Search results

1

Towards a Thomistic Theory of Intentional (“Fictive”) Individuals (I)

100%

Sousedík S.

Acta Universitatis Carolinae Theologica

|

2015

|

vol. 5

|

issue 1

133-152

EN

Following Aristotle’s stimuli, the medieval scholastics produced the the- ory of beings of reason (= intentional beings), i.e. beings that can only exist as an object of our reason (and in no other way). It is remarkable that an important component was omitted by the scholastic scholars, namely the teaching of intentional (nowadays called “fictional” more frequently) individuals, e.g. Sherlock Holmes, Hamlet, Hephaistos etc. This issue was dealt with later by A. Meinong, E. Mally, T. Parsons and E. N. Zalta. This contribution strives to propose an alternative theory founded on the scholastic, specifically Thomistic thought. The author distinguish- es 1) individual description of intentional individual; 2) this individual itself, and 3) its “representative” existing in the real world. An intentional being, in this con- ception, has only the properties ascribed to it by its description and the property of individuality (and no other property). Nevertheless, an intentional individual bears these properties differently from the real individual. Therefore, the author distinguishes two kinds of predication, the real and the intentional one. In: this context, other logical problems of intentional individuals are addressed. By the “represent- ative” of an intentional individual (e.g. Sherlock Holmes) the author means e.g. its image made by the reader of A. C. Doyle in his (reader’s) fantasy, or a real picture (illustration) in the Hound of Baskerville book, further the actor who plays the role of famous detective in the film adaption of the novel etc. The goal of the con- tribution is to show that if existence is the first-level predicate, it can be predicated informatively, for as such it is able to distinguish the individuals that exist really from those that do not.

2

Towards a Thomistic Theory of Intentional (“Fictive”) Individuals (II)

100%

Sousedík S.

Acta Universitatis Carolinae Theologica

|

2015

|

vol. 5

|

issue 2

253-257

EN

Following Aristotle’s stimuli, the medieval scholastics produced the theory of beings of reason (= intentional beings), i.e. beings that can only exist as an object of our reason (and in no other way). It is remarkable that an important component was omitted by the scholastic scholars, namely the teaching of intentional (nowadays called “fictional” more frequently) individuals, e.g. Sherlock Holmes, Hamlet, Hephaistos etc. This issue was dealt with later by A. Meinong, E. Mally, T. Parsons and E. N. Zalta. This contribution strives to propose an alternative theory founded on the scholastic, specifically Thomistic thought. The author distinguishes 1) individual description of intentional individual, 2) this individual itself, and 3) its “representative” existing sometimes in the real world. An intentional being, in this conception, has only the properties ascribed to it by its description and the property of individuality (and no other property). Nevertheless, an intentional individual bears these properties differently from the real individual. Therefore, the author distinguishes two kinds of predication, the real and the intentional one. In this context, other logical problems of intentional individuals are addressed. By the “representative” of an intentional individual (e.g. Sherlock Holmes) the author means e.g. its image made by the reader of A. C. Doyle in his (reader’s) fantasy, or a real picture (illustration) in the Hound of Baskerville book, further the actor who plays the role of famous detective in the film adaption of the novel etc. The goal of the contribution is to show that if existence is the first-level predicate, it can be predicated informatively, for as such it is able to distinguish the individuals that exist really from those that do not.

3

La prédication : une relation

100%

Buvet P.-A.

Neophilologica

|

2023

|

vol. 35

1-23

EN

We discuss the concept of predicate from both metalinguistic and linguistic perspectives. After having explained the role of predicate in the theoretical framework of reference, we specify the language mechanisms related to predicates. We then illustrate our purpose with the determination of nouns in French.

FR

Nous discutons du concept de prédication des points de vue métalinguistique et linguistique. Après avoir expliqué le rôle de la prédication dans le le cadre théorique de référence, nous précisons les mécanismes langagiers relatifs aux prédicats. Nous illustrons ensuite notre propos avec la détermination des noms en français.

