Перевод: с английского на все языки

со всех языков на английский

that is a distinct possibility

  • 1 possibility

    possibility [‚pɒsə'bɪlətɪ] (pl possibilities)
    1 noun
    (a) (chance) possibilité f, éventualité f;
    ∎ it's a possibility c'est une possibilité, c'est bien possible;
    ∎ within the bounds of possibility dans la limite du possible;
    ∎ the possibility of a settlement is fading fast la perspective d'un règlement est de moins en moins probable;
    ∎ is there any possibility of you coming up for the weekend? pourriez-vous venir ce week-end?, y a-t-il des chances que vous veniez ce week-end?;
    ∎ if there's any possibility of leaving early, I'll let you know s'il y a moyen de partir de bonne heure, je vous le ferai savoir;
    ∎ there's no possibility of that happening il n'y a aucune chance ou aucun risque que cela se produise;
    ∎ there's little possibility of any changes being made to the budget il est peu probable que le budget soit modifié;
    ∎ there's a strong possibility we'll know the results tomorrow il est fort possible que nous connaissions les résultats demain;
    ∎ they hadn't even considered the possibility that he might leave ils n'avaient même pas envisagé qu'il puisse partir
    (b) (person → for job) candidat(e) m,f possible; (→ as choice) choix m possible;
    ∎ she's still a possibility elle conserve toutes ses chances
    (c) (possible event, outcome) éventualité f;
    ∎ that is a distinct possibility c'est bien possible;
    ∎ to allow for all possibilities parer à toute éventualité;
    ∎ the possibilities are endless! les possibilités sont innombrables!
    (potential) possibilités fpl;
    ∎ the job has a lot of possibilities le poste offre de nombreuses perspectives;
    ∎ job possibilities possibilités fpl d'emploi

    Un panorama unique de l'anglais et du français > possibility

  • 2 distinct

    distinct [dɪ'stɪŋkt]
    (a) (different) distinct;
    ∎ to be distinct from se distinguer de;
    ∎ the two poems are quite distinct from each other les deux poèmes sont tout à fait différents l'un de l'autre
    (b) (clear → memory) clair, net; (→ voice, announcement, place, object) distinct
    (c) (decided, evident → accent) prononcé; (→ difference) net, clair; (→ preference) marqué; (→ lack of respect, interest) évident; (→ likeness) clair, net, prononcé; (→ advantage, improvement, impression) net;
    ∎ to make distinct progress progresser nettement;
    ∎ she had a distinct feeling that something would go wrong elle avait le sentiment très net que quelque chose allait mal tourner;
    ∎ I have the distinct impression you're trying to avoid me j'ai la nette impression que tu essaies de m'éviter;
    ∎ there's a distinct smell of smoke in here cela sent vraiment la fumée ici;
    ∎ a distinct possibility une forte possibilité;
    ∎ there is a distinct possibility of rain tomorrow il est fort possible qu'il pleuve demain;
    par opposition à

    Un panorama unique de l'anglais et du français > distinct

  • 3 distinct

    distinct [dɪsˈtɪŋkt]
       a. ( = definite) net
    ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
    ► With this meaning net goes before the noun.
    ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ [possibility] réel ; [memory] distinct
       b. ( = different) distinct
    ► as distinct from... par opposition à...
    * * *
    [dɪ'stɪŋkt]
    1) [image] ( not blurred) net/nette; ( easily visible) distinct
    2) ( definite) [resemblance, preference, progress, impression] net/nette; [advantage] indéniable
    3) ( separable) distinct ( from de)
    4) ( different) différent ( from de)

    English-French dictionary > distinct

  • 4 possibility

    possibility [‚pɒsəˈbɪlɪtɪ]
       a. possibilité f
    • if by any possibility... si par hasard...
    • there is some possibility/not much possibility of success il y a des chances/peu de chances que ça marche
       b. ( = promise) perspectives fpl, potentiel m
    * * *
    [ˌpɒsə'bɪlətɪ] 1.
    1) (chance, prospect) possibilité f
    2) ( eventuality) éventualité f

    the possibility of a refusal/of failure — l'éventualité d'un refus/d'un échec

    2.
    possibilities plural noun ( potential)

    English-French dictionary > possibility

  • 5 distinct

    di'stiŋkt
    1) (easily seen, heard or noticed: There are distinct differences between the two; Her voice is very distinct.) claro, marcado, inconfundible
    2) (separate or different: Those two birds are quite distinct - you couldn't confuse them.) distinto
    •
    - distinctness
    - distinction
    - distinctive
    - distinctively
    1. claro / marcado / inconfundible
    2. distinto
    tr[dɪ'stɪŋkt]
    1 (different, separate) distinto,-a ( from, a), diferente ( from, de)
    2 (noticeable - likeness, change) marcado,-a; (- smell) inconfundible, fuerte; (idea, sign, intention, thought) claro,-a, evidente; (tendency) bien determinado,-a; (improvement) decidido,-a, marcado,-a
    3 (possibility, advantage) innegable
    \
    SMALLIDIOMATIC EXPRESSION/SMALL
    as distinct from a diferencia de
    distinct [dɪ'stɪŋkt] adj
    1) different: distinto, diferente
    2) clear, unmistakable: marcado, claro, evidente
    a distinct possibility: una clara posibilidad
    adj.
    • cierto, -a adj.
    • claro, -a adj.
    • distinto, -a adj.
    • diverso, -a adj.
    • inequívoco, -a adj.
    dɪ'stɪŋkt
    1) <shape/outline> definido, claro, nítido; < likeness> obvio, marcado; < improvement> decidido, marcado; < possibility> nada desdeñable
    2)
    a) (different, separate) distinto, bien diferenciado

