Expletive negation in exclamatives – Evidence from Hungarian

This paper examines expletive negation in root clauses (surprise negation sentences and wh-exclamatives) in Hungarian. We argue that Hungarian has three distinct negation positions, each corresponding to a truth-reversal operation on a different level. When the negator nem ‘no’ is merged in the CP layer (in the head position of the Speaker Deixis Phrase), this yields surprise negation sentences, corresponding to negation at the level of presuppositions (expletive negation). The negator being merged as the head of NegP within the extended TP yields standard negation (at the propositional level). In wh-exclamatives, the negator is head-adjoined to T0, which results in negation at the level of implicatures (expletive negation). In addition to pointing out this mapping between syntactic position and semantic-pragmatic interpretation, we also argue that the data from Hungarian present a strong case against a raising analysis of expletive negation.

Semantic polyfunctionality and constructional networks

This paper offers an analysis of insubordinate subjunctive complement clauses (ISCs) in Spanish and aims to contribute to the general debate in Construction Grammar on how to deal with a highly pragmatically specified surface form that expresses several meanings. We explore whether the meanings expressed by ISCs are encoded in the construction or can be derived via independently existing principles of pragmatic interpretation. The results of the analysis are represented in a constructional network.

National-and-Cultural Specificity of Biblical Anthroponyms in the Composition of Spanish and Russian Phraseological Units: Dynamic Aspect

The article presents a synchronous comparative analysis of the semantic structure of biblical anthroponyms Matusalén / Mafusail (Methuselah), Adán / Adam, Lázaro / Lazar as part of the Spanish and Russian phraseological units. The research aims at determining and comparing the national-and-cultural specifics of biblical anthroponyms in the Spanish language worldview against the background of the Russian one, and elucidates the cognitive basis of this specificity. The methods of phraseological identification, vocabulary definitions analysis, functional and pragmatic interpretation have been used. The main methods applied are component, discursive, linguo-cultural and comparative analysis. It is concluded that national and cultural specificity of biblical-anthroponyms in the Spanish language picture of the world is manifested in the contradiction between the actual and etymological meanings of biblical anthroponyms, in the stylistic detraction of biblical images, their habitation and desacralization with the predominance of pejorative assessment. In Russian linguoculture, biblical anthroponyms mostly retain their original etymology, relate to moral categories and internal characteristics of a person, while in Spanish they are associated with external, physical characteristics. In everyday Spanish discourse, there is a further expansion and detraction in the semantics of bibleisms, their reinterpretation within the tendency to carnivality, resulting from implementation of humorous attitude to reality comprehension.

“PRAGMATIC INTERPRETATION OF WORD-SENTENCES IN UZBEK LANGUAGE”

This article is devoted to the pragmatic features of word-sentences, separated as special parts of speech in Uzbek language. The pragmatic feature of word-sentences is higher than other units of language in speech statement. Though word-sentences don’t have a content of proposition, they completely express communicative intention and content from illocutionary aspect. Studying the word-sentences in Uzbek language from pragmatic aspect discovers peculiarities of usage in speech system units. In Uzbek linguistics word-sentences were studied as interjections, descriptives, and vocative sentences by E.Shodmonov, S.Usmonov, R.Kongurov, S.Saidov, B.Orinboyev, O.Lafasov; R.Bobokalonov studied them under the concept of semantic-functional formed word-sentences. This system is divided into 4 groups: 1) modal verbs; 2) interjections; 3) positive/negative words; 4) offer-indicational words. In this article several methods such as descriptional, differential-semantic, discursive and component analysesare used.

“You can’t say that”

Why does our moral intuition tend to differ when a person uses deprecating speech towards her own affiliation group as opposed to an outer affiliation group? This paper offers a descriptive mapping of moral intuitions behind group self-deprecation (GSD) as stemming from two theoretical fields: pragmatics and standing. The first possible explanation to our moral intuition focuses on the moral flaw in the utterance of condemned (i.e., the person using GSD). Here, I argue our moral intuition suggests the group affiliation of the condemned affects the utterance’s pragmatic interpretation, thus affecting its offensiveness. An alternative explanation focuses on the critic. Here, I argue practices of standing lay behind the offhand rejection of critiques from outer-group members, regardless of their validity.

Direction and associated motion in Tibeto-Burman

This study analyzes systems of direction and associated motion in 23 languages of the Tibeto-Burman family. Both direction and associated motion can be encoded by a range of grammatical strategies, including affixes, clitics, particles, serial-verb constructions, and auxiliary verbs. While some languages have only associated motion or direction, others have both, either via distinct subsystems, syntactic ambiguity, or context-dependent interpretation. While directional encodings can be interpreted as associated motion in some contexts, the reverse can also be true. Verbal semantics is key to the pragmatic interpretation of examples in context; some types of motion verbs are more compatible with directional interpretations and others with associated motion. In addition, certain types of motion verbs were found to be compatible with different temporal relationships that hold between the activity of the primary verb and the motional component. Finally, the grammatical role of the figure in such constructions depends on both the temporal relationship and the semantics of the verb.

Sifax v. Migfo and Limitation Laws in Nigeria: Triumph of Pragmatism over Formalism?

The recent pronouncement of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in Sifax & Ors v. Migfo & Anor reveals the desirability of a pragmatic as against a formalistic approach to Nigerian limitation laws. This article critically examines Sifax and seizes the opportunity to flag up the inadequacies in the extant limitation laws in Nigeria. The article argues that a total overhaul of the limitation laws is long overdue as they are not only old-fashioned and ambiguous but also produce undesirable results. It predicts that it is very unlikely that any legislative intervention may be witnessed in the nearest future. Therefore the article suggests that the courts must continue to fill the gaps by a pragmatic interpretation of the laws within the bounds of the general policy objectives of the limitation laws. It advocates comparative judicialism as a useful methodology to achieve this task.