Deixis, Buhler and the Problem of Ambiguity

[jess tauber]

Tom Givon pointed out the variability of human pointing gestures, and the fact that animals often point with their noses. It is interesting that the rostral end of the body is used- this is where most of the major senses reside in their most developed form, the end that gets there first in quadrupeds (at least when not evading something in reverse, and even then they continue to attend to what they try to get away from). It is very interesting to watch a dog, for instance, trying to decide whether to approach or avoid something- as if the parts of the brain controlling the rear quarters and forequarters were actively slugging it out with visible symptoms there for all to see.

Brian McWhinney asks 'why da?'. Crosslinguistically dental/alveolar phonemes, in initial position in roots, seem to have very strong connections to dull, blunt impacts, non-bonded contacts, rebounds directed on elongated paths prototypically at higher angles towards presented surfaces. This might make them just right for the pre-linguistic function. Avoidance (lack of fusion, penetration, etc.) despite approach. Palatals (when present) are the other way round, but preserve the elongated path from Jakobson's acute feature- that is approach despite avoidance (such as straining to reach and grab something from a position of general safety, with a ten foot pole with a hook, etc.).

One question, though: is the child's use un-(or under-) differentiated between these extremes, at least at first?

Jess Tauber
phonosemantics at earthlink.net