    to be distinct FROM something — ser* distinto or diferente de or a algo

    b) ( unmistakable) (pred) inconfundible
    [dɪs'tɪŋkt]
    ADJ
    1) (=different) [types, species, groups] diferente, distinto

    distinct from — diferente a, distinto a

    engineering and technology are disciplines quite distinct from one another — la ingeniería y la tecnología son disciplinas muy diferentes or distintas

    2) (=clear, definite) [shape, memory] claro, definido; [image, sound] claro, nítido; [increase, rise, fall] marcado; [advantage, disadvantage] claro, obvio; [possibility, improvement] claro; [lack] evidente; [flavour] inconfundible

    • we noticed a distinct change in her attitude — notamos un claro cambio en su actitud

    • he had the distinct feeling that they were laughing at him — tuvo la clara sensación de que se estaban riendo de él

    • I got the distinct impression that... — tuve la clara impresión de que...

    • there is a distinct possibility that... — existe una clara posibilidad de que... + subjun

    • there are distinct signs of progress — existen señales evidentes or inconfundibles de progreso

    * * *
    [dɪ'stɪŋkt]
    1) <shape/outline> definido, claro, nítido; < likeness> obvio, marcado; < improvement> decidido, marcado; < possibility> nada desdeñable
    2)
    a) (different, separate) distinto, bien diferenciado

    to be distinct FROM something — ser* distinto or diferente de or a algo

    b) ( unmistakable) (pred) inconfundible

    English-spanish dictionary > distinct

  • 6 possibility

    noun
    1) Möglichkeit, die

    there's no possibility of his coming/agreeing — es ist ausgeschlossen, dass er kommt/zustimmt

    there's not much possibility of success — die Erfolgschancen sind nicht groß

    it's a distinct possibility that... — es ist gut möglich, dass...

    2) in pl. (potential) Möglichkeiten Pl.

    the house/subject has possibilities — aus dem Haus/Thema lässt sich etwas machen

    * * *
    plural - possibilities; noun (something that is possible; the state of being possible; (a) likelihood: There isn't much possibility of that happening; There's a possibility of war; The plan has possibilities (= looks as if it may be a good one).) die Möglichkeit
    * * *
    pos·sibil·ity
    [ˌpɒsəˈbɪləti, AM ˌpɑ:səˈbɪlət̬i]
    n
    1. (event or action) Möglichkeit f
    there's a \possibility that... es kann sein, dass..., möglicherweise...
    there is every [or a strong] \possibility that... es ist sehr wahrscheinlich, dass..., höchstwahrscheinlich...
    to consider/examine the possibilities alle Möglichkeiten durchdenken
    to consider the \possibility of sth etw in Erwägung ziehen
    2. no pl (likelihood) Möglichkeit f, Wahrscheinlichkeit f
    is there any \possibility [that]...? besteht irgendeine Möglichkeit, dass...?
    there's not much \possibility of that happening die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass das passiert, ist sehr gering
    it's not beyond the bounds of \possibility that... es ist nicht völlig auszuschließen, dass...
    ▪ possibilities pl Möglichkeiten pl
    to have possibilities entwicklungsfähig sein
    the old cottage definitely has possibilities aus dem alten Landhaus lässt sich durchaus etwas machen
    * * *
    ["pɒsə'bIlItɪ]
    n
    Möglichkeit f

    there's not much possibility of success/of his or him being successful — die Aussichten auf Erfolg/darauf, dass er Erfolg hat, sind nicht sehr groß

    do you by any possibility happen to know...? — wissen Sie zufällig...?

    the possibility of doing sth — die Möglichkeit or Chance, etw zu tun

    it's a distinct possibility that... — es besteht eindeutig die Möglichkeit, dass...

    there is some or a possibility that... —

    a job with real possibilities — eine Stelle mit echten Möglichkeiten or Chancen

    he/that has possibilities — in ihm/darin stecken Möglichkeiten

    * * *
    possibility [ˌpɒsəˈbılətı; US ˌpɑsə-] s
    1. Möglichkeit f (of zu, für):
    there is no possibility of doing sth es besteht keine Möglichkeit, etwas zu tun;
    there is no possibility of his coming es besteht keine Möglichkeit, dass er kommt;
    there is still a possibility that … es besteht nach wie vor die Möglichkeit, dass …
    2. Möglichkeit f;
    jemand, der oder etwas, was infrage kommt: be a possibility im Bereich des Möglichen liegen
    3. pl
    a) Möglichkeiten pl, (Zukunfts)Aussichten pl
    b) (Entwicklungs)Möglichkeiten pl, (-)Fähigkeiten pl
    * * *
    noun
    1) Möglichkeit, die

    there's no possibility of his coming/agreeing — es ist ausgeschlossen, dass er kommt/zustimmt

    it's a distinct possibility that... — es ist gut möglich, dass...

