UNIVERSITY UNIVERSAL FUNDAMENTALS AND ESSENTIALS

Introduction

Text writers do not go about things in exactly the same way. We are motivated in different ways. We are inspired in different ways. We have our own reasons why prioritize certain language images or ideas.

SECTION I

The idea of predication and reference; nouns, noun groups, predicates.

Noun Substitution

Understanding thought provides insight into what shapes our thought,

a form of insightful self-understanding that opens up a particular form of freedom. J. Anderson

1.1. COMMENTARIES AND EXPLANATIONS

1.1.1. Naming things: we name, call, give a name to, dub, label, term, be referred to as, title / entitle, identify, specify, denominate, denote, designate, indicate, modify or typify.

“ The most basic entities of our thoughts are the ones named by nouns – our concepts of people, things, and stuff. Nouns are the easiest words to identify across languages, are usually the first words learned by babies, and the labels of the most stable and best understood human concepts.” (D. Gentner, S.Pinker).

What kinds of words are most important for understanding and communicating? Do you think they are nouns? Can we really communicate uttering nouns only? At first sight it seems quite possible to us because an utterance like “A problem?” is very common in communication. Consider the following example:

“My car? So much hassle! Insurance, tax, repairs.”

At first glance it confirms the possibility of using just nouns for conveying a message. On second thought we realize that the string of nouns is formed by skipping some words that give information about the things being talked about. In the course of our further work we will call them predicates. If we try to restore the predicates missed out in our example we might get something like:

Do you want to know what I think about my car? Oh, it gives so much hassle! I have to buy insurance, pay tax and make repairs.

Thus, we actually do not just or even mainly restore the skipped predicates although we might. We retrieve them trying to find suitable options which can be varying.

Don’t ask me about my car! I’ve got so much hassle because of it. Insurance is pretty expensive, to say nothing of high tax and minor repairs.

So, when we try to bring the skipped predicates back we rely on our knowledge and understanding of the issue at stake (the context) and join things up by the force of our intellect. The more common the situation is and the more established the collocations are, the fewer options we consider. If the circumstances are common enough, the main meaning is usually clear despite a possible variance in the actual word choice. Analyzing the example given above we understand that the speaker finds his or her car a problem rather that a convenience. The things mentioned – insurance, tax, repairs – cluster about the idea of “car” dubbed as “hassle”. The nouns mentioned are often used in particular combinations. That is, they form common collocations: have (got) hassle, buy insurance, pay tax, make repairs. These vary depending on the speaker’s preference: (My car) hassles me. I am to have insurance on my car. I have to carry out (do) repairs. But the gist does not change noticeably. Taken out of context nouns pronounced can refer to various facts and consequently do not always convey a precise meaning. For instance a scrap of conversation like “…the order …”, “…fashion …”, … spider…” or “… tape…” , though referring to a class of individual objects, will hardly make any sense to you - you don’t know what it is all about.

Conclusion. Words that normally make sense in the framework of predication are either expressed by particular words or implied by meaningful omission..