LingLunch : Martin Haspelmath

Martin Haspelmath (MPI-EVA, Leipzig)
Form-meaning correspondences and form-frequency correspondences in grammar

There are a variety of descriptors, characterizations, and definitions of the term 'mirativity'. While these seem to center around the linguistic encoding of surprise, this variety also hints at the underlying debate as to exactly what mirativity is, where it comes from, and how to explain it. In this talk I will review the current thinking and state of the art regarding mirativity. I will complement this along three lines: first, I will claim that mirativity really is about the linguistic encoding surprise; secondly, I will show that we can make progress on sharpening mirativity by applying the same kinds of semantic tests that we commonly use in the field to probe other kinds of meanings. Lastly, I will show that the generalizations that emerge from this approach can guide what kind of analysis mirativity is amenable.