Universitt Augsburg

Noun Phrases in Context

Prof. Dr. Anita Fetzer
16.12.2014
Ana Azorn Puche

NPs and Cognitive Semantics

1. Cognitive Semantics
- Cognitive: of or pertaining to the mental process of perception, memory,
judgement and reasoning.
- Semantics: the study of meaning.
It could be said that it is based on the learning of the meaning.
One of the main tenets of Cognitive Semantics is:
Grammar is a way of expressing the speakers concept of the world.

2. Shell nouns
Shell nouns (shell NPs): abstract nouns used in texts to refer to other parts of a text and
to reify (treat as an object/thing) them temporally (context dependent), but also to
characterize them.
-

Used to talk about the following discourse

Anaphorically
Point forward: start new information about that preceding part of the
text.
Encapsulate: make a whole of the part of the text that they refer to.

Context-dependent
refer to.

relation with the information (sell-content) they

2.1. Functions.
- Semantic function: to characterize. Through the use of noun phrases
containing shell nouns (with any premodifyer. For example: optionally).
- Cognitive function: turn information into temporary nominal
concepts.
For example: You can optionally do your homework.
- Link between shell NP and the shell content: by using expressions or
constructions that make to interpret different parts of the text as
whole.
For example: the fact that, the problem was

Universitt Augsburg
Noun Phrases in Context
Prof. Dr. Anita Fetzer
16.12.2014
Ana Azorn Puche

2.2. Classes of shell nouns (with examples)

Facts
Linguistic
Mental
Eventive
Modal

fact, thing, problem, reason, result,

difference, upshot, snag
news, message, report, declaration,
order, rumour, legend
idea, notion, belief, knowledge,
assumption, aim, plan, hope
act, process, move, measure, reaction,
attempt, trick
possibility, probability, ability,
obligation, need, truth, permission

2.3. Constant and ephemeral hypostatization

Two different cognitive contents:
1. Ephemeral: context-dependent, used in particular situation.
2. Constant: stable, characterizes the noun.
For example:
Of the two chief whaling nations, Norway is adamant in its threat to hunt
the migratory minke whale ... in the northern Atlantic.
Of the two chief whaling nations, Norway keeps adamantly threatening
to hunt the migratory minke whale in the northern Atlantic.
Shell nouns have these two extremes: they leave that context-dependent (ephemeral)
part for variation in the knowledge (cognitive), because their denotation has a stable and
variable part (semantic).

2.4. Semantics gaps

- Constant = stable
- Ephemeral = variable
in context.

remains, characterizes
semantic gap
filled by information

Research in cognitive linguistics informs us that shell nouns or shell NPs have a
constant and ephemeral part, what is the same as a stable and a variable part. So if the
stable part is the one that remains constant and the one which gives a semantic concept
and characterizes, the variable part is the semantic gap that is filled by the information
given by the context, and because of that it is ephemeral.

Universitt Augsburg
Noun Phrases in Context
Prof. Dr. Anita Fetzer
16.12.2014
Ana Azorn Puche

For example: the noun problem tells us that something is difficult to deal with, but we
do not know what that difficult thing is. (meta-language)