Academic Scientific JournalsBasic categories for a theory of language
Keywords:
context, decoding, encoding, form, language sign, language theory and description, location, (morpho)semanteme, (morpho)semantics, signification, speech situation, textual element/entityAbstract
The present paper makes reference to its author’s work The Dynamics of Language (1976) and presents three basic and indispensable categories for a theory and description of language, namely form, signification, and location, with special emphasis on the last two. After a short introduction, the following problems are considered: (1) language theory and semantics, (2) language sign and the dichotomy significans: significatum, (3) (morpho)semanteme and the trichotomy: form, signification, location, (4) form, signification, and location in the process of encoding and decoding, (5) context and the contextual theory of meaning according to J. R. Firth, (6) the influence of context and speech situation on the signification of the element of text. The conclusion (7) summarizes the presentation of the trichotomy of the defining categories for the (morpho)semanteme, i.e. form, signification, and location, and of their role in the description of language and of the process of verbal communication. It also draws attention to the relation that holds between context in the broad sense and location in the sense defined in the paper and shows the advantages following from the introduction of the latter concept into the theory and description of language.
Downloads
References
Firth, John R. (1935 (1957)). “The technique of semantics”. In: John R. Firth. Papers in Linguistics 1934–1951. London: Oxford University Press, 7–33.
Firth, John R. (1957 (1968a)). “A synopsis of linguistic theory, 1930–55”. In: F. R. Palmer (ed.) (1968). Selected Papers of J. R. Firth 1952–59. London: Longmans, 168–205.
Firth, John R. (1957 (1968b). “Ethnographic analysis and language with reference to Malinowski’s views”. In: F. R. Palmer (ed.) (1968). Selected Papers of J. R. Firth 1952–59. London: Longmans, 137–167.
Furdal, Antoni (2000). Językoznawstwo otwarte [Open linguistics]. Wydanie trzecie poprawione i uzupełnione [3rd ed. corrected and completed]. Wrocław – Warszawa – Kraków: Zakład Narodowy im Ossolińskich, Wydawnictwo.
Grice, H. Paul (1975). “Logic and conversation”. In: P. Cole, J. L. Morgan (eds.). Syntax and Semantics. Vol. 3: Speech Acts. New York etc.: Academic Press, 41–58.
Halliday, M. A. K. (1961). “Categories of the theory of grammar”. Word 17: 241‒292.
Harris, Zellig S. (1951 (1961)). Structural Linguistics. Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago Press (Originally published as Methods in Structural Linguistics, 1951).
Hjelmslev, Louis (1953). Prolegomena to a Theory of Language. Trans. J. Whitfield. Baltimore: Indiana University (Danish original: Omkring sprogteoriens grundlaeggelse. København, 1943).
Jaszczołt, Katarzyna (2006). “Pomiędzy semantyką a pragmatyką” [Between semantics and pragmatics]. In: Metodologie językoznawstwa: Podstawy teoretyczne. Łódź: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego, 131–154.
Kalisz, Roman (1993). Pragmatyka językowa [Linguistic pragmatics]. Gdańsk: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego.
Kalisz, Roman (2001). Językoznawstwo kognitywne w świetle językoznawstwa funkcjonalnego [Cognitive linguistics in the light of functional linguistics]. Gdańsk: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego.
Kalisz, Roman (2016). “Językoznawstwo kognitywne a pragmatyka językowa” [Cognitive linguistics and linguistic pragmatics]. In: M. Kurpaska, T. Wicherkiewicz, M. Kanert (eds.). Thesaurus gentium & linguarum: A Festschrift to Honour Professor Alfred F. Majewicz. Poznań, 177–197.
Langacker, Ronald W. (1987). Foundations of Cognitive Grammar. Vol. 1. Theoretical Prerequisites. Stanford, Cal.: Stanford University Press.
Langacker, Ronald W. (1991). Foundations of Cognitive Grammar. Vol. 2. Descriptive Application. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Levinson, Stephen C. (1983). Pragmatics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Palmer, F. R. (ed.) (1968). Selected Papers of J. R. Firth 1952–59. London: Longmans.
Saussure, Ferdinand de (1916 (2006)). Cours de linguistique générale. Publié par Charles Bally et Albert Séchehaye avec la collaboration de Albert Riedlinger. Édition critique préparée par Tullio de Mauro. Postface de Louis-Jean Calvet. Paris: Éditions Payot & Rivages.
Searle, John R. (1975). “Indirect speech acts”. In: P. Cole, J. L. Morgan (eds.). Syntax and Semantics. Vol. 3: Speech Acts. New York etc.: Academic Press, 59–82.
