Indexicals and Names in Proverbs

This paper offers an analysis of indexical expressions and proper names as they are used in proverbs. Both indexicals and proper names contribute properties rather than objects to the propositions expressed when they are used in sentences interpreted as proverbs. According to the proposal, their con...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Kijania-Placek Katarzyna
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sciendo 2016-09-01
Series:Studies in Logic, Grammar and Rhetoric
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/slgr-2016-0033
Description
Summary:This paper offers an analysis of indexical expressions and proper names as they are used in proverbs. Both indexicals and proper names contribute properties rather than objects to the propositions expressed when they are used in sentences interpreted as proverbs. According to the proposal, their contribution is accounted for by the mechanism of descriptive anaphora. Indexicals with rich linguistic meaning, such as ‘I’, ‘you’ or ‘today’, turn out to be cases of the attributive uses of indexicals, i.e. uses whose contribution relies on the linguistic meaning of the word. Third person pronouns, names of locations as well as surnames are analyzed as non-attributive descriptive uses.
ISSN:0860-150X
2199-6059