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ERIC Number: ED102607
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1973-Oct
Pages: 12
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Generative Semantics and Dialect Geography.
Ney, James W.
An extrinsic relationship between generative semantics and dialect geography should be exploited because contemporary transformational grammarians have too easily ignored the work of the dialectologist and have been too readily satisfied with what might be called armchair evidence. The work of the dialect geographers needs to be taken into account. The "Linguistic Atlas of New England" cites several examples of varying constructions which have the same meaning, e.g., 23 synonymous expressions for, "He died." Another type of problematic structure unearthed by dialect geographers is that in which a single surface representation has two possible semantic interpretations, such as, "He takes after his father." There are also many cases of synonymity or partial synonymity that dialect geographers have discovered, such as the way informants distinguish "stone" from "rock." In some instances, evidence shows informants not distinguishing words in meaning but in use as in the difference between "sunset" and "sundown." The differing linguistic phenomena described by dialectologists will have to be considered by generative semanticists in their analysis of English. (HOD)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A