Simon Hornblower
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199249190
- eISBN:
- 9780191719424
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199249190.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This part of the book demonstrates an intertextual relationship between the prose of Thucydides and the poetry of Pindar and Bacchylides. This chapter attempts to justify the procedures followed, and ...
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This part of the book demonstrates an intertextual relationship between the prose of Thucydides and the poetry of Pindar and Bacchylides. This chapter attempts to justify the procedures followed, and addresses possible objections.Less
This part of the book demonstrates an intertextual relationship between the prose of Thucydides and the poetry of Pindar and Bacchylides. This chapter attempts to justify the procedures followed, and addresses possible objections.
Adrienne Lehrer
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195307931
- eISBN:
- 9780199867493
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195307931.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Theoretical Linguistics
The vocabulary of wine is large and exceptionally vibrant—from straight-forward descriptive words like “sweet” and “fragrant”, colorful metaphors like “ostentatious” and “brash”, to the more ...
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The vocabulary of wine is large and exceptionally vibrant—from straight-forward descriptive words like “sweet” and “fragrant”, colorful metaphors like “ostentatious” and “brash”, to the more technical lexicon of biochemistry. The world of wine vocabulary is growing alongside the current popularity of wine itself, particularly as new words are employed by professional wine writers, who not only want to write interesting prose, but avoid repetition and cliché. The question is: what do these words mean? Can they actually reflect the objective characteristics of wine, and can two drinkers really use and understand these words in the same way? This book explores whether or not wine drinkers (both novices and experts) can in fact understand wine words in the same way. The conclusion, based on experimental results, is no. Even though experts do somewhat better than novices in some experiments, they tend to do well only on wines on which they are carefully trained and/or with which they are very familiar. Does this mean that the elaborate language we use to describe wine is essentially a charade? This book shows that although scientific wine writing requires a precise and shared use of language, drinking wine and talking about it in casual, informal setting with friends is different, and the conversational goals include social bonding as well as communicating information about the wine. The book also shows how language innovation and language play, clearly seen in the names of new wines and wineries, as well as wine descriptors, is yet another influence on the burgeoning and sometimes whimsical world of wine vocabulary.Less
The vocabulary of wine is large and exceptionally vibrant—from straight-forward descriptive words like “sweet” and “fragrant”, colorful metaphors like “ostentatious” and “brash”, to the more technical lexicon of biochemistry. The world of wine vocabulary is growing alongside the current popularity of wine itself, particularly as new words are employed by professional wine writers, who not only want to write interesting prose, but avoid repetition and cliché. The question is: what do these words mean? Can they actually reflect the objective characteristics of wine, and can two drinkers really use and understand these words in the same way? This book explores whether or not wine drinkers (both novices and experts) can in fact understand wine words in the same way. The conclusion, based on experimental results, is no. Even though experts do somewhat better than novices in some experiments, they tend to do well only on wines on which they are carefully trained and/or with which they are very familiar. Does this mean that the elaborate language we use to describe wine is essentially a charade? This book shows that although scientific wine writing requires a precise and shared use of language, drinking wine and talking about it in casual, informal setting with friends is different, and the conversational goals include social bonding as well as communicating information about the wine. The book also shows how language innovation and language play, clearly seen in the names of new wines and wineries, as well as wine descriptors, is yet another influence on the burgeoning and sometimes whimsical world of wine vocabulary.
Robert B. Brandom
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199542871
- eISBN:
- 9780191715662
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199542871.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Language
This book aims to reconcile pragmatism (in both its classical American and its Wittgensteinian forms) with analytic philosophy. It investigates relations between the meaning of linguistic expressions ...