4

The Study of Being in Plato and Aristotle

88%

Nathan A. R.

Peitho. Examina Antiqua

|

2023

|

vol. 14

|

issue 1

29-43

EN

Usage of the Greek verb ‘to be’ is generally divided into three broad categories - the predicative use, the existential and the veridical-and these usages often inform the way we understand Being in ancient philosophy. This article challenges this approach by arguing that Being is not the product of linguistic reflection in Parmenides, Plato and Aristotle; rather, these thinkers treat Being as the ontological and epistemological primary. Though this may overlap with the linguistic senses, it is not the same thing. The article is divided into three sections: the first one raises several basic issues with the predicative interpretation of Being, the second argues that Being is unified and singular in a significant sense and the third brings out the special pre-immanence of Being.

5

On focus marking and predication. Evidence from Polish with some notes on Hausa

88%

Tajsner P.

Lingua Posnaniensis

|

2015

|

vol. 57

|

issue 1

113-138

EN

Purpose: The primary aim of the paper is to provide a new, derivational analysis of two types of Polish sentences with the occurrence of a particle to, which syntactically code focus and topic. These are: to-clefts (To Janek napisał list. ‘It was Janek who wrote the letter’), and topic-to sentences (Janek to napisał list. ‘As for Janek, he wrote the letter’). The secondary aim is to reflect on the relevance of the isomorphism of focus markers and non-verbal copulas in Polish with some reference to Hausa. Method: The approach follows a minimalist method but departs from cartographic accounts with dedicated heads in sentence left-periphery. Instead, it postulates that focus and topic are interpretive by-effects of Specification Predication. In this, the paper extends and modifies Kiss’s (2006, 2010) central idea that focusing is predication. Result & Conclusion: The account proves successful in explaining a few syntactic constraints, doing so in a simple, unitary fashion. Viewing focus as a derivative of predication is a step towards understanding the relation between narrow syntax and information structure.

6

Aristotle’s Solution for Parmenides’ Inconclusive Argument in Physics I.3

88%

Angioni L.

Peitho. Examina Antiqua

|

2021

|

vol. 12

|

issue 1

41-67

EN

I discuss the argument which Aristotle ascribes to Parmenides at Physics 186a23–32. I examine (i) the reasons why Aristotle considers it to be eristic and inconclusive and (ii) the solution (lusis) that he proposes against it.

7

K významovým vztahům v apoziční skupině

88%

Veselý V.

Slovo a slovesnost: časopis pro otázky teorie a kultury jazyka (Slovo a slovesnost: A journal for the theory of language and language cultivation)

|

2013

|

vol. 74

|

issue 3

178-195

EN

The aim of this paper is to analyze semantic relations in appositional groups consisting of nominal or adverbial phrases. It is possible to identify either a single potential semantic relation, or two opposing potential semantic relations between components of an appositional group. The opposing relations are either of the same type (predication vs. predication, determination vs. determination), or of a different one (predication vs. determination). The realization of these relations is influenced by a formal factor, i.e. the linear and intonational rendering of the appositional group. In general, predication can be realized both regressively and progressively, whereas determination can be realized only regressively, unless the second component of the appositional group is made up of a semantically incomplete word, e.g. a relationally locative adverb, or unless the relationship between the components is something different than referential identity/inclusion. Relationally locative adverbs determine either (expressed or unexpressed) defined space or a (expressed or unexpressed) spatial orientator; in the latter case they are functionally close to prepositions.

8

Abandoning the EPP-feature in Polish dual copula clauses by redefining the predication relation

88%

Jurczyk R.

