Evaluative Semantics - Cognition, Language and Ideology

Evaluation, from connotations to complex judgements of value, is probably the most neglected dimension of meaning. Calling for a new understanding of truth and value, this book is a comprehensive study of evaluation in natural language, at lexical, syntactic and discursive levels. Jean Pierre Malrieu explores the cognitive foundations of evaluation and uses connectionist networks to model evaluative processes. He takes into account the social dimension of evaluation, showing that ideological contexts account for evaluative variability. A discussion of compositionality and opacity leads to the argument that a semantics of evaluation has some key advantages over truth-conditional semantics and as an example Malrieu applies his evaluative semantics to a complex Shakespeare text. His connectionist model yields a mathematical estimation of the consistency of text with ideology, and is particularly useful in the identification of subtle rhetorical devices such as irony.

List of contents

Introduction  1. Ideology and Discourse  2. Evaluation and Cognition 3 . Interpretative Shortcuts  4. Evaluative Semantics  5. Semantic Networks and Discourse Representation  6. Styled Semantic Networks  7. Dynamic Semantic Networks  8. Evaluation and Rhetorical Attitudes.  Conclusion

About the author

Jean-Pierre Malrieu

Summary

This is the first comprehensive study of evaluative phenomena, from connotations to judgement of value, in language and discourse. It explores the cognitive foundations of evaluation, and emphasises its social dimension.

Product details

• Authors: Jean-Pierre Malrieu, Malrieu Jean-Pierre
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 03.05.2013
• EAN: 9780415647588
• ISBN: 978-0-415-64758-8
• No. of pages: 328
• Series: Frontiers of Cognitive Science
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative linguistics; Sociology, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / General, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General, Social groups, Cognition & cognitive psychology, Psychological theory, systems, schools and viewpoints, Psychological theory & schools of thought, Cognition and cognitive psychology, Social groups, communities and identities