    2) in pl. (potential) Möglichkeiten Pl.

    the house/subject has possibilities — aus dem Haus/Thema lässt sich etwas machen

    * * *
    n.
    Chance n.
    Möglichkeit f.

    English-german dictionary > possibility

  • 7 possibility

    plural - possibilities; noun (something that is possible; the state of being possible; (a) likelihood: There isn't much possibility of that happening; There's a possibility of war; The plan has possibilities (= looks as if it may be a good one).) posibilidad
    possibility n posibilidad
    tr[pɒsɪ'bɪlɪtɪ]
    ■ there's not much possibility of that happening! ¡eso es poco probable!
    possibility [.pɑsə'bɪlət̬i] n, pl - ties : posibilidad f
    n.
    • posibilidad s.f.
    • potencialidad s.f.
    'pɑːsə'bɪləti, ˌpɒsə'bɪləti
    a) u ( likelihood) posibilidad f

    it's not beyond (the bounds of) possibility that it will come back — cabe la posibilidad de que vuelva, está dentro de lo posible que vuelva

    is there any possibility you could lend me the money? — ¿hay alguna posibilidad de que me prestes el dinero?

    b) c ( something possible) posibilidad f
    c) possibilities pl posibilidades fpl, potencial m
    [ˌpɒsǝ'bɪlɪtɪ]
    N
    1) (=chance, likelihood) posibilidad f

    is there any possibility (that) they could help? — ¿hay alguna posibilidad de que nos ayuden?

    there is a strong possibility I'll be late — es muy posible que me retrase, hay muchas posibilidades de que me retrase

    • beyond/within the bounds of possibility, it is within the bounds of possibility — está dentro de lo posible

    • there is no possibility of his agreeing to it — no existe ninguna posibilidad de que lo consienta

    distinct 2)
    2) (=option) posibilidad f
    3) (usu pl) (=potential)

    the scheme has real possibilities — es un plan que promete, es un plan de gran potencial

    * * *
    ['pɑːsə'bɪləti, ˌpɒsə'bɪləti]
    a) u ( likelihood) posibilidad f

    it's not beyond (the bounds of) possibility that it will come back — cabe la posibilidad de que vuelva, está dentro de lo posible que vuelva

    is there any possibility you could lend me the money? — ¿hay alguna posibilidad de que me prestes el dinero?

    b) c ( something possible) posibilidad f
    c) possibilities pl posibilidades fpl, potencial m

    English-spanish dictionary > possibility

  • 8 distinct

    adjective
    1) (different) verschieden

    as distinct from — im Unterschied zu

    2) (clearly perceptible, decided) deutlich; klar [Stimme, Sicht]
    3) (separate) unterschiedlich
    * * *
    [di'stiŋkt]
    1) (easily seen, heard or noticed: There are distinct differences between the two; Her voice is very distinct.) deutlich
    2) (separate or different: Those two birds are quite distinct - you couldn't confuse them.) unterschiedlich
    •
    - academic.ru/21317/distinctly">distinctly
    - distinctness
    - distinction
    - distinctive
    - distinctively
    * * *
    dis·tinct
    [dɪˈstɪŋ(k)t]
    1. (different) verschieden
    ▪ to be \distinct from sth sich akk von etw dat unterscheiden, unterschiedlich sein
    as \distinct from sth im Unterschied zu etw dat
    2. (perceivable) deutlich
    \distinct words deutliche Worte
    3. attr (marked) eindeutig
    to get the \distinct impression that... den nachhaltigen Eindruck bekommen, dass...
    * * *
    [dI'stIŋkt]
    adj
    1) (= different) parts, groups, types, areas, phases verschieden, unterschiedlich

    to be distinct from sth —

    what he thinks, as distinct from what he says — was er denkt, im Unterschied dazu, was er sagt

    2) (= definite) sign, change, memory, lack, improvement deutlich; flavour bestimmt; image, sound klar, deutlich

    to have distinct memories of sb/sth — sich deutlich an jdn/etw erinnern

    to get the distinct idea or impression that... — den deutlichen Eindruck bekommen, dass...

    to have the distinct feeling that... — das bestimmte Gefühl haben, dass...

    to have a distinct advantage ( over sb) — (jdm gegenüber) klar or deutlich im Vorteil sein

    there is a distinct possibility that... — es besteht eindeutig die Möglichkeit, dass...