Linguistics Beyond and Within

|

2021

|

vol. 7

33-57

EN

This paper questions the logic behind the presence and the working of the EPP-feature in Polish dual copula clauses (henceforth, DCCs) with the pronominal copula to, the verbal copula być ‘to be’, and two nominative 3rd person DPs, as represented in Bondaruk (2019). The criticism follows from: (i) – Chomsky’s (2000, 2001) downward Agree operation; (ii) – the view that the predicator encodes the predication relation between the pre-copular subject and the post-copular predicate; (iii) – selective multiple Agree, whereby the satisfaction of the EPP- and uφ-features is divorced. Adopting (i)–(iii), Bondaruk’s scrutiny allows either the pre- or the post-copular DP to occupy SpecTP, thereby accounting for DCCs’ agreement and configurational patterns, but, simultaneously, suffering from theoretical shortcomings it creates. We argue for a simpler satisfaction of the subject requirement which does not rely on the troublesome EPP-feature, but is motivated formally by the relation between T and the higher DP. We derive this requirement by following Zeiljstra’s (2012) upward Agree which only takes place once interpretable features c-command uninterpretable features, and Rothstein’s (2004) approach which is based on a neo-Davidsonian event semantics and which argues that be and its complement form a complex predicate, separated from the pre-copular DP both semantically and syntactically.

9

FORMS AND PREDICATION RECONSIDERED

75%

Wiles A. M.

Studia Gilsoniana

|

2014

|

vol. 3

241-256

EN

The central questions addressed in this paper are: (1) how are forms related to predication? And (2) what role do forms and predication play in the discovery and articulation of truth? The first section of the paper provides—in broad strokes—a synopsis of Plato’s account of forms. The second section considers predication in relation to forms showing that the existence and nature of forms is a necessary condition for predication, and that Plato’s account of predication is consistent with, in fact, anticipates, Aristotle’s treatment of reality in the Categories. The conclusion of the paper is that forms and predication are central to philosophical hermeneutics, to the discovery and articulation of truth.

10

On Specification Predication and the derivation of copular to-clauses in Polish

75%

Tajsner P.

Studia Anglica Posnaniensia

|

2015

|

vol. 50

|

issue 4

25-66

EN

The paper offers a consistently derivational account of Polish predicational and specificational copular clauses with the occurrence of a particle to instead of a verbal copula być (‘be’). The particle to is given the status of a predicative head with the potential of designating a phrase in its c-command domain as a specification predicate. Such a phrase is then interpreted as the focus at the C-I interface. Thus, a view is promoted in which the focus, a category of information structure, is not directly coded in narrow syntax, but is rather an interpretive outcome of a more general syntactic relation, referred to as Specification Predication. This view has been inspired by Kiss’s (2006, 2010) idea that focusing is predication but it substantially differs from her approach. The analysis is limited to copular-to clauses, but it is suggested to have a potential for the account of two more syntactic types with the occurrence of the particle to, namely, so-called to-clefts, and topic-to sentences. The proposal advanced in the paper is confronted with three earlier accounts dealing with copular-to clauses, and is shown to avoid some empirical and conceptual problems they have posed. It is shown how the derivation of copular-to clauses proceeds through a sequence of minimal and well-defined steps starting from the formation of an array of two nominal phrases, through a Small Clause stage to a Specification Predicative Phrase. Couched in the recent minimalist framework, the analysis specifically dwells on the theoretical advancements determining the nature of syntactic derivations, such as Hornstein’s (2009) distinctions between operations Concatenate, Merge and Label, Moro’s (2000, 2008) idea of Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking or Chomsky’s (2013) view of Labeling.

11

Status gramatyczny predykatywnych SZKODA , WSTYD , ŻAL raz jeszcze

71%

Przepiórkowski A.

Polonica

|

2019

|

vol. 39

85-110

EN

The apparently nominal forms szkoda ‘pity’, wstyd ‘shame’, żal ‘regret’, when used predicatively, have been analysed either as ‘quasi-verbs’ (inflecting only for tense and mood), or as adverbs, or as nouns. The author recalls and reinforces arguments against their verbal analysis, and shows that such forms are categorially ambiguous. In their adverbial guise, they may be modified by other adverbs, they do not agree with the copula, they may co-occur with a dative experiencer, and they may occur in other predicative constructions, apart from copular constructions. In their nominal guise, they may be modified by adjectives, they agree with the copula, they do not easily combine with a dative experiencer, and they do not occur in other predicative constructions. The author also argues that this categorial ambiguity is correlated with the two copular constructions in Polish: one involving the purely verbal copula być ‘be’ and the other involving the so-called ‘pronominal’ copula to (być).

