{"title":"Frege's triangle and Austin's square: the meaning and use of no-predicates in English","authors":"Rachel Szekely","doi":"10.1016/j.langsci.2025.101714","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper presents an analysis of <em>no</em> and <em>not</em> in English nominal copular sentences, couched in the speech-act theoretical framework original to J. L. Austin's “How to talk—Some simple ways” (1953/1989). I show that these negators differ in their speech act potential in this environment, and offer an explanation for the difference in meaning found in copular sentences containing them: the combination of the predicate nominal, analyzed as a Fregean concept, with <em>no</em>, results in a meaning that is distinct from nominal copular sentences occurring with <em>not</em>, and also different from the meaning found in sentences in which <em>no</em> combines with a nominal argument or in the postverbal position of the existential <em>there</em>-sentence. This work contributes to our understanding of the relationship between predication and negation and the interpretation and use of nominal predicates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51592,"journal":{"name":"Language Sciences","volume":"109 ","pages":"Article 101714"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Language Sciences","FirstCategoryId":"98","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0388000125000099","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"文学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This paper presents an analysis of no and not in English nominal copular sentences, couched in the speech-act theoretical framework original to J. L. Austin's “How to talk—Some simple ways” (1953/1989). I show that these negators differ in their speech act potential in this environment, and offer an explanation for the difference in meaning found in copular sentences containing them: the combination of the predicate nominal, analyzed as a Fregean concept, with no, results in a meaning that is distinct from nominal copular sentences occurring with not, and also different from the meaning found in sentences in which no combines with a nominal argument or in the postverbal position of the existential there-sentence. This work contributes to our understanding of the relationship between predication and negation and the interpretation and use of nominal predicates.
期刊介绍：
Language Sciences is a forum for debate, conducted so as to be of interest to the widest possible audience, on conceptual and theoretical issues in the various branches of general linguistics. The journal is also concerned with bringing to linguists attention current thinking about language within disciplines other than linguistics itself; relevant contributions from anthropologists, philosophers, psychologists and sociologists, among others, will be warmly received. In addition, the Editor is particularly keen to encourage the submission of essays on topics in the history and philosophy of language studies, and review articles discussing the import of significant recent works on language and linguistics.
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