MENTAL SPACES

Table of
contents 1 Introduction

2
Apparent semantic
anomalies

3 Referential ambiguities
01 Introduction
In each case, the subjet NP does not refer to the entity to which it normally refers but to one that
conceptually linked to it in some way.
 Apparent
02 semantic
anomalies
 (5) In this painting
the girl with blue
eyes has green eyes
The target
The figure in the painting, since it
is this entity to which the
predicate Thas green eyes'
apphies.

The trigger
A girl in the real world to whom
the descriptor 'wirh blue eyes‘
applies.

The relationship berween images and “reality"

The trigger and target exist in two distinct 'mental spaces', one space being (the speakers)
current realiry, which contains the trigger, the other being the painting, which' contains the
target (see figure 6.1). An expression such as in this païnting can therefore be considered to
be a ‘’space builder’’
(6) I’m taller than I am
(7) John thinks I’m taller than I am
(6) is semantically anomalous (involves just one
mental space -current reality)
(7) is well formed. (John’s thinks is a space builder
creating a new mental space distinct from current
reality space. Each of these spaces contains a point on
a scale corresponding to John height.
When these two points are compared,
the relevant point in John's ’think space’ is found to be
higher than the relevant point in current reality space.
S1 in reality space and S2 in John's think space.
There is also a correspondence between the point on Conceptual blend: merging the speakers
the scale corresponding to my height in realiy space assessment of my height and that of John onto a
(T1) and the “same' point in John’s think space (T2). single scale of tallness, enabling the relevant
What the sentence means is that T2 is lower on the comparison to be made.
scale than the point that represents my height in John’s
think space (T3).
03 Referential
ambiguities
 (8) The prime minister was ten years old in 1949
A person who is currently prime
minister. (the trigger) and a person
who was ten years old in 1949 but not
prime minister at that time (the
target).

The relevant function is the

understanding that the entities in
question are different manifestations of
the same person.

The person vwho was Prime minister in

1949 was ten years old at that tìme.

Only one temporal space is inyolved.

(9) Ed thinks he’s a hero. (10) In that movie, Ed thinks he’s a hero.

(10) can mean either that (real world) Ed thinks the

(9) has only one meaning (assuming that he
character he plays In the movie 1s a hero or that the
does not refer to
character Ed plays in the movie thinks that he Is a
someone other than Ed)
hero
 (11) Jean wants to marry a Norwegian.

Jean vwants the person she marries to be a

There is a person vho is a Norwegian in the
Norwegian.
speaker®s current reality space and who is
There is no person in the speaker's reality space
also the person who Jean marries in her
corresponding to the (hypothetical) Norwegian in
“want space'
Jeans want space.
 (12) Jean thinks she wants to matry a Norwegian.

Person who is a Norwegian in the
speakers cutrent reality and the
person whom Jean thinks she wants
to marry.
There is no relevant Norwegian in
the speakers reality space,
'Jean thinks that she wants the
person she marries to be
Norwegian”
The person she marries in her
want space corresponds to a
person who is a Norwegian in
her belief space. But this person
may not be a Norwegian in the
speakers current reality space
 Insert smart graphs from Google Sheets!

Despite being red, Mars is a

Venus has a beautiful name, very cold place. It’s full of
but it’s terribly hot, even iron oxide dust
hotter than Mercury

Jupiter is a gas giant and the

biggest planet in the Solar
System
Saturn, the ringed planet, is
composed mostly of
hydrogen and helium To modify this graph, click on it, follow the link, change the data
and paste the new graph here, replacing this one
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It’s the closest Venus has a nice Neptune is the Jupiter is the
planet to the Sun name, but it’s hot farthest planet biggest of them all