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This book aims to reconcile pragmatism (in both its classical American and its Wittgensteinian forms) with analytic philosophy. It investigates relations between the meaning of linguistic expressions and their use. Giving due weight both to what one has to do in order to count as saying various things and to what one needs to say in order to specify those doings makes it possible to shed new light on the relations between semantics (the theory of the meanings of utterances and the contents of thoughts) and pragmatics (the theory of the functional relations among meaningful or contentful items). Among the vocabularies whose interrelated use and meaning are considered are: logical, indexical, modal, normative, and intentional vocabulary. As the argument proceeds, new ways of thinking about the classical analytic core programs of empiricism, naturalism, and functionalism are offered, as well as novel insights about the ideas of artificial intelligence, the nature of logic, and intentional relations between subjects and objects.Less
This book aims to reconcile pragmatism (in both its classical American and its Wittgensteinian forms) with analytic philosophy. It investigates relations between the meaning of linguistic expressions and their use. Giving due weight both to what one has to do in order to count as saying various things and to what one needs to say in order to specify those doings makes it possible to shed new light on the relations between semantics (the theory of the meanings of utterances and the contents of thoughts) and pragmatics (the theory of the functional relations among meaningful or contentful items). Among the vocabularies whose interrelated use and meaning are considered are: logical, indexical, modal, normative, and intentional vocabulary. As the argument proceeds, new ways of thinking about the classical analytic core programs of empiricism, naturalism, and functionalism are offered, as well as novel insights about the ideas of artificial intelligence, the nature of logic, and intentional relations between subjects and objects.
Kerwin LeeKlein
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520268814
- eISBN:
- 9780520948297
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520268814.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Historiography
This book describes major changes in the conceptual language of the humanities, particularly in the discourse of history. The chapters trace the development of academic vocabularies through the ...
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This book describes major changes in the conceptual language of the humanities, particularly in the discourse of history. The chapters trace the development of academic vocabularies through the dynamically shifting cultural, political, and linguistic landscapes of the twentieth century. It considers the rise and fall of the “philosophy of history” and discusses past attempts to imbue historical discourse with scientific precision. The book explores the development of the “meta-narrative” and the post-Marxist view of history and shows how the present resurgence of old words—such as “memory”—in new contexts is providing a way to address marginalized peoples. In analyzing linguistic changes in the North American academy, this book ties semantic shifts in academic discourse to key trends in American society, culture, and politics.Less
This book describes major changes in the conceptual language of the humanities, particularly in the discourse of history. The chapters trace the development of academic vocabularies through the dynamically shifting cultural, political, and linguistic landscapes of the twentieth century. It considers the rise and fall of the “philosophy of history” and discusses past attempts to imbue historical discourse with scientific precision. The book explores the development of the “meta-narrative” and the post-Marxist view of history and shows how the present resurgence of old words—such as “memory”—in new contexts is providing a way to address marginalized peoples. In analyzing linguistic changes in the North American academy, this book ties semantic shifts in academic discourse to key trends in American society, culture, and politics.
P. M. Fraser
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197264287
- eISBN:
- 9780191753978
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264287.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This volume is a contribution to the study of the ancient Greek vocabulary used to describe the local origins of individuals. It sheds light on ancient grammarians, and other ancient writers (many of ...
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This volume is a contribution to the study of the ancient Greek vocabulary used to describe the local origins of individuals. It sheds light on ancient grammarians, and other ancient writers (many of them ‘lost’ in the sense that they survive only in quotations in later sources). At the heart of the volume is a study of the sources that lie behind an enigmatic treatise, which survives only in epitome: the Ethnika of the grammarian Stephanus of Byzantium. This supplement to the Lexicon of Greek Personal Names is the final work of its founding editor (d. 2007).Less
This volume is a contribution to the study of the ancient Greek vocabulary used to describe the local origins of individuals. It sheds light on ancient grammarians, and other ancient writers (many of them ‘lost’ in the sense that they survive only in quotations in later sources). At the heart of the volume is a study of the sources that lie behind an enigmatic treatise, which survives only in epitome: the Ethnika of the grammarian Stephanus of Byzantium. This supplement to the Lexicon of Greek Personal Names is the final work of its founding editor (d. 2007).
