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ofwords.Mywholeargumentatthisfundamentallevelcouldbesummarisedas
follows:theissueoftherepresentationoflexicalsenses(availableoutofcontext)
presupposestheissueofdistinctmeaningsofwordsinuse,whichinturnpresup-
posesthequestionofthetransformativepowerofwords(inlinguistics,articulated
byHumboldtasenergeia,cf.5.0.).AnythingIsaybelowshouldbeplacedinthe
contextofthissequence,whichIhopetomakemoretransparent.Ifalabelcould
behelpful,Iproposetocomplementanaposterioristaticcognitiveapproachwith
adynamic(or“genetic”)“expressive”one.Again,aventureofthiskindcannotbe
convincinglyarguedfor,exhaustiveetc.Wheneverafundamentalchangeofper-
spectiveisurged,onecanonlyappeal(asshownbyMerleau-PontyandCharles
Taylor22),startingwithsomeproblemsinherentinaninterlocutor’spositionand
tryingtoshowthatamoreencompassingviewmaythrowsomelightonthem.
Apossiblypresumptuousundertakingofthiskindwillsufferfromstandard
maladiesafflictingsuch“fundamental”and“centrifugal”ventures(asmypresen-
tationsofarhasperhapsalreadymadeabundantlyclear).Whilepointingtomore
embracingperspectivesonmattersathand(a“synoptic”view),Iwillinvokedata
andargumentsfromvariousquarters,wheneverIfindthemilluminating.23Thus,
Iwilloftencrossdomainboundaries(Iwilltrytosignal,though,whereItread).
NorwillItrytoofferexhaustiveexpositionsofavailablematerial,onceIfeelthat
enoughtoexemplifyapositionispresented(copiousreferencesmaybeviewed
asapartialatonement–orfurtherevidenceofdamnation).Asaresult(since
particularsarethere,waitinginthewings),Imayalsofightatplacesalosing
battlewithmyparentheticalremarksandfootnotes.24Nevertheless(asapossible
defence),whatIamdoingisintrinsicallyrelatedtothecharacterofthefieldunder
investigation,whichisopenlyinterdisciplinary.Thus,Itakeseriouslythecallfor
anintegrationofperspectivesonmindandlanguageadoptedindifferentventures
anddisciplinesplacedundertheumbrellaterm“cognitivescience”.Tobesure,
Iamnotequallycompetentinalldomainsofinquiry:thisstudyisprimarilya
reviewofaparticularmethodoflexicalrepresentationinCL,whilealladditional
matterservesasthebackgroundtomakethisassessmentmoremeaningful.The
22ForMerleau-Ponty,seenote8in5.1.;forC.Taylor,seee.g.(1989:87)inthemoralcontext.
23Eventhoughthisstrategymaysuperficiallyresembleasearchfor“convergingevidence”,
treatedbyLakoffandJohnsonasasignofsuccessininterdisciplinaryventures(e.g.Johnson1992:
345),Ibelieveitisalmostdirectlyopposedtoit.LakoffandJohnsonapparentlyassumethat“data”
existindependentlyoftheoriesandmaybepickedatwill,whenevertheyseemtoconfirmone’s
point.Theydonotpaymuchattentiontotheproblemofintegrationofknowledgecomingfrom
differentresearchdomains(asopposedtoe.g.Donald2004).AsLakoffadmitsinhisonly“meth-
odological”statementIknow:“Igenerallyprefernottoengageinmethodologicaldiscussionsand
wouldratherjustgetonwithmywork”(1990:39).Thehermeneuticalapproach,however,doesnot
aimattheintegrationofdataatthe“objective”levelbutrathertreatsproblemsarisingatthatlevelas
symptomaticofassumptionsandlimitationsofparticularresearchmethods.Cf.remarksinthenext
paragraphsonmyaimsinthepresentstudy.
24Iparaphrasehere(andexemplify)Beardsmore’sremarkonKripke’sbookonWittgenstein,
asquotedbyPateman(1987:113).Myapologymaysoundflippantbutthepeculiaritiesmentioned
abovemaybealsotakenasevidencethatIhavestrivenatclarityasfarasmyapproachallows(and
withinmylimitations).IwouldbegladifIhadfoundamoredirectwaytosaywhatImeant.