In a message dated 6/11/2015 9:24:12 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
"Buehler's _Sprachttheorie_: distinguishing the levels of expression,
signalling and description. A lion may express his own state by way of roar
and
the lion may signal by roaring but the lion does not describe - still less
argue."
Well, Bühler identified the following three communicative functions:
the Expressive Function (Ausdrucksfunktion)
the Representation Function (Darstellungsfunktion)
the Conative Function (Appellfunktion, i.e. appealing function).
And McEvoy is arguing that Popper would be arguing that Buehler would be
arguing that it would be arguable to ascribe to Witters's lion the
'Darstellungsfunktion'.
Apparently, Buehler sometimes used
Darstellungsfunktion
Kundgabefunktion, and
Appelfunktion.
These terms have be translated as the cognitive, the expressive, and the
conative (or instrumental) functions.
And I assume that McEvoy is referring to the Darstellungsfunktion when he
argues that "the lion does not describe -- still less argue" by roaring.
If we use 'represent', it is less clear that the roar does not REPRESENT.
Since representation can be natural and iconic, and there's something
natural (if not iconic) in the lion's natural roar. In fact, the verb, 'roar',
is
iconic of the natural roar.
Old English "rarian", to roar, of imitative origin (compare Middle Dutch
"reeren", German "röhren" Sanskrit "ragati"; Lithuanian "reju" Slavonic
"revo", Latin "raucus". So I feel free to reword Witters:
i. Wenn ein Löwe sprechen könnte, wir könnten ihn nicht verstehen.
ii. If a lion could talk, we could not understand him.
iii. Wenn ein Löwe sprechen röhren könnte, wir könnten ihn nicht verstehen.
And of course a Witters-Moore dialogue might help:
iv. Witters: If a lion could roar, we could not understand him.
Moore: But a lion CAN roar, Witters (Implicature: And I, for one,
understand him).
Witters: Why didn't you tell me you went to the circus. You know I
*love* a circus.
"Represent" can have various uses: a lion's roar may represent, as a
cricket team represents England, i.e. the cricket does for England what England
can not do for herself, i.e. engage in a game of cricket.
Cheers,
Speranza
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