Give names relying on the descriptions below. Some of them can refer to the same nouns. Choose proper indefinite determiners

ASSIGNMENTS

Predication as a means of sense catenation (chaining).

Курс

How is sense made? What links up our thinking and actual speech? Can the perfectly adjusted mental mechanisms of the mother tongue be applied to learning a second language? At the attempt to answer questions like that, we do thought experiments to make reflection and speech techniques explicit and manageable in the light of the knowledge and expectations of the learners.

Here is an important conclusion to be drawn: “noun” communication is possible if and only if we can retrieve skipped predicates required or allowed by a specific fact or situation which we always do explicitly (in oral speech) or implicitly (in the form of our inner understanding). In case we cannot figure out details specifying names the latter sound as meaningful words but make no sense. Thus, sense making might be specified as predication – the act of thinking and saying anything about a thing (also entity, noun, subjectagent, object, argument, (concrete) thing). Predicates imply all words giving information about the thing. That is why we can call them information words. Study the following examples.

“Place” is not only about location. (“ place ” is used as a name for its identification)

Keep your documents in a safe place. (The word “ place ” gets more specified when preceded by the predicate “ safe ”: more detail (info) is given)

It’s hard to find a place to park. (The word “ place ” gets more specified when followed by the predicate “ to park ”: more detail (info) is given about the purpose of the noun)

It isn’t a place. It is the place to be. (The -article shows that the speaker has a high opinion of the place in question; according to the speaker, it is the best place to attend)

This is a great place for a holiday. (The word “ place ” acquires more predicates, and the listener gets more info, correspondingly.

There is still a place left on the course. (an opportunity for someone to take the course in question).

1.2.1. What is the speaker’s / speakers’ problem (the problem specified in the message)? Name it in the form of a noun phrase.

e.g. The speaker: My car? So much hassle! Insurance, tax, repairs

You can say: The speaker’s problem? His car, of course.

1. Meetings. Meetings. Meetings. Talks and discussions. Any net results?

2. The first draft version. More and more contributions. Any final version for the press?

3. An educated guess or a hypothesis? A working hypothesis?

4. Facts, facts, facts. Empirical data. Against a complete absence of any structure or system.

5. Grammar. A wince-making word, like ‘overdraft’.

6. Bookshelves! Filing cabinets! Piles of folders! Heaps of draft paper. Rough drafts. First drafts. Final drafts?

7. Questions! A whole raft of daft questions.

8. – What do you want?

– A favor.

– A favor. Are you serious?

1.2.2. Make mini-dialogues imitating the pattern:

– Work, work, work… No time for fun ever!

– Vexed issue really. / Highly controversial issue. / A deep psychological problem. / Anticipated / unanticipated situation. / Quite a common case. / Such is routine. Etc.

1.2.3. Choose the closest association. In this task, you will give definitions matching proper synonyms given in the second and fourth columns of Table 1. Before you start doing so, study the following excerpt and reflect on it.

A Nugget of Thought

According to S.Pinker, the best way to appreciate what nouns mean is to begin with some examples that seem to mean nothing at all. Think about these sentences (from the examples collected by A. Wierzbicka):

Boys will boys. A deal is a deal. A horse is a horse, of course, of course.

These sentences look like empty tautologies, but of course they are not. They are a way to say that some entity has the essential qualities of its kind. “ A deal is a deal ” means that once a deal is made it cannot be cancelled or reversed and is to be very firm. Actually “ is a deal ” is the predicate of the subject “a deal”. The predicate conveys the information stated above. Thus, in the X is X formula the first X and the second X mean different things. The first X refers to something and serves as a pointer to an entity in the world that the hearer must identify. The second X describes the first one by definition or stereotype. That is, the second X is predicated of the first one. The distinction between referring and predicating is basic to any language.

It does not mean, though, that we should confine ourselves to the formula presented. Your task is to give descriptions based on meanings that are not absolutely identical but do not change the truth conditions of a specific sentence.

e.g. “ Problem ” might be specified as “ question or difficulty ”.

