On axiology of language - the case of English disjunct

Abstract

The expressive, or „emotive", function of language has usually, ever since Biihler (1934), been associated with the speaker's expressing his emotions and attitudes. Accordingly, the expressive meaning is defined as this aspect of meaning which „covaries with characteristics of the speaker" (Lyons 1977: 51)1. Since emotions and attitudes are inconceivable without prior evaluation, and evaluation also "covaries with characteristics of the speaker", I suggest that within the overall expressive function, language fulfils also an evaluative, or, as I shall call it, axiological function. The linguistic means whereby the axiological function is fulfilled have one thing in common: the speaker who uses them either asserts or implies that he evaluates the objects or events he is talking about with reference to the scale between good and bad (see Krzeszowski 1986; Puzynina 1981, 1983). It seems natural then that we shall treat GOOD and BAD as axiological primes (see Termińska 1980; Puzynina 1983; Krzeszowski 1986)2. The basie speech act performed by speakers expressing their evaluations is that of judging; we shall therefore use JlJDGE as another prime (see Fillmore 1971)3[...]