6. Linear, Quantity, and Symmetrical Iconicity

1. 6. Linear, Quantity, and Symmetrical Iconicity

2. 6.1. Linear Iconicity • different types of diagrammatic iconicity • Tai 1993 and Zhang 1998 • sequential order, distance, quantity, symmetry, etc. • 6.1. Linear Iconicity • “Linear order of linguistic elements corresponds to the natural sequence of concepts represented by such elements.” • 6.1.1. The “Subject before Object” Predominance • Agent precedes Patient. • 6.1.2. The “Me first” Principle • The properties of the prototypical speaker (“ME”) come first. • The properties --- UP, FRONT, ACTIVE (ANIMATE), MALE, GOOD (POSITIVE), HERE, NOW, etc.

3. 6.1. Linear Iconicity • 6.1.3. The Principle of Temporal Sequence (PTS) • “Linear order of linguistic elements corresponds to the temporal sequence of concepts represented by such elements.” • A universal principle • (l) a. John came in and sat down. • b. ?John sat down and came in. • (2) Veni, vidi, vici ‘I came, I saw, I conquered.’ • (3) Eye it, try it, buy it. • Limited to “coordination” in English

4. 6.2.Quantity Iconicity • 6.2. Quantity Iconicity • an iconic relation between the quantity of form and the quantity (strength, degree) of meaning. • The more form, the more meaning. • Covering “complex motivation” and “reduplication motivation” in Tai 1993 and Zhang 1998 (p.16-18; 41-50). • Prototypically simple concepts are expressed as simple grammatical units (such as single morphemes). • Prototypically complex concepts are expressed as complex linguistic structures (multiple morphemes, compound words, complex sentences). • iteration, repetition, and reduplication  plurality, intensity, continuation, etc.

5. 6.3. Symmetrical Iconicity • 6.3. Symmetrical Iconicity • “Symmetrical representation corresponds to the symmetrical relationship of the concepts represented.” • Saussure’s Principle II -- “Language is linear”. • Linearity -- NOT a symmetrical relation • “conceptual symmetry” and “formal symmetry” • Conceptual symmetry: A and B are symmetrical with respect to some relation r, if both A r B and B r A are true, or if both A r C and B r C are true. • (1) A and B are similar • (2) A loves B.

6. 6.3. Symmetrical Iconicity • Clauses are symmetrical under the following (most frequently encountered) conditions: • (3) a. They denote events which occur simultaneously. • b. They denote events which occur in alternation. • c. They denote events which are mutually dependent. • “Formal symmetry”: • When A, B are words and a, b are diacritics (附加符號), asymmetry is high in Ab and aB, and low in AB and ab. • Asymmetry is high in constructions like “s1 S2, S1 s2” (where lower case s denotes a subordinate clause), and reduced in constructions like “S1 S2 and s1 s2” (exemplified by correlative constructions like The more I laugh, the more I sneeze.)

7. 6.3. Symmetrical Iconicity • Symmetry in Coordination • “Coordination Construction Constraint” – • “The constituents of a coordinate construction must belong to the same syntactic category and have the same semantic function.” (examples in Misc 2.) • coordinate elements be both grammatically and conceptually symmetrical. • Examples (coordinating compounds in Chinese): • 夫妻 (coordination in the pattern of AB) • 姐夫 (subordination in the pattern of aB) • 妻子 (subordination in the pattern of Ab) • 夫妻 is more symmetrical, both grammatically and conceptually, than 姐夫 and 妻子.

8. 6.3. Symmetrical Iconicity • How symmetry is expressed? • Two steps: • 1. by distinguishing between coordination and subordination • 2. by overriding the temporal asymmetry of coordinately conjoined elements through the use of parallel diacritics of various types. • Compare: • (a) The more he eats, the fatter he gets. • (b) If he eats more, he will get fatter. • (c) The fatter he gets, the more he eats.

9. 6.3. Symmetrical Iconicity • Formal symmetry in complex sentences • Given two coordinate clauses S1 and S2, the following possibilities exist: • (4) a. S1 x (and) S2 y • b. S1 (and) S2 • c. S1x (and) S2 x • where x and y are diacritics. • In any language which has nearly synonymous forms corresponding to (a), (b), or (c), conceptual symmetry will be expressed by (c), and asymmetry by (a). • Testing the hypothesis with examples in Chinese.

10. 6.3. Symmetrical Iconicity • (5) a. 邊走邊談、邊吃邊喝、一邊說，一邊笑 • b. 一邊笑，一邊說 • (6) a. 他喜歡玩遊戲、看電影。 • Coordination (not simultaneous) • b. 他又玩遊戲，又看電影，一點兒功課也不做。 • Coordination (alternation, not simultaneous) • c. 一邊玩遊戲，一邊看電影。 • Coordination (simultaneous) • d. 出門看電影。Serial verb construction • e. 躺在床上看書。Serial verb construction • f. *一邊躺在床上，一邊看書

11. 6.3. Symmetrical Iconicity • (7) a. 爬得越高，摔得越重。 • b. 爬得高，就摔得重。 • (8) 你吃得多，就會長胖。 • (conditional, temporal, asymmetrical) • (9) 吃得越多，長得越胖。 • (symmetrical, temporality weakened) • (10) 長得越胖，吃得越多。 • (temporality not fully overridden) • (11) 越高興，越著急，越著急，也就越結巴。 • (12) 心裡越煩，越做不好，越做不好，心裡越煩。

12. 6.3. Symmetrical Iconicity • More examples of symmetrical expression: • (13) 又～又： • 她又哭又鬧。又颳風又下雨、又唱歌又跳舞、又好氣又好笑、船開得又快又穩。 • (14) 也～也： • 你也走，我也走，我們一起走。 • 你走，我也走。(conditional, temporal) • 這個東西也好也不好，是一把雙刃劍。 • (15) 是～還是： • 張三是老師還是學生？-- 是老師。 • 你是吃飯還是吃麵？ -- * 是吃飯。

13. 6.3. Symmetrical Iconicity • (16) 或者～或者： • 或者你去，或者他去。（alternation, disjunctive） • (17) 要麼～要麼： • 你要麼答應，要麼拒絕，別拖泥帶水。（alternation, disjunctive） • Asymmetrical iconicity • Asymmetrical relationships in linear iconicity and proximity iconicity • Another type: Figure and Ground (see Supplementary 4) • Symmetrical relationships: adjacency, resemblance

14. 6.3. Symmetrical Iconicity • (1) a. 自行車在圖書館的旁邊。 • b. ??圖書館在自行車的旁邊。 • (2) a. 張三長得像他的爸爸。 • b. ??張三的爸爸長得像張三。 • the main clause = FIGURE; • the subordinate clause = GROUND • (3) a. 他吃著飯看書。 • b. 他看著書吃飯。 • (4) a. 他一邊吃飯一邊看書。 • b. 他一邊看書一邊吃飯。 • (5) a. 他睡覺的時候在做夢。 • b. *他做夢的時候在睡覺。 • (6) *他一邊睡覺，一邊做夢。