Verena M. Lepper
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780197265420
- eISBN:
- 9780191760471
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265420.003.0011
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter discusses the genre and style of Ancient Egyptian literature. Through the application of lexicostatistics, it analyses a total of fifty texts. Having examined the vocabulary size of ...
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This chapter discusses the genre and style of Ancient Egyptian literature. Through the application of lexicostatistics, it analyses a total of fifty texts. Having examined the vocabulary size of Middle Egyptian narratives, Late Egyptian narratives, speeches, and dialogues, the texts under investigation are grouped into genres such as ‘religious texts’, ‘artful prose’, ‘poetry’, ‘teachings’, and so on. On the basis of texts existing in several copies, it becomes apparent that a text maintains a constant vocabulary richness independent of its length. Each copy therefore facilitates the determination of the genre of a text. Furthermore, the language of a text (Middle or Late Egyptian) proves not to be decisive for the vocabulary richness of a text, but rather it is genre that is indicative. The chapter also investigates the question of the practical function of texts, which can best be detected during experimental reading.Less
This chapter discusses the genre and style of Ancient Egyptian literature. Through the application of lexicostatistics, it analyses a total of fifty texts. Having examined the vocabulary size of Middle Egyptian narratives, Late Egyptian narratives, speeches, and dialogues, the texts under investigation are grouped into genres such as ‘religious texts’, ‘artful prose’, ‘poetry’, ‘teachings’, and so on. On the basis of texts existing in several copies, it becomes apparent that a text maintains a constant vocabulary richness independent of its length. Each copy therefore facilitates the determination of the genre of a text. Furthermore, the language of a text (Middle or Late Egyptian) proves not to be decisive for the vocabulary richness of a text, but rather it is genre that is indicative. The chapter also investigates the question of the practical function of texts, which can best be detected during experimental reading.
Maggie Tallerman
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199545872
- eISBN:
- 9780191720369
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199545872.003.0010
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics, Psycholinguistics / Neurolinguistics / Cognitive Linguistics
The human mental lexicon is the repository of many tens of thousands of distinct vocabulary items, and of stored information about their word classes and their selectional and subcategorization ...
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The human mental lexicon is the repository of many tens of thousands of distinct vocabulary items, and of stored information about their word classes and their selectional and subcategorization requirements. Even in its simplest form — before the syntactic capacity emerges — the lexicon requires a number of distinctive characteristics to have evolved, such as the ability to link an abstract symbol to the concept it represents, the ability to retrieve lexical items from storage quickly, and for that retrieval to be under voluntary control. This chapter investigates the origins of some of the basic features of the lexicon, focusing on the prerequisites for the production and comprehension of a simple protolanguage. It proposes that a word-based lexicon evolved by building on ancient conceptual categories which are likely shared by many primates. This lexicon also utilized a pre-existing semantic organization, and built on the hierarchical structure already in place in primate cognition.Less
The human mental lexicon is the repository of many tens of thousands of distinct vocabulary items, and of stored information about their word classes and their selectional and subcategorization requirements. Even in its simplest form — before the syntactic capacity emerges — the lexicon requires a number of distinctive characteristics to have evolved, such as the ability to link an abstract symbol to the concept it represents, the ability to retrieve lexical items from storage quickly, and for that retrieval to be under voluntary control. This chapter investigates the origins of some of the basic features of the lexicon, focusing on the prerequisites for the production and comprehension of a simple protolanguage. It proposes that a word-based lexicon evolved by building on ancient conceptual categories which are likely shared by many primates. This lexicon also utilized a pre-existing semantic organization, and built on the hierarchical structure already in place in primate cognition.
Peter van der Veer
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691128146
- eISBN:
- 9781400848553
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691128146.003.0004
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology
This chapter looks at conversion to Christianity and the impact of missionary movements in India and China. Christian missionaries have played a major role in the creation of modern vocabularies and ...
