atw: Re: Apostrophes; long long L-O-N-G [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

Howard Silcock:

> I had a quick look at what I could find about Fillmore's work and must
> concede that the word 'case' is used - apparently by a fairly
> substantial number of linguists - with reference to function rather than
> form. I find it hard to see the benefit of using the terminology like
> that, but can't say I've had a chance to come to grips with it, so I
> should reserve my judgment.

Why? Why not acknowledge that terminology is a tool, and that increasing
theoretical awareness leads to more appropriate use of tools?

> In the meantime, I apologise if I criticised your arguments on the basis
> of a limited understanding of the theoretical background.

Your postings do indicate a reasonable level of awareness of linguistic
theory. Rest assured that those of us who work in the academic sphere have
to be even more aware of changes in the theoretical climate!

> At the moment, I must admit I'm reluctant to withdraw my comment that
> introducing terms like 'dative case' into the kind of discussion we were
> having was at best unhelpful - though I'm certainly open to being
> persuaded. If the notion of 'deep case' could shed light on a sentence
> like 'the man gave the woman a flower' - or on the correct use of the
> apostrophe - I'd love to hear more about it.

At some level (and the level probably depends on the person tackling the
problem), terminology is no more than a shorthand way of expressing
concepts; if the concepts are generally accepted by people working in the
discipline, the terminology is an efficient way of referring to the
concepts. I can see that my use of traditional but widely misunderstood
terminology caused problems for some people who don't work in the
discipline.

Still, you seem to be blaming me for using theoretical concepts to resolve a
practical problem. Introducing technical terminology is a fairly effective
way of introducing the ideas the terminology expresses. Your conflation of
"could shed light on a sentence like 'the man gave the woman a flower'" and
"the correct use of the apostrophe" reveals an underlying confusion about
just what "case" and "inflection" mean. In one situation we are talking
about what "case" is; in the other we are talking about how it is expressed.

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