    * * *
    distinct [dıˈstıŋkt] adj (adv → distinctly)
    1. ver-, unterschieden ( beide:
    from von):
    as distinct from im Unterschied zu, zum Unterschied von
    2. einzeln, (voneinander) getrennt, (ab)gesondert
    3. verschiedenartig
    4. ausgeprägt, charakteristisch:
    distinct personality ausgeprägte Persönlichkeit
    5. klar, deutlich, eindeutig, bestimmt, entschieden, ausgesprochen:
    have the distinct feeling that … das bestimmte Gefühl haben, dass …;
    have a distinct preference for eine ausgesprochene Vorliebe haben für;
    a distinct pronunciation eine deutliche Aussprache
    6. distinct vision scharfe Augen pl
    * * *
    adjective
    1) (different) verschieden
    2) (clearly perceptible, decided) deutlich; klar [Stimme, Sicht]
    3) (separate) unterschiedlich
    * * *
    (from) adj.
    deutlich adj.
    verschieden (von) adj. adj.
    ausgeprägt adj.
    deutlich adj.
    verschieden adj.

    English-german dictionary > distinct

  • 9 definite

    'definit
    (clear; fixed or certain: I'll give you a definite answer later.) definitivo
    - definite article
    1. definitivo / concreto
    the date is not definite, I'll confirm it later la fecha aún no es definitiva, la confirmaré luego
    2. seguro
    tr['defɪnət]
    1 (final, fixed - gen) definitivo,-a; (- opinions) fijo,-a
    2 (clear, distinct) claro,-a; (clear, appreciable) notable, sensible; (exact, specific) específico,-a, preciso,-a
    3 (sure, certain) seguro,-a, confirmado,-a
    ■ is it definite? ¿es seguro?
    definite ['dɛfənɪt] adj
    1) certain: definido, determinado
    2) clear: claro, explícito
    3) unquestionable: seguro, incuestionable
    adj.
    • categórico, -a adj.
    • definido, -a adj.
    • determinado, -a adj.
    • formal adj.
    'defənət, 'defnət, 'defɪnɪt
    1)
    a) ( final) <date/price/offer> definitivo, en firme
    b) ( certain) seguro, confirmado
    c) (firm, categorical) < tone> firme, terminante
    d) ( distinct)

    it's a definite advantage/possibility — es, sin duda, una ventaja/posibilidad

    2) ( Ling)

    definite article — artículo m determinado or definido

    ['defɪnɪt]
    ADJ
    1) (=fixed) [time, offer, plan] definitivo; [decision, agreement] final

    are you ready to make a definite order? — ¿puede mandarnos ya un pedido en firme?

    it is definite that he will retire — ya es seguro or definitivo que se jubilará

    • 14 September is definite for the trip — el 14 de septiembre es la fecha definitiva para el viaje

    • nothing definite — nada definitivo

    • I don't intend to go, and that's definite — no pienso ir, y no voy a cambiar de idea

    is that definite? — ¿es seguro?

    2) (=clear) [improvement, advantage] indudable; [feeling, impression] inequívoco; [increase] claro

    there is a definite possibility that we will get the contract — está claro que existe la posibilidad de que consigamos el contrato, es muy posible que consigamos el contrato

    3) (=sure)

    • are you definite about that? — ¿estás seguro de eso?

    • to know sth for definite — saber algo con seguridad

    I don't know or can't say for definite yet — no lo sé seguro todavía, no puedo asegurarlo todavía

    4) (=emphatic) [manner, tone] firme, terminante; [views, opinions] firme
    5) (Ling)

    definite article — artículo m definido

    past definite (tense) — (tiempo m) pretérito m

    * * *
    ['defənət, 'defnət, 'defɪnɪt]
    1)
    a) ( final) <date/price/offer> definitivo, en firme
    b) ( certain) seguro, confirmado
    c) (firm, categorical) < tone> firme, terminante
    d) ( distinct)

    it's a definite advantage/possibility — es, sin duda, una ventaja/posibilidad

    2) ( Ling)