Sroka, Kazimierz A. (1971). “Compositional and locational features of verbal constructions”. Studia Anglica Posnaniensia 3: 95‒106.
Sroka, Kazimierz A. (1972a). “A review (with a critical study of Firth’s contextual theory of meaning) of F. R. Palmer (ed.), Selected Papers of J. R. Firth (London: Longmans 1968)”. Linguistics 78: 78–109.
Sroka, Kazimierz A. (1972b). “Kontekstualizm J. R. Firtha” [Contextualism of J. R. Firth]. Sprawozdania Poznańskiego Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Nauk 84: 78–84.
Sroka, Kazimierz A. (1976). The Dynamics of Language. Gdańsk: Wydawnictwo Uczelniane Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego.
Sroka, Kazimierz A. (1981). “Grammatical formatives in description and comparison”. Linguistica et Anglica Gedaniensia 2: 33–62.
Sroka, Kazimierz A. (1983). “Kategorie gramatyczne w aspektach: teoretycznym i porównawczym” [Grammatical categories in the aspects: theoretical and comparative]. Sprawozdania Gdańskiego Towarzystwa Naukowego 9: 57–62.
Sroka, Kazimierz A. (1984). “Konstrukcja roli: jej istota i zróżnicowanie wśród języków” [= Role construction: its essence and variation among languages]. Sprawozdania Gdańskiego Towarzystwa Naukowego 10: 91–97.
Sroka, Kazimierz A. (1988). “Grammatical categories: their nature and interlanguage variation”. In: W. Buszkowski, W. Marciszewski, J. van Benthem (eds). Categorial grammar. Amsterdam – Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 333‒356.
Sroka, Kazimierz A. (1998a). “On the concept of grammatical category”. In: B. Caron (ed.). Proceedings of the 16th International Congress of Linguists. Oxford: Pergamon, CD-ROM, No. 0208, 17 pp.
Sroka, Kazimierz A. (1998b). “Kontekst i konsytuacja w procesie mowy” [= Context and speech situation in the process of speech]. Sprawozdania Gdańskiego Towarzystwa Naukowego 24: 45–52.
Sroka, Kazimierz A. (2003). “Definiteness and scope restriction”. In: E. Hajičová, A. Kotešovcová, J. Mírovský (eds.). Proceedings of the 17th International Congress of Linguists, Prague 2003. Prague: Matfyzpress, MFF UK, CD-Rom, 13 pp.
Sroka, Kazimierz A. (2010). “Pragmatics and the problem of definiteness”. In: D. Stanulewicz, T. Z. Wolański, J. Redzimska (eds.). Lingua terra cognita II: A Festschrift for Professor Roman Kalisz. Gdańsk: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego, 125–165.
Sroka, Kazimierz A. (2011). “Synthetic and analytic formatives in languages: A revision”. In: W. Kürschner, R. Rapp, J. Strässler, M. Vliegen, H. Weber (eds.). Neue linguistische Perspektiven. Festschrift für Abraham P. ten Cate. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 77–89.
Sroka, Kazimierz A. (2012a). “The category of location and its relevance to semantics and pragmatics”. A paper given at the 47th Linguistics Colloquium in Olsztyn (Unpublished).
Sroka, Kazimierz A. (2012b). “Lokacja jako kategoria opisu w semantyce i pragmatyce” [Location as a category of description in semantics and pragmatics]. A paper given at the 70th Meeting of the Polish Linguistic Society in Bydgoszcz (Unpublished).
Sroka, Kazimierz A. (2015). “Stałość i zmienność w języku na przykładzie gramatycznej kategorii określoności” [Stability and changeability in language on the example of the grammatical category of definiteness]. Biuletyn Polskiego Towarzystwa Językoznawczego 70: 81‒92.
Sroka, Kazimierz A. (submitted for publication). “The initial stage in the development of the definite article: Evidence from Gothic”. In: Akten des 50. Linguistischen Kolloquiums in Innsbruck 2015.
Wegener, Philipp (1885). Untersuchungen über die Grundfragen des Sprachlebens. Halle: Max Niemeyer.
Zawadowski, Leon (1951). “Rzeczywisty i pozorny wpływ kontekstu na znaczenie” [Real and apparent influence of the context upon meaning]. Sprawozdania Wrocławskiego Towarzystwa Naukowego 4/1949, Dodatek 2: 1–18.
Zawadowski, Leon (1966). Lingwistyczna teoria języka [A linguistic theory of language]. Warszawa: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe.
