Expressive content and semantic theory

Chris Potts, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Friday, April 6, 11am

Nearly everything we say carries an undercurrent of information about our feelings and attitudes. This expressive content can be merely suggested, but it is often directly encoded. We have words and morphemes for honoring those around us and conveying our approval. We also have have (generally taboo) morphemes that denigrate, that convey our displeasure. The effects of using these lexical items can be dramatic. They create charged emotional states. They are revealing of the speaker's perspective, and they significantly impact how current and future utterances are perceived. I propose a general theory of these volatile, indispensable meanings and attempt to situate them in the context of current semantic theory.

For relevant background, see Potts' paper The Expressive Dimension (to appear in Theoretical Linguistics) and visit the website of his NSF-funded research project Expressive Content and the Semantics of Contexts.