
This book explores the time that we (think we) experience and the concept of time in our beliefs, our knowledge, and our fears. We believe that time passes, we know that death is inevitable, we fear that we are going to be late. How do these human feelings and sensations of time relate to metaphysical time of tenseless reality? What do different languages tell us about the nature of human time? And what exactly is the flow of time? The chapters in this volume bring together insights from linguists and philosophers to examine questions about time on the micro-level of physical reality, as well as time in language and discourse on the macro-level of social reality. The unifying theme is that in order to understand human time we have to discover not only how we think and speak about time, but also what it is that makes us think and speak about it in a certain way.
This volume investigates the intersection between subjective human experiences of time and the objective, tenseless reality of metaphysical time. Kasia M. Jaszczolt, a professor of linguistics and philosophy, synthesizes research from both fields to analyze how human cognition, language, and discourse construct our perception of temporal flow. The work argues that understanding human time requires a dual approach: examining the linguistic structures used to describe time and identifying the underlying cognitive mechanisms that necessitate these specific expressions.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts in linguistics and philosophy recognize this work as a rigorous contribution to the Oxford Studies of Time series. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is intended for scholars and advanced students of cognitive science and semantics.
Page Count:
384
Publication Date:
2023-08-18
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
019289644X
ISBN-13:
9780192896445
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