Table Of ContentMeta-informative Centering in Utterances
Studies in Language Companion Series (SLCS)
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Studies in Language.
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Editors
Werner Abraham Elly van Gelderen
University of Vienna / Arizona State University
University of Munich
Editorial Board
Bernard Comrie Christian Lehmann
Max Planck Institute, Leipzig University of Erfurt
and University of California, Santa Barbara
Marianne Mithun
William Croft University of California, Santa Barbara
University of New Mexico
Heiko Narrog
Östen Dahl Tohuku University
University of Stockholm
Johanna L. Wood
Gerrit J. Dimmendaal University of Aarhus
University of Cologne
Debra Ziegeler
Ekkehard König University of Paris III
Free University of Berlin
Volume 143
Meta-informative Centering in Utterances
Between Semantics and Pragmatics
Edited by André Włodarczyk and Hélène Włodarczyk
Meta-informative Centering
in Utterances
Between Semantics and Pragmatics
Edited by
André Włodarczyk
Université Charles de Gaulle & Université Paris-Sorbonne
Hélène Włodarczyk
Université Paris-Sorbonne
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Amsterdam / Philadelphia
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Table of contents
Preface vii
Introduction ix
André Włodarczyk & Hélène Włodarczyk
part 1. Associative semantics and meta-informative centering
Roles and anchors of semantic situations 3
André Włodarczyk
Frames of semantic situations 21
André Włodarczyk
Grounding of the meta-informative status of utterances 41
André Włodarczyk
Attention-centered information in language 59
Hélène Włodarczyk
part 2. Neuropsychological evidence for the MIC theory
Semantic and episodic memory by reference to the ontological grounding
of the old and new meta-informative status 103
Franz J. Stachowiak
Tracing the role of memory and attention for the meta-informative
validation of utterances 121
Franz J. Stachowiak
part 3. Meta-informative centering in languages
It-clefts in the Meta-Informative structure of the utterance in modern
and present-day English 145
Ana Elina Martínez-Insua & Javier Pérez-Guerra
Discourse coherence and referent identification of subject ellipsis
in Japanese 167
Shigeko Nariyama
vi Meta-informative Centering in Utterances
Structure of centre of attention in a multi-party conversation in Japanese:
Based on the data of a review meeting concerning a Science Café held
in Hiroshima 183
Miki Saijo
Verbal aspect in Slavic languages between semantics and pragmatics 193
Hélène Włodarczyk
The position in the utterance and the melodic realisation of object
and reflexive pronouns in classical modern literary Russian 231
Olivier Azam
Accented and unaccented pronouns in Ancient Greek: A pragmatic choice
by the speaker 259
Jean-Christophe Pitavy
Personal subject pronouns and the meta-informative centering of utterances
in classical Latin 285
Perrine Vedrenne-Cloquet
Glossary of defined terminology 297
Index 303
Preface
The papers in this volume are a selection of lectures delivered at three consecutive
MIC Sorbonne workshops in Paris: Discourse coherence – text and theory (2008),
Context-bound Communication (2010) and New standards for language studies
(2012). Another selection relating specifically to Slavic languages has been pub-
lished in French in the Revue des Études Slaves (2009, vol. 80/1–2). The editors and
co-authors benefitted a great deal from discussions with the programme commit-
tee members and participants before, during and after the workshops.
Sachiko Ide (former President of the International Pragmatics Association,
Women’s University, Tokyo), Istvan Kecskes (President of the American Pragmatics
Association, New York State University, Albany), Masao Aizawa (Vice-President
of The Japanese Language National Institute, Tachikawa) and Yasunari Harada
(Director at the Institute for DECODE = Digital Enhancement of Cognitive
Development, Waseda University, Tokyo) have played an important role in the
dissemination and development of various aspects of the MIC theory.
Grants for a research exchange program with the Jagiellonian University
(Cracow) as well as invited lectures delivered by the editors at Waseda University
(Tokyo), The Institute of Slavic Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
University (Warsaw), The Japanese Language National Institute (Tachikawa), and
New York State University at Albany allowed us to discuss many MIC theoretical
issues.
We have been very privileged to have received help and advice from dis-
tinguished scholars. We wish to thank especially professors Werner Abraham
(Vienna University), Elisabeth Leiss (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München),
Radosław Katarzyniak (Wrocław University of Technology, Poland) and Robin K.
Burk (USMA, West Point, Dept. of Electrical Engineering & Computer S cience).
Last but not least, the editors also held discussions on various occasions with
their colleagues from CELTA Sorbonne research group: Jan Pekelder, Paul-Louis
Thomas, Stéphane Viellard and the late Jean Breuillard and Michel Viel, all of
them being professors at Paris-Sorbonne University, as well as Claude Delmas
(professor at Sorbonne Nouvelle University) and Claude Guimier (professor at
Caen University). They have all contributed a great deal in one form or another to
the realisation of our research plans.
A special and personal thank you goes also to our friend, Dr Rosemary
Masters, for her translations of a few chapters, careful rereading of, and insightful
comments on all the chapters of this book.
viii Meta-informative Centering in Utterances
Acknowledements
The publisher and editors wish to thank the Slavic Studies Institute (PAN – P olish
Academy of Science) for permission to print the paper by André Włodarczyk
(“Roles and Anchors of Semantic Situations”, Études Cognitives – Studia kogni-
tywne 8, SOW, Warszawa 2008, p. 53–70) as well as the English translation of
the paper by the same author (“Les Cadres des situations sémantiques”, Études
Cognitives – Studia Kognitywne 5, Warszawa 2003, p. 35–51).
Introduction
André Włodarczyk & Hélène Włodarczyk
Université Charles de Gaulle / Université Paris-Sorbonne,
Centre de Linguistique Théorique et Appliquée (CELTA Sorbonne)
1. Information and meta-information
At the beginning of the 21st century, the study of communication in human lan-
guages still remains under the influence of the theory of information structure
(Lambrecht 1994) which elaborates on the concepts of theme, rheme, and commu-
nicative perspective. The meta-informative centering (MIC) theory is an alternative
framework based on the concepts of centre of attention (CA), meta-information
and the meta-informative status of information. Importantly, the MIC theory is
built on associative semantics (AS) in which the concept of information is defined
as a compound relational structure, which to some extent makes it compatible
with the definition of information as often used in the field of computer (infor-
mation) science. In order to explain how it is possible for the hearer to interpret
a linguistic message (i.e. to build a mental representation of the situation spoken
about) a mapping must be established between the linguistic form and its content,
using some formalised representation of meaning. From the semantic point of
view, the logical motivation for the formal representation of situations consists in
reducing multi-argument relations solely to unary and binary ones, and combin-
ing them in compound configurations.
2. Attention centering
The origins of the MIC theory go back to Włodarczyk 1999 when we used the
concept of “centre d’intérêt” (Fr. centre of interest) for the first time. This French
term has since been replaced by that of “centre of attention” under the influence of
the American centering theory (Grosz & Sidner 1986), and it underwent a few revi-
sions and reassessments in the succeeding papers published in English. According
to the MIC theory, because of the linear order of speech, no judgment may be
uttered without selecting at least one centre of attention; thus centering is con-
sidered as a structuring operation not only at the discourse/text level but also at
