"On Quoting ..." a Corpus-Based Study on the Phraseology of Well-Known Quotations
"On quoting ..."
A corpus-based study on the phraseology of well-known quotations
Sixta Quassdorf
Department of English
University of Basel sixta.quassdorf@unibas.ch Abstract
Quotations are an interesting linguistic phenomenon in at least two respects: firstly they link ordinary language with the language of the poets, and secondly they typically represent creativity within formulaicity. To study quotations in more detail, a database of quotations from and allusions to Shakespeare 's Hamlet, one of the most often-quoted literary artefacts, is being built at the University of Basel. The construction of the database is outlined and a first example of application is delivered. The study on historical phraseology concentrates on three lines from Hamlet, which despite their common source and their conceptual similarity vary considerably in their domains and periods of re-application. It is suggested that semantic, rhetoric, syntactic and discourse functional factors influence the choice of quotational use.
1 Introduction
The title of this article defines its topic in two ways: it does not only denote it, but it is also an exemplification: On quoting is itself a quotation, which alludes to Bernard Levin 's little sketch "On quoting Shakespeare" (Levin 1986: 98-9). There the author embedded some 40 quotations from Shakespearean plays into the reiterated formula of "if you [... say so-and-so ...] you are quoting Shakespeare." He thus echoes the widespread assumption that phrases such as "to vanish into thin air" from The Tempest (act IV scene 1) or "to make a virtue of necessity" from The Two Gentlemen of Verona (IV i) have become a natural part of the English language and that most people will no longer be aware of the fact that they are quoting. In other words, Levin suggests that quotations may leave their original context and become part of the English phrase stock. Shakespeare 's influence on the English language has frequently been postulated on the
A corpus-based study on the phraseology of well-known quotations
Sixta Quassdorf
Department of English
University of Basel sixta.quassdorf@unibas.ch Abstract
Quotations are an interesting linguistic phenomenon in at least two respects: firstly they link ordinary language with the language of the poets, and secondly they typically represent creativity within formulaicity. To study quotations in more detail, a database of quotations from and allusions to Shakespeare 's Hamlet, one of the most often-quoted literary artefacts, is being built at the University of Basel. The construction of the database is outlined and a first example of application is delivered. The study on historical phraseology concentrates on three lines from Hamlet, which despite their common source and their conceptual similarity vary considerably in their domains and periods of re-application. It is suggested that semantic, rhetoric, syntactic and discourse functional factors influence the choice of quotational use.
1 Introduction
The title of this article defines its topic in two ways: it does not only denote it, but it is also an exemplification: On quoting is itself a quotation, which alludes to Bernard Levin 's little sketch "On quoting Shakespeare" (Levin 1986: 98-9). There the author embedded some 40 quotations from Shakespearean plays into the reiterated formula of "if you [... say so-and-so ...] you are quoting Shakespeare." He thus echoes the widespread assumption that phrases such as "to vanish into thin air" from The Tempest (act IV scene 1) or "to make a virtue of necessity" from The Two Gentlemen of Verona (IV i) have become a natural part of the English language and that most people will no longer be aware of the fact that they are quoting. In other words, Levin suggests that quotations may leave their original context and become part of the English phrase stock. Shakespeare 's influence on the English language has frequently been postulated on the
References: Anon. (1993). "Common Open Software Environment." Computergram International. (BNC. Domain Applied Science. Document CPA.) Anon Available at http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/260/whats-a-petard-as-in-hoist-by-his-own (accessed: 22 March 2009) Boyd, Mr (1845) Burke, Mr (1778). "[Contribution]." Fourteenth Parliament of Great Britain: Fourth Session, 29 January 1778, 325. (HCPP). Conington, J Available at: http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext04/dsndc10.txt. (accessed: 22 July 2005) Erixon, F., A Cottrell, A (1984). Social Classes in Marxist Theory and in Post-War Britain. London: Routledge & Paul Kegan. ( BNC. Domain Social Science. Document FB5). Doveton, J Dowdall, J. B. (1901). "Butter: Butter Substitutes: Regulations for Sale. Evidence, Digest, and Appendices. Departmental Committee on Butter Regulations - Minutes of Evidence." Session 1902, 231-243. (HCPP). Dunleavy, P. and B. O 'Leary (1987). Theories of the State: The Politics of Liberal Democracy. London: Macmillan. (BNC, Domain Social Science. Document CS3). Fitz-Adam, A. (1755-57). "Advertisement to the Wits." The World, 1. London: Fitz-Adam. (ECCO). Hamilton-Gordon, J. C. [Earl of Aberdeen] (1885). "Royal Commission on Loss of Life at Sea." First Report, Minutes of Evidence, Appendix, Twentieth Day, Friday, 8th May 1885, 246. (HCPP). Hefling, C. C. (1991). "Reviving Adamic Adoptionism: The Example of John Macquarrie." Theological Studies 52.3, 476-94. (COCA). Kennedy, I. M. (1988). Treat Me Right: Essays on Medical Law. