Page 86 - Oswald Ducrot, Slovenian Lectures, Digitalna knjižnica/Digital Library, Dissertationes 6
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Slovenian Lectures
something like “The more one takes risks (+R), the worthier one is (+V)”.
Topical form TF1’’ will be the converse of the first topical form, that is “The
less one takes risks (-R), the less one is doing what one should (-V)”. Having
distinguished those two forms under which topos T1, which values risk,
can appear, I can, or at least hope I can, distinguish courageous and timor-
ous, which both refer to that topos. I will say that courageous implements
topical form TF1’ “The more one takes risks, the worthier one is”: in saying
that someone “is courageous”, I am stressing both the magnitude of the risks
he is taking and the worthiness he thereby evinces. As for timorous, the ef-
fect is exactly the opposite: what we have is topical form TF1’’. When I say
that someone is timorous, I am applying topos T1 under the form “The less
one takes risks, the less worthy one is”, which accounts for the unfavourable
conclusion about the person, who has been categorized in that way.
The same thing can be done with the two adjectives involving topos T2,
which depreciate risk-taking: TF2’ (“The greater the risk, the greater the
evil”) and on the other hand, TF2’’ (“The lesser the risk, the lesser the evil”).
(It goes without saying that those representations of the topical forms are
short-hand schemata.) According to me, the two adjectives prudent and
rash implement the two topical forms TF2’ and on the other hand, TF2’’.
The prudent person is the one who does not take risks and whom one con-
gratulates on that count. So, in saying that someone is prudent, one is im-
plementing topical form TF2’ about him. And similarly, as far as rash is con-
cerned, it is still the same topos but this time under topical form TF2’’: “The
more one takes risks, the more one is being evil”. When I say that someone
is rash, I am saying that he takes risks in an unjustified way, which directs
my discourse toward conclusions which are negative, unfavourable for the
person I am speaking about.
The form of analysis which I have suggested for courageous, timorous,
prudent and rash can be applied to many other groups of adjectives. You
can if you like amuse yourselves inventing or, to keep up the “scientific” style
of saying things, establishing groups of four adjectives which could be de-
scribed in that way with two contrary topoi and two converse topical forms
for each of those topoi. I will simply point out another one, leaving you the
task of dealing with it in detail yourselves, if you are interested. Within the
group generous, avaricious, thrifty, spendthrift, the same relationships are to
be found as those which I have indicated for the courageous-timorous-pru-
dent-rash group. Finding other analogous groups of words is easy.
Now, I would like to compare the solution I have proposed for the de-
scription of those adjectives with an apparently far simpler and more rea-
something like “The more one takes risks (+R), the worthier one is (+V)”.
Topical form TF1’’ will be the converse of the first topical form, that is “The
less one takes risks (-R), the less one is doing what one should (-V)”. Having
distinguished those two forms under which topos T1, which values risk,
can appear, I can, or at least hope I can, distinguish courageous and timor-
ous, which both refer to that topos. I will say that courageous implements
topical form TF1’ “The more one takes risks, the worthier one is”: in saying
that someone “is courageous”, I am stressing both the magnitude of the risks
he is taking and the worthiness he thereby evinces. As for timorous, the ef-
fect is exactly the opposite: what we have is topical form TF1’’. When I say
that someone is timorous, I am applying topos T1 under the form “The less
one takes risks, the less worthy one is”, which accounts for the unfavourable
conclusion about the person, who has been categorized in that way.
The same thing can be done with the two adjectives involving topos T2,
which depreciate risk-taking: TF2’ (“The greater the risk, the greater the
evil”) and on the other hand, TF2’’ (“The lesser the risk, the lesser the evil”).
(It goes without saying that those representations of the topical forms are
short-hand schemata.) According to me, the two adjectives prudent and
rash implement the two topical forms TF2’ and on the other hand, TF2’’.
The prudent person is the one who does not take risks and whom one con-
gratulates on that count. So, in saying that someone is prudent, one is im-
plementing topical form TF2’ about him. And similarly, as far as rash is con-
cerned, it is still the same topos but this time under topical form TF2’’: “The
more one takes risks, the more one is being evil”. When I say that someone
is rash, I am saying that he takes risks in an unjustified way, which directs
my discourse toward conclusions which are negative, unfavourable for the
person I am speaking about.
The form of analysis which I have suggested for courageous, timorous,
prudent and rash can be applied to many other groups of adjectives. You
can if you like amuse yourselves inventing or, to keep up the “scientific” style
of saying things, establishing groups of four adjectives which could be de-
scribed in that way with two contrary topoi and two converse topical forms
for each of those topoi. I will simply point out another one, leaving you the
task of dealing with it in detail yourselves, if you are interested. Within the
group generous, avaricious, thrifty, spendthrift, the same relationships are to
be found as those which I have indicated for the courageous-timorous-pru-
dent-rash group. Finding other analogous groups of words is easy.
Now, I would like to compare the solution I have proposed for the de-
scription of those adjectives with an apparently far simpler and more rea-