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This chapter looks at conversion to Christianity and the impact of missionary movements in India and China. Christian missionaries have played a major role in the creation of modern vocabularies and modern attitudes in India and China. Reform movements, but also popular resistance movements, derive much of their discourse from Christianity. The chapter traces the missionary project in India and China in the nineteenth century, and emphasizes the imperial and anti-imperial aspects of it in contrast to the earlier Jesuit efforts in China and India. The main argument is that Christian missionaries played an extraordinary role in setting things in motion in education and medicine, but most importantly in anti-imperialist protonationalism within a range of non-Christian reform movements.Less
This chapter looks at conversion to Christianity and the impact of missionary movements in India and China. Christian missionaries have played a major role in the creation of modern vocabularies and modern attitudes in India and China. Reform movements, but also popular resistance movements, derive much of their discourse from Christianity. The chapter traces the missionary project in India and China in the nineteenth century, and emphasizes the imperial and anti-imperial aspects of it in contrast to the earlier Jesuit efforts in China and India. The main argument is that Christian missionaries played an extraordinary role in setting things in motion in education and medicine, but most importantly in anti-imperialist protonationalism within a range of non-Christian reform movements.
Edwin L. Battistella
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195367126
- eISBN:
- 9780199867356
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195367126.003.0006
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
Chapter 6 continues the survey of the self‐correcting course focusing on socially significant aspect of grammar, as well as vocabulary and reading. The chapter includes more sample material.
Chapter 6 continues the survey of the self‐correcting course focusing on socially significant aspect of grammar, as well as vocabulary and reading. The chapter includes more sample material.
P. M. Fraser
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197264287
- eISBN:
- 9780191753978
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264287.003.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This introductory chapter surveys the various meanings given to the two terms ἔθνος and γένος in documentary and literary usage. It aims to enable the reader to follow the detailed analysis of ...
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This introductory chapter surveys the various meanings given to the two terms ἔθνος and γένος in documentary and literary usage. It aims to enable the reader to follow the detailed analysis of selected parts of the text of Stephanus and the associated aspects of ancient Greek concepts of ethnicity, in practice and in theory.Less
This introductory chapter surveys the various meanings given to the two terms ἔθνος and γένος in documentary and literary usage. It aims to enable the reader to follow the detailed analysis of selected parts of the text of Stephanus and the associated aspects of ancient Greek concepts of ethnicity, in practice and in theory.
Nicholas Sims-Williams
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197262856
- eISBN:
- 9780191753961
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197262856.003.0011
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
During the last ten years the corpus of Bactrian texts has increased dramatically. The dates of the Bactrian documents range from 342 to 781 a.d., a span of more than four centuries extending through ...
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During the last ten years the corpus of Bactrian texts has increased dramatically. The dates of the Bactrian documents range from 342 to 781 a.d., a span of more than four centuries extending through the Kushano-Sasanian, Kidarite, Hephthalite, and Turkish periods, well into Islamic times. Apart from a few unidentifiable fragments and texts of uncertain type, the new Bactrian documents may be divided into four groups: (i) legal documents such as contracts and receipts; (ii) lists and accounts; (iii) letters; and (iv) Buddhist texts. As a result of these new finds, the corpus of Bactrian available for study is now much larger-perhaps as much as a hundred times larger—than it was ten years ago. Our knowledge of the Bactrian lexicon has increased correspondingly, perhaps by three or four times. This chapter examines this enlarged Bactrian vocabulary for linguistic data in the form of names and titles, loanwords and calques, in which one may hope to identify traces of the languages of the many peoples who held sway in Bactria during the course of its long and turbulent history.Less
During the last ten years the corpus of Bactrian texts has increased dramatically. The dates of the Bactrian documents range from 342 to 781 a.d., a span of more than four centuries extending through the Kushano-Sasanian, Kidarite, Hephthalite, and Turkish periods, well into Islamic times. Apart from a few unidentifiable fragments and texts of uncertain type, the new Bactrian documents may be divided into four groups: (i) legal documents such as contracts and receipts; (ii) lists and accounts; (iii) letters; and (iv) Buddhist texts. As a result of these new finds, the corpus of Bactrian available for study is now much larger-perhaps as much as a hundred times larger—than it was ten years ago. Our knowledge of the Bactrian lexicon has increased correspondingly, perhaps by three or four times. This chapter examines this enlarged Bactrian vocabulary for linguistic data in the form of names and titles, loanwords and calques, in which one may hope to identify traces of the languages of the many peoples who held sway in Bactria during the course of its long and turbulent history.
