Australian Journal of Linguistics

Vol. 15, no. 1 (1995)

Articles

Epistememes in Australian languages	Ilana Mushin	1-31
Interpersonal meaning, persuasion and public discourse: Packing semiotic punch	J. R. Martin	33-67
The semantics of the noun-focused metaphor in Russian	Anna D. Mostovaia	69-90
Hyphens and final vowels in Arandic orthographies	Gavan Breen & Jenny Green	91-94

Book reviews

Lexical and conceptual analysis (Beth Levin and Steven Pinker, editors)	Cliff Goddard	95-97
The subject of speech perception: An analysis of the philosophical foundations of the Information-Processing model (Helen Fraser)	Keith Allan	97-100
Semantics, culture, and cognition: Universal human concepts in culture-specific configurations (Anna Wierzbicka)	K. J. Franklin	100-103
Approaches to discourse (Deborah Schiffrin)	Susanne Döpke	103-105
Negative and positive polarity: A binding approach (L. Progovac)	Elizabeth Pearce	105-108
English auxiliaries: Structure and history (Anthony R. Warner)	Kate Burridge	108-114
Ergativity (R. M. W. Dixon)	Jean Mulder	114-120

Shorter notices

Gunin/Kwini (William B. McGregor)	Mark Harvey	121
Samoan reference grammar (Ulrike Mosel & Even Hovdhaugen)	William A. Foley	122

Abstracts

Epistememes in Australian languages

Ilana Mushin

Abstract: This paper presents a typology of a class of forms traditionally called 'interrogatives' or 'interrogative/indefinites' in descriptive grammars of Australian languages. The analysis of the meanings and functions of these forms is based on the notion, first espoused in Durie (1985), that there exists a coherent closed word class, here called 'epistememe', whose function is to categorize types of knowledge and whose use is based on contexts where knowledge is at issue. A corpus of epistememe forms in twenty-six Australian languages is used to examine the nature of the epistememe class in this language family. It is shown that there is a significant amount of cross-linguistic similarity in the grammatical properties, the categories of knowledge that are encoded, and the functions of the epistememe class. The range of data and the degree of cross-linguistic regularity suggest that there is much more to be said concerning the linguistic properties of the epistememe class in Australian languages. However, further understanding of its nature can only be achieved when description and analysis of its properties are given a greater priority in the Australian descriptive tradition.

Interpersonal meaning, persuasion and public discourse: Packing semiotic punch

J. R. Martin

Abstract: This paper considers the discursive deployment of modality in one public text, with a view to outlining the significance of grammatical metaphor as resource for expanding the meaning potential that can be brought to bear on the modal assessment of English propositions and proposals. The implications of this interpretation of interpersonal meaning for critical social literacy in Australian schools is subsequently discussed with reference to two pieces of expository writing from a senior secondary school context.

The semantics of the noun-focused metaphor in Russian

Anna D. Mostovaia

Abstract: Possible interpretations of noun-focused metaphors in Russian are investigated in connection with their syntax. It is shown that grammatical constructions used to phrase noun-focused metaphors in Russian have distinct meanings.

Last update: 30 April 2000
Comments to Tim Curnow