Nonstraightforward ascription

1
Non-straightforward ascription

• Kees Hengeveld M. Evelien Keizer

2
Introduction

• deeleebob, deeleebobber, diddleebob, diddleydo,
  diddleything, diddlethingy, dingus, dingdong,
  dingy, doobry, doobrie, dooda, doodad, doodah,
  doofer, doohickey, doover, dojigger, gadget,
  geega, gewgaw, gimmick, gizmo, gismo, goodie,
  gubbins, hootenanny, lookit, thingamabob, thingo,
  thingumabob, thingmabob, thingmabobbit,
  thingamajig, thingmajig, thingumajig, thingummy,
  thingummybob, thingy, thingybob, what not,
  whatchacallem, whatchacallit, whatchamacallit,
  whatchamacallum, whatever, whatsis, whatsisname,
  whatsit, whatsits, whosis, whosit, whosits,
  widget
• (World Web Online, Dictionary and Thesaurus
  Crystal 1995a, 1995b)

3
Introduction
4
Contents

• Ascription and reference in FDG
• Non-straightforward ascription in FDG
• Non-straightforward ascription in English
• Non-straightforward reference
• Non-straightforwardness vs mitigation
• Conclusion

5
Ascription and reference in FDG
6
Ascription and reference as actions

• Ascription and reference are actional categories.
  It is the speaker that ascribes and refers
  through the selection of the appropriate
  linguistic material and strategies. The same
  linguistic unit can be used now ascriptively, now
  referentially
• I met a German expat.
• He is a German expat.

7
Ascription and reference as actions

• IL (RJ (TJ) (TK)
  (RI))
• RL (xj (fj expat (fk)) (xj)U (fl
  German (fl)) (xj)U)
• (I met) a German expat.

8
Non-straigthforward ascription in FDG
9
T-heads, T-operators, T-modifiers

• (p T1 H (T1) S (T1))
• (p T1 H (T1) S (T1)) Head
• (p T1 H (T1) S (T1)) Operator
• (p T1 H (T1) S (T1)) Modifier

10
T-heads, T-operators, T-modifiers

• (p T1 whatchamacallit (T1) S (T1))
  Head
• She used the whatchamacallit color. (Internet)
• (Approx T1 H (T1) S (T1))
  Operator
• The color of my eye is yellow-ish. (Internet)
• (p T1 H (T1) more or less (T1))
  Modifier
• light hair is to be regarded as a "subdued
  orange," which is more or less yellow, red, or
  brown (Internet)

11
Degrees of approximation/exactness
12
Unspecified ascription

• Turkish (Baris Kabak, pers. comm.)
• Tamam, o zaman on-lar-i birak-in
  burda,
• OK DEM time DEM-PL-ACC leave-IMP.PL here
• diploma-niz-ida Pazartesi
• diploma-2.PL.POSS-ACCTOP Monday
• sey et-tir-ip öyle getir
  -in.
• thingummy do-CAUS-NARR like.that bring-IMP.PL
• OK, then leave the others here, and have your
  diploma thingummied (certified) on Monday and
  bring it like that.

13
Underspecified ascription

• Brazilian Portuguese (internet)
• Dois fulan-o-s lá do
• two thingummy.M.PL there from.the
• bairro andam à tua procura
• neighbourhood walk at your search
• Two thingummies from the neighbourhood are
  looking for you.

14
Underspecified ascription

• Brazilian Portuguese (internet)
• Se discute qual das duas fulan-a-s
• REFL discuss which of.the two thingummy-F-P
  L
• matou alguém.
• killed someone
• It is being discussed which of the two
  thingummies killed someone.

15
Approximate ascription

• Dutch
• windhoos-achtig verschijnsel
• hurricane-like phenomenon
• geel-achtig-e jas
• yellow-like-AGR coat

16
Exact ascription

• Leti
• N-tivle N-tivla
• 3.SG-flapEXCT 3.SG-flap
• It flaps. It flaps.
• Van Engelenhoven (2004 160)

17
Non-straigthforward ascription in English
18
Unspecified ascription

• Sorry to call it a thingummy by the way, but I
  don't really know how else to describe this kind
  of website. (Internet)
• I am now at home reading the forum whilst
  marinating pork and frying tofu, to be
  thingummied with tomatoes and spring onions
  (Internet)
• Mens Sana In Thingummy Doodah.