O.Von Hinüber
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197262856
- eISBN:
- 9780191753961
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197262856.003.0007
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter analyses the problems associated with Buddhist Sanskrit vocabulary. The obvious reason for these problems is the well-known linguistic diversity that prevailed in the vast area of India ...
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This chapter analyses the problems associated with Buddhist Sanskrit vocabulary. The obvious reason for these problems is the well-known linguistic diversity that prevailed in the vast area of India in ancient times as it does today. The first to experience them were most likely the early Buddhist monks, when they propagated their faith and tried to make themselves understood beyond Magadha, the original home of Buddhism, and then in the course of time even beyond India. These problems were gradually exported from India, as Buddhists in Central Asia and finally in China started to struggle with strange Sanskrit — or even worse Gāndhārī — words in their attempt to translate new and alien concepts into Chinese and other languages.Less
This chapter analyses the problems associated with Buddhist Sanskrit vocabulary. The obvious reason for these problems is the well-known linguistic diversity that prevailed in the vast area of India in ancient times as it does today. The first to experience them were most likely the early Buddhist monks, when they propagated their faith and tried to make themselves understood beyond Magadha, the original home of Buddhism, and then in the course of time even beyond India. These problems were gradually exported from India, as Buddhists in Central Asia and finally in China started to struggle with strange Sanskrit — or even worse Gāndhārī — words in their attempt to translate new and alien concepts into Chinese and other languages.
Richard Ashdowne and Carolinne White (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780197266083
- eISBN:
- 9780191851476
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197266083.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History
This collection considers key issues arising from the use of Medieval Latin in Britain from the 6th to 16th centuries. Although in this period Anglo-Latin was not the native language of its users, it ...
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This collection considers key issues arising from the use of Medieval Latin in Britain from the 6th to 16th centuries. Although in this period Anglo-Latin was not the native language of its users, it was nevertheless used extensively for a wide variety of functions from religion, literature, and philosophy to record-keeping and correspondence. It existed alongside a number of everyday native spoken languages, including English, Anglo-Norman French, and Welsh. The chapters examine Latin with regard to the many multilingual contexts in which it was used, looking beyond narrow comparisons with its Roman ancestor to see what medieval users did with Latin and the diverse effects this had on the language. The fifteen chapters are divided into three parts. The first part considers important examples of Latin usage in Britain during four successive periods, pre-Conquest, the 12th, long-14th, and 15th and 16th centuries. In the second part, examples of different spheres of use are examined, including the law, the church, music, and science (and its assimilation of Arabic). In the final part the use of Latin is considered alongside the many native languages of medieval Britain, looking at how the languages had different roles and how they influenced each other. In all the many contexts in which Latin was used, its use reveals continuity matched with adaptation to circumstance, not least in the development of new vocabulary for the language. Between these two poles users of Latin steered a course that suited their own needs and those of their intended audience.Less
This collection considers key issues arising from the use of Medieval Latin in Britain from the 6th to 16th centuries. Although in this period Anglo-Latin was not the native language of its users, it was nevertheless used extensively for a wide variety of functions from religion, literature, and philosophy to record-keeping and correspondence. It existed alongside a number of everyday native spoken languages, including English, Anglo-Norman French, and Welsh. The chapters examine Latin with regard to the many multilingual contexts in which it was used, looking beyond narrow comparisons with its Roman ancestor to see what medieval users did with Latin and the diverse effects this had on the language. The fifteen chapters are divided into three parts. The first part considers important examples of Latin usage in Britain during four successive periods, pre-Conquest, the 12th, long-14th, and 15th and 16th centuries. In the second part, examples of different spheres of use are examined, including the law, the church, music, and science (and its assimilation of Arabic). In the final part the use of Latin is considered alongside the many native languages of medieval Britain, looking at how the languages had different roles and how they influenced each other. In all the many contexts in which Latin was used, its use reveals continuity matched with adaptation to circumstance, not least in the development of new vocabulary for the language. Between these two poles users of Latin steered a course that suited their own needs and those of their intended audience.
