Relational Semantics and the Anatomy of Abstraction (Routledge Studies in Linguistics)

This book presents a study of meaning relations, linking the philosophical tradition of conceptual analysis with recent theories and methodologies in cognitive semantics. Its main concern is the extent to which analyzing meaning relations between cognate words reveal the infrastructure of the actual and mental lexicon, assuming that language mirrors thought. Sovran aims to elucidate their infrastructure and the metaphorical and perceptual models that constitute abstract concepts, dealing finally with the role of abstraction in poetic metaphors. Overall, this volume addresses major contemporary issues in the philosophy of language and theoretical semantics. Dedication 6 Contents 8 List of Figures 10 Acknowledgments 12 1 Introduction 14 2 Background and Method 23 3 Similarity 34 4 Difference 60 5 Negativity 78 6 Truth 96 7 Norm 110 8 Abstraction and Poetic Metaphor 136 9 Conclusion 164 Notes 168 References 178 Index 194 Machine Generated Contents Note: 1.introduction -- 2.background And Method -- 3.similarity -- 4.difference -- 5.negativity -- 6.truth -- 7.norm -- 8.abstraction And Poetic Metaphor -- 9.conclusion. Tamar Sovran. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.