PL

Pierwszym celem niniejszego artykułu jest potwierdzenie, że predykatywne szkoda, wstyd, żal nie są czasownikami niewłaściwymi. Dwa inne poglądy na temat statusu jednostek typu szkoda mówią, że są to przysłówki lub rzeczowniki. Autor pokazuje, że oba są prawdziwe: omawiane jednostki są kategorialnie niejednoznaczne, przy czym istnieje szereg testów pozwalających odróżnić użycia adwerbialne od użyć nominalnych. Przedstawia także argumenty za tym, że kategoria gramatyczna predykatywnych użyć omawianych jednostek skorelowana jest z typem konstrukcji łącznikowej, w której występują: formy przysłówkowe z łącznikiem być, natomiast formy rzeczownikowe – z łącznikiem to.

12

Neekvivalentnost "větných ekvivalentů"

63%

Hirschová M.

Naše řeč (Our Speech)

|

2020

|

vol. 103

|

issue 1-2

162-177

EN

The article deals with the problems related to phenomenon of so-called sentence equivalents in the description of Czech syntax as well as with the connection of this label to what is termed the sentence-utterance distinction. In the 1970s, this distinction was actively discussed by Czech linguists. The article shows that the acceptance or refusal of this distinction as well as the assumed existence of sentence equivalents (mostly identified with context-dependent constructions without verbs) is anchored in the accepted theoretical concept of the very notion of predication. With certain simplification, predication can be considered either a logical-semantic relationship of a predicate to a subject or a speaker’s pragmatic act of predication. What has been called the sentence equivalent might be related to the latter interpretation. Furthermore, the paper maps the occurrence and explanation of what are posited as sentence equivalents in Czech syntactic scholarly texts and school textbooks. With the exception of the outcome of the Functional Generative Description (Panevová et al., 2014) where sentence equivalents are explained as a result of ellipsis, the exemplification of the phenomenon elsewhere (especially in school textbooks) is inconsistent and confusing. As a result, the paper suggests that this label should not be used due to its conceptual vagueness.

13

Transformacja predykacyjna: oparte na równoległych korpusach studium rosyjskich zdań bezczasownikowych i ich angielskich tłumaczeń

63%

Bondarenko A.

Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Sklodowska, sectio FF – Philologia

|

2018

|

vol. 36

|

issue 1

EN

The paper presents a corpus-based contrastive analysis of the predication involved in the translation of verbless sentences from Russian to English based on a pilot parallel corpus consisting of Dostoyevsky’s dialogue-based Russian Brat’ ja Karamazovy (1880) and the Pevear and Volokhonsky English translation The Brothers Karamazov (1990). In contrast to English, known for its dependency on the finite verb phrase, Russian permits the use of verbless sentences more productively than any other Indo-European language (McShane, 2000; Kopotev, 2007). Combining the parallel-text approach to contrastive linguistics developed by Guillemin-Flescher (2003) with a new method of automatic verbless sentence extraction, the present study examines reoccurring patterns regarding the way that predication is gained or lost in translation. Following automatic segmentation, morphosyntactic annotation and extraction, verbless sentences and their translation correspondences are manually annotated for verbal and non-verbal predication in accordance with Hengeveld’s (1992) definitions. The results present a typology of a phenomenon we call ‘predication transformation’, in which translation correspondences are transformed in terms of predication type. Quantitative results reveal the rate at which verbs are gained in translation of the verbless sentences from Russian to English, as well as the predication verbalization rate. We argue that a verb-centric notion of semantic predication is not cross-linguistically stable.