Anna J. Clark
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199226825
- eISBN:
- 9780191710278
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199226825.003.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter introduces divine qualities, contexts in which they are found, and ways in which they can constitute a helpful lens for understanding how Romans thought about themselves. It explains the ...
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This chapter introduces divine qualities, contexts in which they are found, and ways in which they can constitute a helpful lens for understanding how Romans thought about themselves. It explains the terms in which they are explored in the rest of the book. They are thought of as a congnitive vocabulary, individual elements of which are situated in the overlap between religion and qualities associated with Romans. The forms in which divine qualities were expressed in Rome (statues, temples, festival days, coins, dramas) were resources that themselves constituted and created opportunities to engage with each quality. This gives us insights into processes by which individuals and groups forged conceptions of community. The chapter emphasizes the fluidity of any boundary between divine qualities, other qualities, and other deities, and explains both the choice of label ‘divine quality’ and the decision to represent divine qualities in small capitals (pietas).Less
This chapter introduces divine qualities, contexts in which they are found, and ways in which they can constitute a helpful lens for understanding how Romans thought about themselves. It explains the terms in which they are explored in the rest of the book. They are thought of as a congnitive vocabulary, individual elements of which are situated in the overlap between religion and qualities associated with Romans. The forms in which divine qualities were expressed in Rome (statues, temples, festival days, coins, dramas) were resources that themselves constituted and created opportunities to engage with each quality. This gives us insights into processes by which individuals and groups forged conceptions of community. The chapter emphasizes the fluidity of any boundary between divine qualities, other qualities, and other deities, and explains both the choice of label ‘divine quality’ and the decision to represent divine qualities in small capitals (pietas).
H. M. Hine
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263327
- eISBN:
- 9780191734168
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263327.003.0010
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Prose and Writers: Classical, Early, and Medieval
Seneca used poetic vocabulary in his prose. Such statements seem ultimately to be based on the work of Summers and Bourgery. The work of Summers is the best short introduction to Seneca’s prose ...