	“ Problem ”	is	“ natural ability, skill ”.
	“ Issue ”	is used especially about	“ effort ”.
	“ Chance ”	denotes	“ process; way of doing something ”.
	“ Necessity ”	shows	“ desire; ambition; hope ”.
	“ Possibility ”	signifies	“ aim ”.
	“ Probability ”	is designated as	“ matter; matter in question ”.
	“ Procedure ”	indicates	“ capacity ”.
	“ Ability ”	implies	“ ability ”.
	“ Capability ”	stands for	“ cause ”.
	“ Power ”	involves	“ question; difficulty ”.
	“ Demand ”	means	“ likelihood ”.
	“ Attempt ”	can be named as	“ wish, hope, yearning ”.
	“ Reason ”	might be specified as	“ opportunity ”.
	“ Desire ”	amounts to	“ need ”.
	“ Intention ”	represents	“ requirement ”.
	“ Aspiration ”	typifies/is a typical example of	“ chance ”.

1.2.4. Modify choosing the right determiner:

1. … problem of global warming is most urgent and pressing. – A. My B. The C. A D. Mine

2. This is a simplification of … complex issue. – A. such B. The C. A D. so

3. There is … chance that we will win. – A. the B. other C. this D. every

4. We want you to understand … necessity for good planning. – A. the B. a C. this D. each

5. … possibility of changing the situation. Fat chance! – A. Not B. No C. Nothing D. Never

6. … probability of winning a grant is usually very low. – A. The B. - C. Yours D. These

7. What’s … procedure for applying for a grant? – A. you B. me C. the D. a

8. I don’t have … ability to say certain things. – A. my B. an C. a D. the

9. Do we really have … capability to meet the market needs? – A. our B. ours C. the D. –

10. I admire … powers of observation. – A. yours B. the C. a D. your

11. In support of … demands we are going … – A. - B. so C. another D. their

12. … attempts to control inflation are of little use. – A. Every B. Each C. All D. Everybody

13. The author offers … reasons for rejecting this theory. – A. their B. there C. - D. the

14. … desire for knowledge is important. – A. - B. Sort of C. Like D. A

15. It is … intension to be number one laboratory. – A. my B. our C. his D. her

16. This is what is called a high level of … political aspiration. – A. all B. each C. the D. –

e.g. A strong feeling that you want something.

Need.

A situation in which something is necessary.

A need.

1. A plan or desire to do something.

2. A question for which you have to find an answer.

3. A skill you need to have.

4. A strong wish.

5. The state of being able to do something.

6. The natural ability, skill or power that makes a person, machine, or organization able to do something, especially something difficult.

7. A time or situation which you can use to do what you want to do.

8. A subject or problem that is often discussed or argued about, especially a social or political matter that affects the interests of many people.

9. A firm request for something you believe you have the right to get.

10. Something you need to have in order to live.

11. Someone’s level or skill at doing something.

12. Something that might be true and might happen.

13. Something that must happen.

14. Something that is likely to happen.

15. An opportunity to do something or something that can be done or tried.

16. A natural or special ability to do something.

17. An act of trying to do something.

18. Likelihood sometimes calculated in a mathematical way.

19. A (correct and usual) way of doing something.

20. Something why somebody decides to act in a certain way.

21. The right to control people and events.

22. A strong desire to have or achieve something.

23. Someone’s power or ability to do something.

1.2.6. In this task, you will see some nouns with their determiners (which may or must be changed) or pronouns. Think about suitable predicates – words supplying information about entities (nouns, pronouns) – and retrieve a possible situation relying on them. Some of the words given should be used as predicates. They are supplied with the instruction: to be used as a predicate. Talk about the role of predicates in sense formation. Explain why some situations are easier to retrieve than others. Compare the sentences you make with the original versions (see Keys).

e.g. The nouns given: John, the secretary, his office, a woman.

You might say:

John is aware that the secretary in his office is a woman. Or

John knows the woman who is the new secretary in his office. Or

John finds the new secretary in his office a very attractive woman. Etc.

1) the metropolis, people, the metro

2) the book, a range, topics

3) they, baggage, excess (to be used as a predicate), the airport

4) production, demand

you, a list, characteristics, subject (to be used as a predicate), demand

5) students, deadlines

6) you, a list, characteristics, subject (to be used as a predicate), demand

7) everyone, office, a mind, filing

8) the reader, the algorithm, case, procedure

9) a benchmark, a requirement, students

10) experience, multiplicity, laws, nature

11) authors, material, this book, decade

Дата добавления: 2017-01-13