggesting that not also aspect, but also the nature of the negation itself plays a role in the how and why of these expressions.
So without further ado, enjoy:
What to do when a word seems to mean completely different things?
Languages often have multiple means of communicating the same thing. Lexical inventories overlap; grammatical forms might share related functions.
Compounding and Cogntive Processes in Word Formation with ὑδροποτέω and its relatives: Discussions of lexical semantics often make […]