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Seneca used poetic vocabulary in his prose. Such statements seem ultimately to be based on the work of Summers and Bourgery. The work of Summers is the best short introduction to Seneca’s prose style. Bourgery spread his net rather more widely than Summers, listing first phrases in Seneca’s prose that are reminiscences of specific passages of earlier Latin poets. Five general observations on the methodology used by Summers and Bourgery are shown. The chapter also takes account of these observations as it first revisits the approach of Summers and Bourgery, and then shows how different approaches can be used to look for poetic elements in Seneca’s prose. The categories of word, namely (1) words absent from both Cicero’s and Seneca’s prose, (2) words whose absence from Seneca’s prose is probably accidental, (3) words that are common in earlier prose but not found in Seneca’s prose, and (4) words mainly found in poetry, but also in Cicero’s prose, are described. There have been a number of predominantly poetic words that are used by Cicero in his prose, but not by Seneca in his; and it is seen how genre and context are important for understanding Cicero’s uses of these words.Less
Seneca used poetic vocabulary in his prose. Such statements seem ultimately to be based on the work of Summers and Bourgery. The work of Summers is the best short introduction to Seneca’s prose style. Bourgery spread his net rather more widely than Summers, listing first phrases in Seneca’s prose that are reminiscences of specific passages of earlier Latin poets. Five general observations on the methodology used by Summers and Bourgery are shown. The chapter also takes account of these observations as it first revisits the approach of Summers and Bourgery, and then shows how different approaches can be used to look for poetic elements in Seneca’s prose. The categories of word, namely (1) words absent from both Cicero’s and Seneca’s prose, (2) words whose absence from Seneca’s prose is probably accidental, (3) words that are common in earlier prose but not found in Seneca’s prose, and (4) words mainly found in poetry, but also in Cicero’s prose, are described. There have been a number of predominantly poetic words that are used by Cicero in his prose, but not by Seneca in his; and it is seen how genre and context are important for understanding Cicero’s uses of these words.
José-Luis García Ramón
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197264126
- eISBN:
- 9780191734632
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264126.003.0004
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter examines the Greek lexicon and Thessalian personal names. It provides an overview of personal names according to the current conventional classification and a more detailed analysis of ...
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This chapter examines the Greek lexicon and Thessalian personal names. It provides an overview of personal names according to the current conventional classification and a more detailed analysis of some nicknames belonging to a variety of concrete semantic groups that will cast light on the Greek lexicon in Thessaly. The chapter highlights the richness and variety of Thessaly's contribution in providing information about the Greek lexicon and suggests that some lexical items transmitted only by Glosses which turned out to be real in the light of the latent vocabulary from which Thessalian names were derived.Less
This chapter examines the Greek lexicon and Thessalian personal names. It provides an overview of personal names according to the current conventional classification and a more detailed analysis of some nicknames belonging to a variety of concrete semantic groups that will cast light on the Greek lexicon in Thessaly. The chapter highlights the richness and variety of Thessaly's contribution in providing information about the Greek lexicon and suggests that some lexical items transmitted only by Glosses which turned out to be real in the light of the latent vocabulary from which Thessalian names were derived.
Duane F. Alwin and Julianna Pacheco
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691133317
- eISBN:
- 9781400845569
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691133317.003.0013
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Research and Statistics
This chapter examines trends in adults' performance on a 10-item vocabulary battery administered within the General Social Survey (GSS). Measured ability remained relatively steady over time. This ...
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This chapter examines trends in adults' performance on a 10-item vocabulary battery administered within the General Social Survey (GSS). Measured ability remained relatively steady over time. This stability reflects the confluence of two offsetting trends: lower baseline vocabulary knowledge among adults in post-World War II birth cohorts counterbalances achievement gains attributable to their greater schooling. The intricate analysis here assesses two explanations for apparent cohort-related drops in verbal knowledge—that the GSS vocabulary test became more difficult because its words grew obsolete and that the drops reflect population aging rather than cohort-related differences. The chapter concludes that little evidence supports either account and suggests that vocabulary declines in postwar cohorts reflect their family and school experiences as well as the selective survival of higher-ability adults.Less
This chapter examines trends in adults' performance on a 10-item vocabulary battery administered within the General Social Survey (GSS). Measured ability remained relatively steady over time. This stability reflects the confluence of two offsetting trends: lower baseline vocabulary knowledge among adults in post-World War II birth cohorts counterbalances achievement gains attributable to their greater schooling. The intricate analysis here assesses two explanations for apparent cohort-related drops in verbal knowledge—that the GSS vocabulary test became more difficult because its words grew obsolete and that the drops reflect population aging rather than cohort-related differences. The chapter concludes that little evidence supports either account and suggests that vocabulary declines in postwar cohorts reflect their family and school experiences as well as the selective survival of higher-ability adults.
