Pillen, A;
(2017)
A Space That Will Never Be Filled Sharp Communication and the Simultaneity of Opposites.
Current Anthropology
, 58
(6)
pp. 718-738.
10.1086/694760.
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Abstract
A disregard for human traditions, the brutality of predation, sacrifice, and sexual desire are ingrained in languages across cultures. This paper concerns a key linguistic feature reflecting this predicament: utterances that encapsulate their opposite and effectuate a U-turn in meaning. This mode of communication stands out as a representation of the friction between incommensurable worlds—conceived together. An enemy’s perspective or an unpalatable reality finds a host within language. I embark upon a multidisciplinary search for examples of such utterances and present an assemblage of five pertinent images. Each of these makes a distinct conceptual contribution. Vigilance and an awareness of other points of view underpin most of the utterances under study, which I propose to call“sharp communication” at the intersection of opposing perspectives.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | A Space That Will Never Be Filled Sharp Communication and the Simultaneity of Opposites |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1086/694760 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/694760 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the version of record. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Dept of Anthropology |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10030633 |
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