To download click here
Commercial transactions revisited
last changed 1 April 2008
Bibliographical information
This completely new paper emerged in August 2007 out of an attempt to revise 'Buying and selling in Word Grammar', which was written in 2002 but never published (except in a collection of 'reprints'); and it was further revised in April 2008. It is now in the throes of finding a journal for publication.
Abstract
Fillmore has suggested that a single notion of a ‘commercial transaction’ provides a frame for defining the meaning of the six verbs BUY, SELL, PAY, CHARGE, SPEND and COST. I dispute this suggestion, arguing that these verbs each require a variety of different framing concepts, none of which could be called ‘commercial transaction’. My evidence comes from both semantics and syntax. Semantically, the verbs do not all apply to the same range of situations; and syntactically, they show differences which can be explained only if we assume they have different frames. For example, the on found with SPEND is typical of verbs of ‘resource management’ such as WASTE, whereas SELL and PAY share the syntax of GIVE. The analysis assumes the theoretical framework of Word Grammar, but the relevant assumptions are explained.