    definite article — artículo m determinado or definido

    English-spanish dictionary > definite

  • 10 Language

       Philosophy is written in that great book, the universe, which is always open, right before our eyes. But one cannot understand this book without first learning to understand the language and to know the characters in which it is written. It is written in the language of mathematics, and the characters are triangles, circles, and other figures. Without these, one cannot understand a single word of it, and just wanders in a dark labyrinth. (Galileo, 1990, p. 232)
       It never happens that it [a nonhuman animal] arranges its speech in various ways in order to reply appropriately to everything that may be said in its presence, as even the lowest type of man can do. (Descartes, 1970a, p. 116)
       It is a very remarkable fact that there are none so depraved and stupid, without even excepting idiots, that they cannot arrange different words together, forming of them a statement by which they make known their thoughts; while, on the other hand, there is no other animal, however perfect and fortunately circumstanced it may be, which can do the same. (Descartes, 1967, p. 116)
       Human beings do not live in the object world alone, nor alone in the world of social activity as ordinarily understood, but are very much at the mercy of the particular language which has become the medium of expression for their society. It is quite an illusion to imagine that one adjusts to reality essentially without the use of language and that language is merely an incidental means of solving specific problems of communication or reflection. The fact of the matter is that the "real world" is to a large extent unconsciously built on the language habits of the group.... We see and hear and otherwise experience very largely as we do because the language habits of our community predispose certain choices of interpretation. (Sapir, 1921, p. 75)
       It powerfully conditions all our thinking about social problems and processes.... No two languages are ever sufficiently similar to be considered as representing the same social reality. The worlds in which different societies live are distinct worlds, not merely the same worlds with different labels attached. (Sapir, 1985, p. 162)
       [A list of language games, not meant to be exhaustive:]
       Giving orders, and obeying them- Describing the appearance of an object, or giving its measurements- Constructing an object from a description (a drawing)Reporting an eventSpeculating about an eventForming and testing a hypothesisPresenting the results of an experiment in tables and diagramsMaking up a story; and reading itPlay actingSinging catchesGuessing riddlesMaking a joke; and telling it
       Solving a problem in practical arithmeticTranslating from one language into another
       LANGUAGE Asking, thanking, cursing, greeting, and praying-. (Wittgenstein, 1953, Pt. I, No. 23, pp. 11 e-12 e)
       We dissect nature along lines laid down by our native languages.... The world is presented in a kaleidoscopic flux of impressions which has to be organized by our minds-and this means largely by the linguistic systems in our minds.... No individual is free to describe nature with absolute impartiality but is constrained to certain modes of interpretation even while he thinks himself most free. (Whorf, 1956, pp. 153, 213-214)
       We dissect nature along the lines laid down by our native languages.
       The categories and types that we isolate from the world of phenomena we do not find there because they stare every observer in the face; on the contrary, the world is presented in a kaleidoscopic flux of impressions which has to be organized by our minds-and this means largely by the linguistic systems in our minds.... We are thus introduced to a new principle of relativity, which holds that all observers are not led by the same physical evidence to the same picture of the universe, unless their linguistic backgrounds are similar or can in some way be calibrated. (Whorf, 1956, pp. 213-214)
       9) The Forms of a Person's Thoughts Are Controlled by Unperceived Patterns of His Own Language
       The forms of a person's thoughts are controlled by inexorable laws of pattern of which he is unconscious. These patterns are the unperceived intricate systematizations of his own language-shown readily enough by a candid comparison and contrast with other languages, especially those of a different linguistic family. (Whorf, 1956, p. 252)
       It has come to be commonly held that many utterances which look like statements are either not intended at all, or only intended in part, to record or impart straightforward information about the facts.... Many traditional philosophical perplexities have arisen through a mistake-the mistake of taking as straightforward statements of fact utterances which are either (in interesting non-grammatical ways) nonsensical or else intended as something quite different. (Austin, 1962, pp. 2-3)
       In general, one might define a complex of semantic components connected by logical constants as a concept. The dictionary of a language is then a system of concepts in which a phonological form and certain syntactic and morphological characteristics are assigned to each concept. This system of concepts is structured by several types of relations. It is supplemented, furthermore, by redundancy or implicational rules..., representing general properties of the whole system of concepts.... At least a relevant part of these general rules is not bound to particular languages, but represents presumably universal structures of natural languages. They are not learned, but are rather a part of the human ability to acquire an arbitrary natural language. (Bierwisch, 1970, pp. 171-172)
       In studying the evolution of mind, we cannot guess to what extent there are physically possible alternatives to, say, transformational generative grammar, for an organism meeting certain other physical conditions characteristic of humans. Conceivably, there are none-or very few-in which case talk about evolution of the language capacity is beside the point. (Chomsky, 1972, p. 98)
       [It is] truth value rather than syntactic well-formedness that chiefly governs explicit verbal reinforcement by parents-which renders mildly paradoxical the fact that the usual product of such a training schedule is an adult whose speech is highly grammatical but not notably truthful. (R. O. Brown, 1973, p. 330)
       he conceptual base is responsible for formally representing the concepts underlying an utterance.... A given word in a language may or may not have one or more concepts underlying it.... On the sentential level, the utterances of a given language are encoded within a syntactic structure of that language. The basic construction of the sentential level is the sentence.
