Subject: Uses of Language

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2001 11:26:16 EDT

I don't think that there can be an exhaustive or exclusive list of uses of 
language. Here, however are some categories that I have noticed and that 
seem to be significant. I am not sure that all of them (indeed, nmost of 
them) need to be flagged in Lojban. I am sure that it is at least sometimes 
important not to confuse them.
1. descriptive-- true or false depending on whether it describes world 
accurately. The basic language type for logic and impportant in ordinary 
discourse, though doubtful whether it is the main use of language.
1a. observative -- immediate descriptive response to situation, the 
logically and epistemologically fundamental sort of description -- but not 
all that common, except as combined with other factors, typically emotive.
1b. gnomic -- general "wisdom" in poetic format? 
2. interrogative -- asks about truth, completion of sentence, emotional 
response, etc. so explicitly tied to descriptive in most cases.
3. emotive -- breaks down into 
3a. expressive -- expresses an emotion (UI)
3b. evocative -- calls up an emotion: propaganda, chants; fewer direct 
expressions, more in coloring (in English anyhow)-- looks like other uses 
often (should be flagged in Lojban? -- but that destroys much of its 
effectiveness)
4. poetic -- often like descriptive but with color, not literal? (not 
necessarily poetry either way), also clearly related to emotive both ways.
5. directive -- get someone to do something -- imperative, petitive -- 
difference mainly in power, urgency, etc.
6. performative -- uttering by right person in right circumstances alters 
obligational world
6a. commitive -- response to directive, also independent version (related 
also to optative?)
7. optative
7a. preferential-- wish (as long as not known true) HOPE (AS LONG AS NOT 
KNOWN TRUE OR FALSE)fear=negative hope
7b. precative -- prayers, charms, blessings, curses, 
8. speculative: describe situation without regard to truth then work out by 
some rules (however unformulated, inexplicit, etc,but kept over from base 
world) what else true in that situation
8a. interpretive?--what it meant
9. fictive -- description of unreal events, create a world -- judged on 
coherence?
10. ritual -- words as words, not necessarily meaning anything (may be some 
of above, though usually not necessary for ritual purpose).

Any further suggestions (or suggested eliminations, repositionings, 
collapsing, etc.)?