PL

Artykuł przedstawia opartą na korpusie, kontrastywną analizę predykacji związanej z tłumaczeniem zdań bezczasownikowych z języka rosyjskiego na język angielski w oparciu o pilotażowy paralelny korpus składający się z opartego na dialogach języka rosyjskiego Braci Karamazow Fiodora Dostojewskiego (1880) i angielskiego tłumaczenia Peveara i Volokhonsky The Brothers Karamazov (1990). W przeciwieństwie do angielskiego, znanego z zależności od frazy werbalnej z osobową formą czasownika, rosyjski pozwala na użycie zdań bezczasownikowych bardziej produktywnie niż jakikolwiek inny język indoeuropejski (McShane, 2000; Kopotev, 2007). Łącząc założenia tekstu paralelnego w odniesieniu do językoznawstwa kontrastywnego opracowane przez Guillemin-Flescher (2003) z nową metodą automatycznej ekstrakcji zdań bezczasownikowych, niniejsze studium bada powtarzające się wzorce dotyczące sposobu, w jaki struktury językowe zyskują lub tracą wartość predykacji w tłumaczeniu. Po automatycznej segmentacji, morfosyntaktycznej adnotacji i ekstrakcji zdania bezczasownikowych i ich tłumaczeniowe odpowiedniki są ręcznie przypisywane do typu predykacji werbalnej i niewerbalnej zgodnie z definicjami Hengevelda (1992). Wyniki przedstawiają typologię zjawiska zwanego “transformacją predykacyjną”, w której odpowiedniki translacyjne są efektem transformacji ze względu na typ predykacyjny. Wyniki ilościowe ukazują, w jakim stopniu czasowniki są wykorzystywane w tłumaczeniu zdań bezczasownikowych z języka rosyjskiego na język angielski, a także są wskaźnikiem werbalizacji predykatów. Twierdzimy, że powiązane z czasownikiem pojęcie semantycznej predykacji nie jest stabilne międzyjęzykowo.

14

Pytanie o pojęcie predykacji

63%

Gabilan J.-P.

Annales Universitatis Mariae Curie-Sklodowska, sectio FF – Philologia

|

2018

|

vol. 36

|

issue 1

EN

It is a common practice to consider that all sentences can be divided into two separate units traditionally called subject (NP) and predicate (VP). Applying this type of analysis to all sentences poses a major problem, that of not being able then to tell apart sentences whose structures have nothing in common and whose purposes are totally different. Talking of predication for both: “She went to France”. and “She did go to France”. just does not make any sense in so far as the components of these two sentences do not have the same status at all. The meta-operational approach distinguishes between Subject + Verb (+ Object) and NP/VP types of sentences. In the latter case, the structure NP/VP codes a non assertive status of the units forming the sentence. The whole concept of predication must then be re-examined, which we propose to do in our presentation. Analyses are based on examples taken from French and English and will deal with grammatical items taken from both languages. A few words are said about German and Polish.

FR

Il est de coutume de décomposer les énoncés, tous les énoncés, en deux entités distinctes appelées respectivement sujet et prédicat. Ce découpage présente un inconvénient majeur. Il est par exemple peu satisfaisant de parler de « relation prédicative » aussi bien pour : « She went to France » que pour : « She did go to France » pour la simple raison que les composantes de chacun de ces deux énoncés n’ont pas le même statut, ne sont pas utilisées pour les mêmes raisons. L’approche méta-opérationnelle établit une distinction entre des énoncés de type S + V (+ 0) et ceux de type S/P pour lesquels la relation a été déjà été nouée. Tout le concept de prédication est donc à réexaminer, ce que nous proposons de faire dans notre article. Les analyses portent sur le français et l’anglais et concernent des opérateurs des deux langues, avec quelques mots à propos des langues allemande et polonaise.

