LINGUIST List 10.256

Wed Feb 17 1999

Qs: Trendy language, Logophoric pronouns

Editor for this issue: Brett Churchill <brettlinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. KLiNg0n, trendy things that influenced everyday English
2. saint-pierre, Query: quotations and reference

Dear subscribers, 

I posted a query some days ago about the effect of 
computer/internet use of language on everyday English.
(Which is still relevant.) I have a second question now: 
I wonder if anyone knows of any works that describe
how popular, trendy things, important historical or 
cultural events influenced general, everyday use of 
English in the past and/or provides factual information 
on this subject.

My email address is: stornofido.hu

Thank you, 

Attila

Dear linguists,

I am currently working on my MA thesis, which is about the verb for
'say' in Fongbe.
In this language, there are logophoric pronouns. One could say that
their use is to disambiguate the reference in quotations introduced by
'say':

 e do e na wa
 he say he IRR come
 'he(i) says he(j) will come'

 e do emi na wa
 he say LOG IRR come
 'he(i) says he(i) will come'

Now, in english, when the subjects of both the main and the subordinate
clause are of the same form, we have an ambiguity, which is absent in
direct quotations (where reference must be disjoint):

 John(i) says (that) he(i/j) will come

 John(i) says : 'He(*i/j) will come'

Has any work been done (in any field) about the difference in the
interpretation of pronouns between direct and indirect quotatoins? I
know Davidson and Partee worked on quotatoins, but they didn't seem to
mention anything about how reference behaves in these contexts...
My email is r36530er.uqam.ca. I'll post a summary of the answers.

Thank you

Olivier Tardif
dpartement de linguistique
Universit du Qubec Montral