How To Show Things With Words: A Study On Logic Language And Literature

569 Pages·2006·163.203 MB·

by  Rui Linhares-Dias

How to Show Things with Words
W
DE
G
Trends in Linguistics
Studies and Monographs 155
Editors
Walter Bisang
(main editor for this volume)
Hans Henrich Hock
Werner Winter
Mouton de Gruyter
Berlin · New York
How to Show Things
with Words
A Study on Logic, Language and Literature
by
Rui Linhares-Dias
Mouton de Gruyter
Berlin · New York
Mouton de Gruyter (formerly Mouton, The Hague)
is a Division of Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin.
Printed on acid-free paper which falls within the guidelines
of the ANSI to ensure permanence and durability.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publicalion Data
Linhares-Dias, Rui, 1955-
How to show things with words : a study on logic, language and
literature / by Rui Linhares-Dias.
p. cm. - (Trends in linguistics. Studies and monographs ; 155)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 3-11-017995-4 (alk. paper)
1. Language and languages - Philosophy. I. Title. II. Series.
P107.L56 2006
401-dc22
2004021948
ISBN-13: 978-3-11-017995-8
ISBN-10: 3-11-017995-4
ISSN 1861-4302
Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Bibliothek
Die Deutsche Bibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie;
detailed bibliographic data is available in the Internet at <http://dnb.ddb.de>.
© Copyright 2006 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, D-10785 Berlin
All rights reserved, including those of translation into foreign languages. No part of this
book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechan-
ical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, with-
out permission in writing from the publisher.
Cover design: Christopher Schneider, Berlin.
Printed in Germany.
Para a Vania
Para os meus pais, Manuel e Romualda
Para ο Ivo, in memoriam

Preface
Even if the successful application of formal logic to natural-language
semantics does not require one to be a logician, as Landman claims,
still it is reassuring to have their support for problem-solving tasks.
To my regret, my logician-friends were too far away to prevent me
from possibly incurring in errors that I would like to have eschewed.
And yet formal semantics is only part of a lifetime interdisciplinary
research program whose findings are finally materialized in this book,
at the intersection of logic, linguistics, philosophy and literary theory.
As a full mastery of the relevant literature was simply impracticable,
some topics are barely discussed and others passed over into silence.
Fortunately, books are not expected to provide full coverage of their
subject matters or to be completely flawless and accurate products;
their goal is to get some stimulating proposals into the public arena
for critical consideration among those who share the same interests.
It is my turn to enter the lists.
Vania proved an indefatigable partner in elaborating the indices,
and my parents provided the only financial support that I ever had.
To get the book published was the least I could do in memory of Ivo.
January 2006

Table of contents
Preface vii
List of figures xv
List of tables xix
Abbreviations xxi
Introduction 1
Part 1: Prolegomena
1. The linguistic structure of narrative transmission 15
1.1. Introduction 15
1.2. The showing-telling distinction 16
1.2.1. Quantitative indicators of scene and summary 16
1.2.2. Markedness in narrative pace:
The dramatic mode 19
1.3. Narrative transmission as cognitive distance:
From evidential modalities to indication signs 24
1.3.1. The problem of mimesis 24
1.3.2. The linguistic coding of epistemology 25
1.3.3. Evidential retrieval and perception verb
complements (PVCs) 34
1.3.4. Evidentials as indexicals: The origins of showing ... 40
1.4. The role of tense, aspect and 'Aktionsart' 45
1.4.1. Tense and evidential skewing 45
1.4.2. Episodic and generic sentences 47
1.4.3. ±STAT eventuality descriptions 49
1.5. Concluding remarks 51
2. Linguistics in narratology: A critical historical
survey 55
2.1. Introduction 55
2.2. Ingarden, Stanzel, Hamburger: The neutralization of the
'episches Präteritum' as a past-tense form 58