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (BNC. Domain Social Science. Document ASK). Kirkwood, Mr (1901). Annual Report of the Chief Inspector of Factories and Workshops, for 1901, Part I. Scotland and Ireland Division. (HCPP). Levin, B. (1986): "On Quoting Shakespeare". In R. McCrum, W. Cran and R. MacNeil (eds). The Story of English. New York: Viking, 98-9. Available at: http://inside.mines.edu/~jamcneil/levinquote.html (accessed: 5 August 2009) Merritt P. and H. Pettitt (1873). British Born. London and New York: Samuel French & Son. (LION). Pamuk, O. (2004). Snow. New York: Vintage. Samuels, D. (2004). "Crossing Over." American Scholar 73.4, 85-92. Sayers, D. L. (1928). "The Bibulous Business of a Matter of Taste." Lord Peter Views the Body. Harmondsworth: Penguin [1962], 160-173. Thornton, E. (1990). The Worldly Widow. New York: Zebra Books. (COCA). Wells, C. (1904). Folly for the Wise. Indianapolis: The Bobbs-Merrill Company. Available at: http://www.archive.org/stream/follyforthewise00wellrich/follyforthewise00wellrich_djvu.txt (accessed:12 August 2009) 6.2 Secondary Sources Bloomfield, M. W. (1976). "Quoting and alluding: Shakespeare in the English language." In E. Blakemore (ed.). Shakespeare: Aspects of Influence. Cambridge Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1-20. Bradley, H Burger, H., A. Buhofer and A. Sialm (1982). Handbuch der Phraseologie. Berlin, New York. Colson, J.-P. (2003). "Corpus Linguistics and Phraseological Statistics: a few Hypotheses and Examples". In H. Burger, A. Häcki Buhofer and G. Gréciano (eds). Flut von Texten - Vielfalt der Kulturen. Baltmannsweiler: Schneider Hohengehren, 45–59. Croft, W. (2000): Explaining Language Change: An Evolutionary Approach. London: Longman. Dent, R. W. (1981). Shakespeare 's Proverbial Language: An Index. Berkeley: University of California Press. Dijk, T. A. van (2001). "Critical Discourse Analysis." In D. Tannen, D. Schiffrin and H. Hamilton (eds). Handbook of Discourse Analysis. Oxford: Blackwell, 352-71. Fowler, H. W. (1994). A Dictionary of Modern English Usage. The famous compilation of learning, wit, humour and good taste. Ware: Wordsworth Editions. Gries, S Hohl Trillini, R. and S. Quassdorf, (2008). "A 'Key to all Quotations '? A Corpus-Based Parameter Model of Intertextuality". Submitted manuscript. Honeck, R. P. (1997). A Proverb in Mind: The Cognitive Science of Proverbial Wit and Wisdom. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Hukin, T. (1997). "Critical Discourse Analysis." In T.Miller (ed.). Functional Approaches to Written Text: Classroom Applications. Washington D.C.: United States Information, no pag. Jespersen, O. (1958). Growth and Structure of the English Language. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. Keller, R Lennon, P. (2004). Allusions in the Press: An applied linguistic study. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. Moon, R. (2007): "Corpus Linguistic Approaches with English Corpora". In H. Burger, D. Dobrovol’skij, P. Kühn and N. R. Norrick (eds). Phraseologie / Phraseology. An International Handbook of Contemporary Research. Berlin, New York, 1045–59. Nair, K. P. (2002). "Thiruvanthapuram." The Hindu. Online Edition of India 's National Newspaper, 23 April 2002. Available at: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/edu/2002/04/23/stories/2002042300030101.htm (accessed:12 August 2009) Quassdorf, S Sabban, A. (2007b). "Textbildende Potenzen von Phrasemen." In H. Burger, D. Dobrovol’skij, P. Kühn and N. R. Norrick (eds). Phraseologie / Phraseology. An International Handbook of Contemporary Research. Berlin, New York, 237-253. Sperber D Taylor, G. (1992). Shakespeare - Wie er Euch gefällt. Eine Kulturgeschichte von der Restauration bis zur Gegenwart. Hamburg: Rowohlt. The King James Bible. Available at http://www.studylight.org (accessed: 5. November 2008). Tilley, M. P. (1950). A Dictionary of the Proverbs in England in the 16th and 17th Centuries: A Collection of the Proverbs Found in English Literature and the Dictionaries of the Period. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Wray, A. (2002). Formulaic Language and the Lexicon. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Wray, A. (2008). Formulaic Language. Pushing the Boundaries. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. BNC - The British National Corpus. Available at: http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/ (accessed: between January and July 2009) COCA - Corpus of Contemporary American English LEO - Online Dictionary. Availabel at: http://www.leo.org (accessed: between January and July 2009) LION - Literature Online OED - The Oxford English Dictionary. Online Edition. Available at: http://dictionary.oed.com (accessed: between January and July 2009) TDA - The Times Digital Archive 1785 - 1985 WebCorp - The Web as Corpus. Available at: http://www.webcorp.org.uk (accessed: between January and July 2009)