       The next highest level... is the conceptual level. We call the basic construction of this level the conceptualization. A conceptualization consists of concepts and certain relations among those concepts. We can consider that both levels exist at the same point in time and that for any unit on one level, some corresponding realizate exists on the other level. This realizate may be null or extremely complex.... Conceptualizations may relate to other conceptualizations by nesting or other specified relationships. (Schank, 1973, pp. 191-192)
       The mathematics of multi-dimensional interactive spaces and lattices, the projection of "computer behavior" on to possible models of cerebral functions, the theoretical and mechanical investigation of artificial intelligence, are producing a stream of sophisticated, often suggestive ideas.
       But it is, I believe, fair to say that nothing put forward until now in either theoretic design or mechanical mimicry comes even remotely in reach of the most rudimentary linguistic realities. (Steiner, 1975, p. 284)
       The step from the simple tool to the master tool, a tool to make tools (what we would now call a machine tool), seems to me indeed to parallel the final step to human language, which I call reconstitution. It expresses in a practical and social context the same understanding of hierarchy, and shows the same analysis by function as a basis for synthesis. (Bronowski, 1977, pp. 127-128)
        t is the language donn eґ in which we conduct our lives.... We have no other. And the danger is that formal linguistic models, in their loosely argued analogy with the axiomatic structure of the mathematical sciences, may block perception.... It is quite conceivable that, in language, continuous induction from simple, elemental units to more complex, realistic forms is not justified. The extent and formal "undecidability" of context-and every linguistic particle above the level of the phoneme is context-bound-may make it impossible, except in the most abstract, meta-linguistic sense, to pass from "pro-verbs," "kernals," or "deep deep structures" to actual speech. (Steiner, 1975, pp. 111-113)
       A higher-level formal language is an abstract machine. (Weizenbaum, 1976, p. 113)
       Jakobson sees metaphor and metonymy as the characteristic modes of binarily opposed polarities which between them underpin the two-fold process of selection and combination by which linguistic signs are formed.... Thus messages are constructed, as Saussure said, by a combination of a "horizontal" movement, which combines words together, and a "vertical" movement, which selects the particular words from the available inventory or "inner storehouse" of the language. The combinative (or syntagmatic) process manifests itself in contiguity (one word being placed next to another) and its mode is metonymic. The selective (or associative) process manifests itself in similarity (one word or concept being "like" another) and its mode is metaphoric. The "opposition" of metaphor and metonymy therefore may be said to represent in effect the essence of the total opposition between the synchronic mode of language (its immediate, coexistent, "vertical" relationships) and its diachronic mode (its sequential, successive, lineal progressive relationships). (Hawkes, 1977, pp. 77-78)
       It is striking that the layered structure that man has given to language constantly reappears in his analyses of nature. (Bronowski, 1977, p. 121)
       First, [an ideal intertheoretic reduction] provides us with a set of rules"correspondence rules" or "bridge laws," as the standard vernacular has it-which effect a mapping of the terms of the old theory (T o) onto a subset of the expressions of the new or reducing theory (T n). These rules guide the application of those selected expressions of T n in the following way: we are free to make singular applications of their correspondencerule doppelgangers in T o....
       Second, and equally important, a successful reduction ideally has the outcome that, under the term mapping effected by the correspondence rules, the central principles of T o (those of semantic and systematic importance) are mapped onto general sentences of T n that are theorems of Tn. (P. Churchland, 1979, p. 81)
       If non-linguistic factors must be included in grammar: beliefs, attitudes, etc. [this would] amount to a rejection of the initial idealization of language as an object of study. A priori such a move cannot be ruled out, but it must be empirically motivated. If it proves to be correct, I would conclude that language is a chaos that is not worth studying.... Note that the question is not whether beliefs or attitudes, and so on, play a role in linguistic behavior and linguistic judgments... [but rather] whether distinct cognitive structures can be identified, which interact in the real use of language and linguistic judgments, the grammatical system being one of these. (Chomsky, 1979, pp. 140, 152-153)
        23) Language Is Inevitably Influenced by Specific Contexts of Human Interaction
       Language cannot be studied in isolation from the investigation of "rationality." It cannot afford to neglect our everyday assumptions concerning the total behavior of a reasonable person.... An integrational linguistics must recognize that human beings inhabit a communicational space which is not neatly compartmentalized into language and nonlanguage.... It renounces in advance the possibility of setting up systems of forms and meanings which will "account for" a central core of linguistic behavior irrespective of the situation and communicational purposes involved. (Harris, 1981, p. 165)
       By innate [linguistic knowledge], Chomsky simply means "genetically programmed." He does not literally think that children are born with language in their heads ready to be spoken. He merely claims that a "blueprint is there, which is brought into use when the child reaches a certain point in her general development. With the help of this blueprint, she analyzes the language she hears around her more readily than she would if she were totally unprepared for the strange gabbling sounds which emerge from human mouths. (Aitchison, 1987, p. 31)
       Looking at ourselves from the computer viewpoint, we cannot avoid seeing that natural language is our most important "programming language." This means that a vast portion of our knowledge and activity is, for us, best communicated and understood in our natural language.... One could say that natural language was our first great original artifact and, since, as we increasingly realize, languages are machines, so natural language, with our brains to run it, was our primal invention of the universal computer. One could say this except for the sneaking suspicion that language isn't something we invented but something we became, not something we constructed but something in which we created, and recreated, ourselves. (Leiber, 1991, p. 8)