PL

Współczesne teorie językoznawcze zwykle dzielą strukturę wypowiedzenia na grupę nominalną (ang. NP) i werbalną (ang. VP). Ten binarny podział przysparza jednak poważnych problemów w trakcie analizy konkretnych zdań. Mówienie o „relacjach predykatywnych” w przypadku wypowiedzeń typu: She went to France i She did go to France jest niewystarczające, ponieważ składniki tych zdań mają różny status. Gramatyka metaoperacyjna pozwala rozróżniać zdania typu podmiot + orzeczenie (+ dopełnienie) i typu NP/VP, których struktura ukrywa status jednostek tworzących zdanie. Celem artykułu jest rewizja koncepcji predykacji. Przeprowadzone analizy dotyczą przede wszystkim operatorów języka angielskiego i francuskiego, nieliczne przykłady zaczerpnięte zostały również z języka niemieckiego i polskiego.

15

Parlons cerises : les prédicats et les relations dans les définitions lexicographiques et dans les énoncés définitoires

51%

Śliwa D.

Białostockie Archiwum Językowe

|

2015

|

vol. 15

FR

A partir d’une relecture d’Aristote par les métaphysiciens réalistes (Thomas d’Aquin, Gilson, Maryniarczyk) sur la nature des êtres et des objets du réel nous proposons de redéfinir le sens des mots à partir de la définition du concept en tant que résultat de la participation active du sujet parlant dans la connaissance du monde. Dans la description sémantique et dans la formulation des définitions lexicographiques il faut donc tenir compte des liens entre le réel et le conceptuel et de la cohérence interne des composantes du concept assurée par les liens logiques de cause et de but. Une telle description, à partir de la structure ontologique élaborée selon les bases de la métaphysique réaliste, est réalisée par l’instrument d’analyse que sont les structures prédicatives (phrases-sources) exprimant une propriété de l’entité. L’analyse des dénominations des cerises confirme la nécessité de la description cohérente pour les définitions lexicographiques des noms d’une catégorie des entités. Les prédications sous-jacentes aux dénominations varient en fonction du discours général ou spécialisé des sujets parlants.

EN

The aim of the present paper is to present a semantic analysis of meaning that is based on adequately read Aristotelian concept, and developed within the framework of metaphysical realism. A reflection on the nature of real existence makes one discover an ontic structure of actually existing objects; this internally coherent structure is closely related to the resulting ontological structure that is fundamental to all meaning relations. As opposed to the traditionally adopted division between ontological and logical relations, metaphysical realism explains semantic relations between particular components of an object in question: this is due to the fact that these components are linked under logical relations, where the relation of causality is of superior character. In this account, the units of description are source sentences, i.e. the predications where the predicative expression designates a given component (property) or relation. In lexicographical definitions and definitional statements, such predications are linked together and subject to syntactic and morphological transformations. A review of selected names of cherries in French (cerises) and their lexical definitions indicates that there is a need for ontological structure of certain cherry varieties, and for their respective names within the category to be hierarchically organized by an expert. Particular predications express human cognitive activity that is structured not only by logical reasoning but also by sensual perception. This fundamental concept dates back to Aristotle, who spoke of the essence of things rather than the necessary and sufficient conditions to capture the meaning of a word.

Refine search results

Towards a Thomistic Theory of Intentional (“Fictive”) Individuals (I)

Towards a Thomistic Theory of Intentional (“Fictive”) Individuals (II)

La prédication : une relation

The Study of Being in Plato and Aristotle

On focus marking and predication. Evidence from Polish with some notes on Hausa

Aristotle’s Solution for Parmenides’ Inconclusive Argument in Physics I.3

K významovým vztahům v apoziční skupině

Abandoning the EPP-feature in Polish dual copula clauses by redefining the predication relation

FORMS AND PREDICATION RECONSIDERED

On Specification Predication and the derivation of copular to-clauses in Polish

Status gramatyczny predykatywnych SZKODA , WSTYD , ŻAL raz jeszcze

Neekvivalentnost "větných ekvivalentů"

Transformacja predykacyjna: oparte na równoległych korpusach studium rosyjskich zdań bezczasownikowych i ich angielskich tłumaczeń

Pytanie o pojęcie predykacji

Parlons cerises : les prédicats et les relations dans les définitions lexicographiques et dans les énoncés définitoires