English Abstract Nouns As Conceptual Shells

by Schmid, Hans-Jorg

• ISBN13: 9783110167672
• ISBN10: 3110167670
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-07-01
• Publisher: Mouton De Gruyter

Table of Contents

Part I Foundations: Theory, terminology and methodology	1	(82)
Introduction	3	(7)
Approaching shell nouns	10	(11)
The term shell noun	10	(3)
Defining shell nouns and shell-content complexes in functional terms	13	(7)
A brief note on the theoretical stance	20	(1)
The links between shell nouns and contents	21	(17)
Triggering co-interpretation	21	(10)
Lexico-grammatical patterns of shell-noun uses	21	(6)
From identity of reference to experiential identity	27	(4)
The semantic contributions of different types of complements: a survey of the evidence from verbal complementation	31	(5)
Basic functions of shell-noun typical patterns	36	(2)
The systematic investigation of shell nouns	38	(25)
The From-Corpus-to-Cognition Principle	38	(2)
Data retrieval	40	(8)
Cleaning up the data	48	(3)
Systematic misses of the corpus inquiry	51	(2)
A survey of the results of the corpus inquiry	53	(10)
Semantic prerequisites	63	(20)
Abstractness	63	(10)
Extensional abstractness and classes of abstract entities	63	(7)
Stylistic abstractness and grammatical metaphor	70	(3)
Unspecificity and structure-inherent semantic gaps	73	(7)
Summary of Part I	80	(3)
Part II The use of shell nouns	83	(218)
Describing shell-noun uses	85	(7)
Degrees of typicality	85	(2)
Explaining the meanings of shell-noun uses: features and frames	87	(5)
Factual uses	92	(39)
Introduction	92	(1)
Neutral uses	93	(8)
Causal uses	101	(9)
Evidential uses	110	(3)
Comparative uses	113	(3)
Partitive uses	116	(4)
Attitudinal factual uses	120	(11)
Linguistic uses	131	(53)
Introduction	131	(8)
Propositional uses	139	(8)
Illocutionary uses	147	(37)
Assertive uses	153	(13)
Rogative uses	166	(4)
Directive uses	170	(6)
Commissive uses	176	(5)
Expressive uses	181	(3)
Mental uses	184	(47)
Introduction	184	(4)
Conceptual uses	188	(7)
Psychological-state uses	195	(36)
Creditive uses	195	(13)
Dubitative uses	208	(1)
Volitional uses	209	(17)
Emotive uses	226	(5)
Modal uses	231	(30)
Introduction	231	(4)
Epistemic uses	235	(9)
Deontic uses	244	(7)
Dynamic uses	251	(10)
Eventive uses	261	(14)
Introduction	261	(1)
General eventive uses	262	(4)
Specific eventive uses	266	(4)
Attitudinal eventive uses	270	(5)
Circumstantial uses	275	(17)
Introduction	275	(2)
General circumstantial uses	277	(2)
Specific circumstantial uses	279	(13)
Summary of Part II	292	(9)
Part III Functions of shell nouns	301	(80)
Introduction to Part III	303	(5)
Semantic functions	308	(21)
The characterizing potential inherent in shell nouns	308	(9)
Characterization expressed by premodifiers	317	(12)
Pragmatic, rhetorical and textual functions	329	(31)
Focusing and topicalizing	329	(10)
Linking	339	(10)
Signposting	349	(11)
Cognitive functions	360	(17)
Conceptual partitioning	360	(3)
Reifying and hypostatizing	363	(7)
Integrating	370	(7)
Conclusion and outlook	377	(4)
Appendix	381	(28)
Notes	409	(12)
References	421	(22)
Index of shell nouns	443	(10)
Index of subjects	453