19
Underspecified ascription

• Things whatchacallit, whatchamacallit
• Persons gubbins, whosis
• Male only whats(h)isname, whats(h)isface
• Female only whats(h)ername

20
Approximate ascription

• She had her hair kind of down in a kind of I
  don't know net ltICE-GBS1A-037 1491Bgt
• It was sort of between Leicester Square and
  Piccadily Circus ltICE-GBS1A-071 3311Dgt
• He like wrestles with me and just stuff that a
  big brother would do. (COCA)

21
Approximate ascription

• in a lot of other contact-based dance work you
  can actually cheat and not give your weight fully
  or uhm take weight fully, and it becomes a bit
  sort of nothingy ltICE-GBS1A-002 1312Bgt
• A Uh and then as you told us his uh, he he was
  interested in uh a business which was within a
  twenty-five mile radius of Hammersmith
• B Ish yes lt,gt
• A Well you didn't say ish earlier, you said
  twenty-five twenty-five mile radius
  ltICE-GBS1B-064 71Agt-ltICE-GBS1B-064 101Agt

22
Exact ascription

• A true Hindu, according to Gandhi, is one "who
  believes in God, immortality of the soul,
  transmigration, the law of Karma and Moksha, and
  who tries to practise Truth and Ahimsa in daily
  life " (BNC)
• He was a tourist who had turned a corner at just
  the right time, spotting Willie at the very
  moment he slipped into the water. (COCA)

23
Non-straightforward reference
24
Unspecified Rs

• Dutch
• Dinges, Dingetje Dee, Huppeldeflups
• Vorige week kreeg ik bericht van de
  firma
• last week got I message from the fir
  m
• Huppeldeflups (God mag weten wat de naam
  is).
• Huppeldeflups (God may know what the name is)
  
• Last week I got a message from the Huppeldeflups
  company (God knows what their name is).

25
Unspecified Rs

• "How can you say that?" "Be logical, like your
  detective character Norman Thingummy." "Nathan
  Latimer," Melissa corrected frostily. (BNC)

26
Underspecified Rs

• Spanish
• Fulano de Tal/Fulana de Tal
• Fulano, Mengano, Zutano y Perengano/
• Fulana, Mengana, Zutana y Perengana
• Juan Perez, Perico de los Pelotes, Rita la Pollera

27
Underspecified Rs

• John Doe, Jane Doe, Baby Doe
• Tom, Dick, and Harry

28
Approximative Rs

• Brazilian Portuguese (Braga Souza in prep.)
• Sinto uma coisa ruim aí.
• I.feel a thing bad there
• I am sensing something bad.

29
Approximative Rs

• Brazilian Portuguese (Braga Souza in prep.)
• Hoje tô muito feliz devido à uns
• today I.am very happy due to some
• acontecimentos aí.
• events there
• Today I am very happy due to certain things that
  happened.

30
Approximative Rs

• if I'm putting twelve thousand in for sort of a,
  a holding fund for, for individuals (BNC)
• How do you think the kids will respond in later
  life to kind of the indoctrination that you're
  giving them now? (COCA)
• Well as I say you can't speak it because it
  hasn't actually got like a dictionary
  ltICE-GBS1A-015 2101Agt

31
Exact Rs

• Leti
• vuarlalavne vuarlalavn
• bigmountainEXCT bigmountain
• a big mountain a sort of a big
  mountain
• Van Engelenhoven (2004 160)

32
Exact Rs

• He was a tourist who had turned a corner at just
  the right time, spotting Willie at the very
  moment he slipped into the water. (COCA)
• They're just the right size for me! (Internet)

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Non-straightforwardness versus mitigation
34
Mitigation and Reinforcement

• I mean he's a bit odd ltICE-GBS1A-005 151Agt
• That evening, I was lying on the field, feeling
  (like Charles Lamb) "ratherish unwell," when some
  of my men, among them King, came to hunt for me.
  (Google)
• Sounds like a right nutter. (BNC)
• It's an absolute nightmare

35
Approximation or Mitigation

• And she has a slightly sort of cynical attitude
  as though she's saying ltICE-GBS1A-054 0091Agt

36
Exactness or Reinforcement

• Keith's house looked the same, neat raw brick and
  everything utterly symmetrical. ltICE-GBW2F-003
  451gt

37
Unexpected combinations

• Well, Leslie Titmus is the sort of was the sort
  of real Thatcherite uh, little working class boy
  in the village ltICE-GBS1B-042 2142Bgt
• That's really kind of uh quite specific really
  ltICE-GBS1A-034 222gt
• Particularly sort of peevish sort of way really
  ltICE-GBS1A-037 1831Agt

38
Approximation/Exactness and Mitigation/Reinforceme
nt
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Conclusion
40
Conclusions

• Marking of the degree of straightforwardness of
  ascription is a pervasive feature of languages
• The distinctions made in the area of
  non-straightforward ascription apply equally in
  the field of reference
• Though forcefulness and straightforwardness may
  surface in similar ways, it is important to make
  the distinction between them

41

• home.hum.uva.nl/oz/hengeveldp
• home.medewerker.uva.nl/m.e.keizer/