Current progress in linguistic theorizing is more and more informed by cross-linguistic (including cross-modal) investigation. Comparison of languages relies crucially on the concepts that can be coded with similar effort in all languages. These concepts are part of every language user's ontology, the network of cross-connected conceptualizations the mind uses in coping with the world. Assuming that language comparability is rooted in the comparability of user ontologies, the idea of the present volume is to further instigate progress in linguistics by looking behind the interface with the conceptual-intentional system and asking a still underexplored question: How are ontological structures reflected in intra- and cross-linguistic regularities? This question defines the research program of ontology based linguistics or ontolinguistics. Recent advances in the theory of language have been characterized by an emphasis on external explanatory adequacy and thus on relating language to other phenomena. The research program introduced in this volume adds a decisively distinct and fresh aspect to this emerging new contextualization of the field by bringing together insights from different areas, mainly linguistics, but also neuroscience, philosophy, and artificial intelligence. In providing these disciplines with a new common task, the exploration of the impact of ontological structures on linguistic regularities, the ontolinguistic approach promises to develop into a vital branch of cognitive science. Documenting the beginnings, the book aims to instigate future interdisciplinary research in this area. It will be of interest to researchers in linguistics, artificial intelligence, philosophy, and cognitive science in general.
Author(s): Andrea C. Schalley (Editor); Dietmar Zaefferer (Editor)
Series: Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs
Edition: 1
Publisher: Mouton de Gruyter
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 496
Acknowledgements......Page 5
Contents......Page 7
Part I: Introduction......Page 9
Ontolinguistics – An outline......Page 11
Ontologies across disciplines......Page 31
Part II: Foundations, general ontologies, and linguistic categories......Page 77
The emergence of a shared action ontology: Building blocks for a theory......Page 79
Formal representation of concepts: The Suggested Upper Merged Ontology and its use in linguistics......Page 111
Linguistic interaction and ontological mediation......Page 123
Semantic primes and conceptual ontology......Page 153
Using ‘Ontolinguistics’ for language description......Page 183
Language as mind sharing device: Mental and linguistic concepts in a general ontology of everyday life......Page 201
Part III: Concepts with closed-class coding......Page 237
The representation of spatial structure in spoken and signed language: A neural model......Page 239
Postural categories and the classification of nominal concepts: A case study of Goemai......Page 287
Spatial ‘on’ – ‘in’ categories and their prepositional codings across languages: Universal constraints on language specificity......Page 307
Semantic categorizations and encoding strategies......Page 339
Part IV: Categories with open-class coding......Page 365
Taxonomic and meronomic superordinates with nominal coding......Page 367
Motion events in concept hierarchies: Identity criteria and French examples......Page 387
On the ontological, conceptual, and grammatical foundations of verb classes......Page 403
The ontological loneliness of verb phrase idioms......Page 427
Relating ontological knowledge and internal structure of eventity concepts......Page 443
About the contributors......Page 467
Index of names......Page 473
Language index......Page 481
Subject index......Page 484
