Figures of speech, a way to acquire language

  • Authors:

  • Anneli Kauppinen

  • Affiliations:

  • University of Helsinki and Helsinki Institute of Technology, Helsinki, Finland

  • Venue:
  • Computation for metaphors, analogy, and agents
  • Year:
  • 1999

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Abstract

The main aim of this study is to discuss the assumption that analogy and imitation may be a crucial principle in the acquisition of language. The manifestations of the acquisition process are called figures of speech in this study. These memorized entities carry some elements of former contexts in them. Figures of speech may be identical (deferred) imitations, but as well some parts, or the outline of a former utterance may be repeated in them. A tendency of some speech functions to be acquired as figures was found in this study. The findings lead to the constructive-type grammar, in which pragmatics and semantics are an integral part of the structure.