Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
Any hypothesis regarding the origin of speech is a rhetorical act that inscribes
English answer:
You\'re more or less right I think
Added to glossary by
yolanda Speece
Aug 21, 2006 09:50
17 yrs ago
English term
Efficiency and effectiveness!!!
Native in: English 
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, English
Any hypothesis regarding the origin of speech is a rhetorical act that inscribes
English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
What is meant by this quote?
“Any hypothesis regarding the origin of speech is a rhetorical act that inscribes the hypothesis within some totality of meaning to which the author is already committed."
Does it mean that the answer to the origins of language are very personal and therefore make it hard to provide a very distinct answer that everyone can agree on so therefore, it is something that the author has to commit to before talking about?
“Any hypothesis regarding the origin of speech is a rhetorical act that inscribes the hypothesis within some totality of meaning to which the author is already committed."
Does it mean that the answer to the origins of language are very personal and therefore make it hard to provide a very distinct answer that everyone can agree on so therefore, it is something that the author has to commit to before talking about?
Responses
Change log
Aug 21, 2006 12:40: NancyLynn changed "Term asked" from "problem with the following quote" to "Any hypothesis regarding the origin of speech is a rhetorical act that inscribes"
Responses
+1
12 mins
David Knowles
Native in English
&
English
Specializes in field
Specialist in Civil Law & Contracts
Native in: English
Works in: Russian to English, English, Ukrainian to English
Related KudoZ points
:
72
English term (edited):
problem with the following quote
Selected
You're more or less right I think
It means that there is no definite answer to the question, and any answer depends on the conceptual framework of the answerer. Another way to look at it is that the origins of speech are just part of bigger questions and can't really be looked at separately. The author could be hinting at problems with theories of evolution.
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "The rest of the context explains the flaws in some of the theories of language evolution. Thanks DAVID"
+4
10 mins
hirselina
Specializes in field
English term (edited):
problem with the following quote
interpretation
Any hypothesis on the origin of species is based on and imbedded in a more general understanding, a "totality of meaning" in which the person making the hypothesis believes
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Dave Calderhead
: speech not species
24 mins
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of course, my mind was with the apes :-)
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| agree |
Craig Meulen
45 mins
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Thanks!
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| agree |
Fabio Costantino
1 hr
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Thanks!
|
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| agree |
Alfa Trans (X)
3 hrs
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Thanks!
|
+1
11 mins
Dave Calderhead
Netherlands
Netherlands
Native in English
&
English
Netherlands
Reliable translations, reasonable rates
Native in: English
Works in: Dutch to English, English
Related KudoZ points
:
48
English term (edited):
problem with the following quote
Any theory about the origin of speech
is a result of answering a rhetorical question, which means that the person developing the theory will be trying to justify an answer that they already believe is probably true.
Is my reading of this.
Is my reading of this.
14 mins
English term (edited):
problem with the following quote
a waste of time trying to explain it as his mind is made up
Not too sure about this but it sounds to me like any new/different long-winded explanations about the origin of speech would be a waste of time because the author has his own ideas and doesn't want to listen to any new ideas.
29 mins
English term (edited):
problem with the following quote
The theory is based purely on the author's persuasive imagination.
The theory cannot be ascertained scientifically
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
Craig Meulen
: Could be so, but I don't think the quoted text is as strong as your assertion here.
24 mins
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persuasive imagination or belief
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