Re: [PEIRCE-L] by way of answering your questions

[Michael Shapiro]

Jerry , List,

This may not be a persuasive example but there's tons of similar examples from many languages which instantiate the pattern as I described it. Scientific terminology is a special case in any event.
M.

-----Original Message-----
From: Jerry LR Chandler
Sent: Dec 4, 2015 2:58 PM
To: CSP
Cc: Michael Shapiro
Subject: Re: [PEIRCE-L] by way of answering your questions

Michael, List: 

A further question on how to interpret...

On Nov 28, 2015, at 1:13 PM, Michael Shapiro wrote:

The iconic motivation of this usage is twofold. First, less is shorter than fewer, thereby fitting it more adequately than its counterpart to its meaning, namely ‘lesser quantity’. Second, individuation as a semantic category is marked (more restricted in conceptual scope) than non-individuation, so that a drift toward non-individuation is a movement toward the unmarked member of the opposition, instantiating the general iconic (semeiotic) principle according to which language change favors replacement of marked units, categories, and contexts by unmarked ones."

The example of "less" and "fewer" is not very persuasive for skeptic.

To argue from a single example to a broad generalization is a bit optimistic, isn't it?

Within the natural sciences, the trend appears to be opposite.  Words tend to take on more and more meaning or potential meanings as the networks of relatives and relations expand. 

In other words, the marking of units becomes more specific.

Such words like "DNA" or cancer or diabetes grow richer in meaning - the conceptual scope is widening.

Do you feel that these counter-examples are relevant to the general notion of drift or do multiple notions of drift exist for utterances from various categories of users?

Cheers

jerry

  

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