[Lingtyp] semantic derivation of an Akkadian verb

[Bohnemeyer, Juergen]

Sorry, response was meant to go to the list ;-) — Juergen

> On Nov 5, 2020, at 9:57 AM, Juergen Bohnemeyer <jb77 at buffalo.edu> wrote:
> 
> Dear all — To answer Bastian’s question, I think there’s little or no evidence that language users assume a single gesamtbedeutung. That would require them to first look at all the different senses of an expression and try to distill a gesamtbedeutung from them, something that simply doesn’t happen in ordinary language use. So instead of a gesamtbedeutung, we should assume that the meaning of lexical items (and really, the meaning of any kind of linguistic expression) is a polysemy structure in which individual senses are linked to other individual senses via relations of metaphor and/or metonymy and in which older, more entrenched senses gradually drift away from what users will still recognize as polysemy and become effectively treated as homophones. Of course, reconstructing the actual etymology, the sequence of changes that created a particular network of senses, is a matter of speculation unless one has access to historical corpora. — Best — Juergen
> 
> 
> 
>> On Nov 5, 2020, at 9:37 AM, Bastian Persohn <persohn.linguistics at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> The question is: do we need to postulate a singular Gesamtbedeutung
>> (and does that even help)? Or would a family relation approach be more helpful?
>> 
>> Am 05.11.2020 um 15:35 schrieb Les Bruce:
>>> From the specific meanings listed by Sergey a common thread connecting them comes to mind: ‘to bring to a conclusion, to complete’.
>>> 
>>> Les Bruce
>>> 
>>> From: Lingtyp [mailto:lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org] On Behalf Of Jess Tauber
>>> Sent: Thursday, November 5, 2020 7:00 AM
>>> To: Sergey Loesov <sergeloesov at gmail.com>
>>> Cc: list, typology <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
>>> Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] semantic derivation of an Akkadian verb
>>> 
>>> From my own limited and naive perspective (I see meaning ranges like this in other languages, though not so broadly), 'imposition of order upon' might be the primary or underlying meaning of the verb.
>>> 
>>> Jess Tauber
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Virus-free. www.avg.com
>>> 
>>> On Thu, Nov 5, 2020 at 7:36 AM Sergey Loesov <sergeloesov at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Dear colleagues,
>>> 
>>> I am trying to understand the semantic derivation of a common Akkadian verb, sanāqu. It means, in particular ‘to arrive, approach’ (the only intransitive meaning), ‘to bother, pester, interrogate, put pressure’, ‘to mobilize, levy’, ‘to weigh’, ‘to check, audit’, ‘to settle (a legal case)’, ‘to take (oath)’, ‘to keep, guard’, ‘to close, shut (doors)’. What could be a “primary” meaning of such a verb, and the path of semantic derivation? How does it look like from viewpoint of lexical typology?
>>> 
>>> Best wishes,
>>> 
>>> Sergey
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> 
> -- 
> Juergen Bohnemeyer (He/Him)
> Professor, Department of Linguistics
> University at Buffalo 
> 
> Office: 642 Baldy Hall, UB North Campus
> Mailing address: 609 Baldy Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260 
> Phone: (716) 645 0127 
> Fax: (716) 645 3825
> Email: jb77 at buffalo.edu
> Web: http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~jb77/ 
> 
> Office hours will be held by Zoom. Email me to schedule a call at any time. I will in addition hold Tu/Th 4-5pm open specifically for remote office hours.
> 
> There’s A Crack In Everything - That’s How The Light Gets In 
> (Leonard Cohen)  
> 


-- 
Juergen Bohnemeyer (He/Him)
Professor, Department of Linguistics
University at Buffalo 

Office: 642 Baldy Hall, UB North Campus
Mailing address: 609 Baldy Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260 
Phone: (716) 645 0127 
Fax: (716) 645 3825
Email: jb77 at buffalo.edu
Web: http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~jb77/ 

Office hours will be held by Zoom. Email me to schedule a call at any time. I will in addition hold Tu/Th 4-5pm open specifically for remote office hours.

There’s A Crack In Everything - That’s How The Light Gets In 
(Leonard Cohen)