[lit-ideas] A Checklist of Vocative Particles in English

 
 
In a message dated 1/30/2005 12:55:04 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
hh@xxxxxxxxx writes:
The  problem is that Latin had a vocative case, formally differentiated 
from  the other five cases by special endings. ...
English, like other modern  European languages, does not have a vocative 
case. ... Calling these  vocatives doesn't help.

--- I tend to agree. I noted, though, that the OED recognises the  
collocation, "vocative particle" in the explanation of at least two entries, 
one  
relating to the Irish 'vocative particle' "a", and the other the entry  for 
English 
"O". 
 
It would be interesting to see if 'vocative particle' occurs in the  
technical linguistics/grammatical literature. At least, it occurred in the  
terminology utilised by the OED writers of those two entries.
 
One problem with 'particle' is that it's kind of derogative. There is an  
essay by L. J. Cohen on H. P. Grice, entitled, "Professor Grice on the logical  
PARTICLES of natural language". He meant to analyse Grice's take on things like 
 "not", "and", "or", and "if". Hardly 'particles' in my view, but 
truth-functors  at best.
 
Then, Prof. Timothy Williamson (currently Chair of Logic at Oxford) has an  
essay criticising a Dutch historian of logic and his take on John Locke's view  
on 'particles' in "Essay Concerning Humane Understanding". This too relates 
to  things like "not", and what medieval logicians called 'syncategoremata'. 
 
I suppose the idea of a 'particle' is related to the idea of 'part of  
speech'. A vocative 'particle' would NOT be a 'part' of speech, but then, if  
'vocative particles' _are_ interjections, then 'interjection' ususally _does_  
count 
as a 'part' of speech.
 
But we know what Mirembe means. Not all 'interjections' seem to be  
'vocative'. And 'vocation' -- or its cognates, 'vocational' -- sounds  clumsy.
 
Cheers,
 
JL



------------------------------------------------------------------
To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off,
digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html

Other related posts: