KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Dr. Alan Libert
University of Newcastle
University of Newcastle
Alan Libert is a senior lecturer in linguistics at the University of Newcastle in Australia, and head of its applied linguistics and German programs. He was born in Los Angeles and grew up mainly in New York City. He completed a B.A. in Latin and Ancient Greek at New York University and a Ph.D. in linguistics at McGill University in Montreal. His research interests include word classes, Turkic languages, artificial languages, and names.
Abstract
Polyfunctionality in Linguistics and in Life
Polyfunctionality in Linguistics and in Life
Polyfunctionality means having more than one function. This term has more than one sense in linguistics, but perhaps the most common sense is when a word can belong to more than one word class. For example, book can be a noun or a verb, and dry can be an adjective or a verb. Objects in ordinary life can also be polyfunctional; for example, one could use a screwdriver as a hammer, if one could not find a hammer. However, in such cases we would not say that a screwdriver can also be a hammer, but rather that it could function as a hammer. There thus seems to be a difference in the way that we conceive of polyfunctionality in linguistics and in life. In this talk, I will explore possible reasons for this, as well as presenting examples of polyfunctionality in many domains.