Edwin L. Battistella
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195172485
- eISBN:
- 9780199788187
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195172485.003.0004
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
This chapter explores the relativity of vocabulary choice. Its main goals are both to examine how some words are bad, and to reinforce the view that effective usage is less a matter of permanent ...
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This chapter explores the relativity of vocabulary choice. Its main goals are both to examine how some words are bad, and to reinforce the view that effective usage is less a matter of permanent fixed traditions than it is a matter of flexible and contextual conventions. Topics discussed include cursing in the media and the arts, offensive language, bad words as social construction, slang as bad language, and political correctness.Less
This chapter explores the relativity of vocabulary choice. Its main goals are both to examine how some words are bad, and to reinforce the view that effective usage is less a matter of permanent fixed traditions than it is a matter of flexible and contextual conventions. Topics discussed include cursing in the media and the arts, offensive language, bad words as social construction, slang as bad language, and political correctness.
David Manning
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195182392
- eISBN:
- 9780199851485
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195182392.003.0036
- Subject:
- Music, History, Western
Jean Sibelius defied tradition; indeed his harmonic vocabulary is in the direct line from Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert. It is because he has never deviated from the strait path that he is ...
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Jean Sibelius defied tradition; indeed his harmonic vocabulary is in the direct line from Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert. It is because he has never deviated from the strait path that he is truly original and will remain so when the 12-tone apostles have become mere commonplaces. Sibelius first achieved fame as a “popular” composer. Finlandia became a hymn tune, and Valse Triste was at one time played almost nightly by every restaurant band. Nowadays, Finlandia and Valse Triste are nearly forgotten and the symphonies obtain ever more adherents. Nevertheless, one must always remember that it was the same man, with the same outlook and the same mind, who wrote both Finlandia and the Fourth Symphony. Sibelius has his head and his heart in heaven, but his feet firmly planted on the ground. There is a popular element in all great music, and the music of Sibelius is no exception.Less
Jean Sibelius defied tradition; indeed his harmonic vocabulary is in the direct line from Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert. It is because he has never deviated from the strait path that he is truly original and will remain so when the 12-tone apostles have become mere commonplaces. Sibelius first achieved fame as a “popular” composer. Finlandia became a hymn tune, and Valse Triste was at one time played almost nightly by every restaurant band. Nowadays, Finlandia and Valse Triste are nearly forgotten and the symphonies obtain ever more adherents. Nevertheless, one must always remember that it was the same man, with the same outlook and the same mind, who wrote both Finlandia and the Fourth Symphony. Sibelius has his head and his heart in heaven, but his feet firmly planted on the ground. There is a popular element in all great music, and the music of Sibelius is no exception.
Jerome Neu
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195314311
- eISBN:
- 9780199871780
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195314311.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Language
Verbal dueling and imaginative vituperation can provide independent pleasure, as illustrated in Cyrano de Bergerac and by Shakespeare's rich exemplars and reflections on the practice of insults. ...
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Verbal dueling and imaginative vituperation can provide independent pleasure, as illustrated in Cyrano de Bergerac and by Shakespeare's rich exemplars and reflections on the practice of insults. There is a distinctive vocabulary of abuse, including profanities and vulgarities, but the precise meanings of the words (e.g. “macaca”) need not always be known in order for an insulting intention to be conveyed, manner is as important as matter. Words can also have a power that derives from their history and context of use. This raises issues of legal regulation, especially on the airwaves.Less
Verbal dueling and imaginative vituperation can provide independent pleasure, as illustrated in Cyrano de Bergerac and by Shakespeare's rich exemplars and reflections on the practice of insults. There is a distinctive vocabulary of abuse, including profanities and vulgarities, but the precise meanings of the words (e.g. “macaca”) need not always be known in order for an insulting intention to be conveyed, manner is as important as matter. Words can also have a power that derives from their history and context of use. This raises issues of legal regulation, especially on the airwaves.