    Historical dictionary of quotations in cognitive science > Language

  • 11 Knowledge

       It is indeed an opinion strangely prevailing amongst men, that houses, mountains, rivers, and, in a word, all sensible objects, have an existence, natural or real, distinct from their being perceived by the understanding. But, with how great an assurance and acquiescence soever this principle may be entertained in the world, yet whoever shall find in his heart to call it into question may, if I mistake not, perceive it to involve a manifest contradiction. For, what are the forementioned objects but things we perceive by sense? and what do we perceive besides our own ideas or sensations? and is it not plainly repugnant that any one of these, or any combination of them, should exist unperceived? (Berkeley, 1996, Pt. I, No. 4, p. 25)
       It seems to me that the only objects of the abstract sciences or of demonstration are quantity and number, and that all attempts to extend this more perfect species of knowledge beyond these bounds are mere sophistry and illusion. As the component parts of quantity and number are entirely similar, their relations become intricate and involved; and nothing can be more curious, as well as useful, than to trace, by a variety of mediums, their equality or inequality, through their different appearances.
       But as all other ideas are clearly distinct and different from each other, we can never advance farther, by our utmost scrutiny, than to observe this diversity, and, by an obvious reflection, pronounce one thing not to be another. Or if there be any difficulty in these decisions, it proceeds entirely from the undeterminate meaning of words, which is corrected by juster definitions. That the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the squares of the other two sides cannot be known, let the terms be ever so exactly defined, without a train of reasoning and enquiry. But to convince us of this proposition, that where there is no property, there can be no injustice, it is only necessary to define the terms, and explain injustice to be a violation of property. This proposition is, indeed, nothing but a more imperfect definition. It is the same case with all those pretended syllogistical reasonings, which may be found in every other branch of learning, except the sciences of quantity and number; and these may safely, I think, be pronounced the only proper objects of knowledge and demonstration. (Hume, 1975, Sec. 12, Pt. 3, pp. 163-165)
       Our knowledge springs from two fundamental sources of the mind; the first is the capacity of receiving representations (the ability to receive impressions), the second is the power to know an object through these representations (spontaneity in the production of concepts).
       Through the first, an object is given to us; through the second, the object is thought in relation to that representation.... Intuition and concepts constitute, therefore, the elements of all our knowledge, so that neither concepts without intuition in some way corresponding to them, nor intuition without concepts, can yield knowledge. Both may be either pure or empirical.... Pure intuitions or pure concepts are possible only a priori; empirical intuitions and empirical concepts only a posteriori. If the receptivity of our mind, its power of receiving representations in so far as it is in any way affected, is to be called "sensibility," then the mind's power of producing representations from itself, the spontaneity of knowledge, should be called "understanding." Our nature is so constituted that our intuitions can never be other than sensible; that is, it contains only the mode in which we are affected by objects. The faculty, on the other hand, which enables us to think the object of sensible intuition is the understanding.... Without sensibility, no object would be given to us; without understanding, no object would be thought. Thoughts without content are empty; intuitions without concepts are blind. It is therefore just as necessary to make our concepts sensible, that is, to add the object to them in intuition, as to make our intuitions intelligible, that is to bring them under concepts. These two powers or capacities cannot exchange their functions. The understanding can intuit nothing, the senses can think nothing. Only through their union can knowledge arise. (Kant, 1933, Sec. 1, Pt. 2, B74-75 [p. 92])
       Metaphysics, as a natural disposition of Reason is real, but it is also, in itself, dialectical and deceptive.... Hence to attempt to draw our principles from it, and in their employment to follow this natural but none the less fallacious illusion can never produce science, but only an empty dialectical art, in which one school may indeed outdo the other, but none can ever attain a justifiable and lasting success. In order that, as a science, it may lay claim not merely to deceptive persuasion, but to insight and conviction, a Critique of Reason must exhibit in a complete system the whole stock of conceptions a priori, arranged according to their different sources-the Sensibility, the understanding, and the Reason; it must present a complete table of these conceptions, together with their analysis and all that can be deduced from them, but more especially the possibility of synthetic knowledge a priori by means of their deduction, the principles of its use, and finally, its boundaries....
       This much is certain: he who has once tried criticism will be sickened for ever of all the dogmatic trash he was compelled to content himself with before, because his Reason, requiring something, could find nothing better for its occupation. Criticism stands to the ordinary school metaphysics exactly in the same relation as chemistry to alchemy, or as astron omy to fortune-telling astrology. I guarantee that no one who has comprehended and thought out the conclusions of criticism, even in these Prolegomena, will ever return to the old sophistical pseudo-science. He will rather look forward with a kind of pleasure to a metaphysics, certainly now within his power, which requires no more preparatory discoveries, and which alone can procure for reason permanent satisfaction. (Kant, 1891, pp. 115-116)
       Knowledge is only real and can only be set forth fully in the form of science, in the form of system. Further, a so-called fundamental proposition or first principle of philosophy, even if it is true, it is yet none the less false, just because and in so far as it is merely a fundamental proposition, merely a first principle. It is for that reason easily refuted. The refutation consists in bringing out its defective character; and it is defective because it is merely the universal, merely a principle, the beginning. If the refutation is complete and thorough, it is derived and developed from the nature of the principle itself, and not accomplished by bringing in from elsewhere other counter-assurances and chance fancies. It would be strictly the development of the principle, and thus the completion of its deficiency, were it not that it misunderstands its own purport by taking account solely of the negative aspect of what it seeks to do, and is not conscious of the positive character of its process and result. The really positive working out of the beginning is at the same time just as much the very reverse: it is a negative attitude towards the principle we start from. Negative, that is to say, in its one-sided form, which consists in being primarily immediate, a mere purpose. It may therefore be regarded as a refutation of what constitutes the basis of the system; but more correctly it should be looked at as a demonstration that the basis or principle of the system is in point of fact merely its beginning. (Hegel, 1910, pp. 21-22)
       Knowledge, action, and evaluation are essentially connected. The primary and pervasive significance of knowledge lies in its guidance of action: knowing is for the sake of doing. And action, obviously, is rooted in evaluation. For a being which did not assign comparative values, deliberate action would be pointless; and for one which did not know, it would be impossible. Conversely, only an active being could have knowledge, and only such a being could assign values to anything beyond his own feelings. A creature which did not enter into the process of reality to alter in some part the future content of it, could apprehend a world only in the sense of intuitive or esthetic contemplation; and such contemplation would not possess the significance of knowledge but only that of enjoying and suffering. (Lewis, 1946, p. 1)
       "Evolutionary epistemology" is a branch of scholarship that applies the evolutionary perspective to an understanding of how knowledge develops. Knowledge always involves getting information. The most primitive way of acquiring it is through the sense of touch: amoebas and other simple organisms know what happens around them only if they can feel it with their "skins." The knowledge such an organism can have is strictly about what is in its immediate vicinity. After a huge jump in evolution, organisms learned to find out what was going on at a distance from them, without having to actually feel the environment. This jump involved the development of sense organs for processing information that was farther away. For a long time, the most important sources of knowledge were the nose, the eyes, and the ears. The next big advance occurred when organisms developed memory. Now information no longer needed to be present at all, and the animal could recall events and outcomes that happened in the past. Each one of these steps in the evolution of knowledge added important survival advantages to the species that was equipped to use it.
       Then, with the appearance in evolution of humans, an entirely new way of acquiring information developed. Up to this point, the processing of information was entirely intrasomatic.... But when speech appeared (and even more powerfully with the invention of writing), information processing became extrasomatic. After that point knowledge did not have to be stored in the genes, or in the memory traces of the brain; it could be passed on from one person to another through words, or it could be written down and stored on a permanent substance like stone, paper, or silicon chips-in any case, outside the fragile and impermanent nervous system. (Csikszentmihalyi, 1993, pp. 56-57)

    Historical dictionary of quotations in cognitive science > Knowledge

  • 12 Mind

       It becomes, therefore, no inconsiderable part of science... to know the different operations of the mind, to separate them from each other, to class them under their proper heads, and to correct all that seeming disorder in which they lie involved when made the object of reflection and inquiry.... It cannot be doubted that the mind is endowed with several powers and faculties, that these powers are distinct from one another, and that what is really distinct to the immediate perception may be distinguished by reflection and, consequently, that there is a truth and falsehood which lie not beyond the compass of human understanding. (Hume, 1955, p. 22)
       Let us then suppose the mind to be, as we say, white Paper, void of all Characters, without any Ideas: How comes it to be furnished? Whence comes it by that vast store, which the busy and boundless Fancy of Man has painted on it, with an almost endless variety? Whence has it all the materials of Reason and Knowledge? To this I answer, in one word, from Experience. (Locke, quoted in Herrnstein & Boring, 1965, p. 584)
       The kind of logic in mythical thought is as rigorous as that of modern science, and... the difference lies, not in the quality of the intellectual process, but in the nature of things to which it is applied.... Man has always been thinking equally well; the improvement lies, not in an alleged progress of man's mind, but in the discovery of new areas to which it may apply its unchanged and unchanging powers. (Leґvi-Strauss, 1963, p. 230)
       MIND. A mysterious form of matter secreted by the brain. Its chief activity consists in the endeavor to ascertain its own nature, the futility of the attempt being due to the fact that it has nothing but itself to know itself with. (Bierce, quoted in Minsky, 1986, p. 55)
       [Philosophy] understands the foundations of knowledge and it finds these foundations in a study of man-as-knower, of the "mental processes" or the "activity of representation" which make knowledge possible. To know is to represent accurately what is outside the mind, so to understand the possibility and nature of knowledge is to understand the way in which the mind is able to construct such representation.... We owe the notion of a "theory of knowledge" based on an understanding of "mental processes" to the seventeenth century, and especially to Locke. We owe the notion of "the mind" as a separate entity in which "processes" occur to the same period, and especially to Descartes. We owe the notion of philosophy as a tribunal of pure reason, upholding or denying the claims of the rest of culture, to the eighteenth century and especially to Kant, but this Kantian notion presupposed general assent to Lockean notions of mental processes and Cartesian notions of mental substance. (Rorty, 1979, pp. 3-4)
       Under pressure from the computer, the question of mind in relation to machine is becoming a central cultural preoccupation. It is becoming for us what sex was to Victorians-threat, obsession, taboo, and fascination. (Turkle, 1984, p. 313)
       7) Understanding the Mind Remains as Resistant to Neurological as to Cognitive Analyses
       Recent years have been exciting for researchers in the brain and cognitive sciences. Both fields have flourished, each spurred on by methodological and conceptual developments, and although understanding the mechanisms of mind is an objective shared by many workers in these areas, their theories and approaches to the problem are vastly different....
       Early experimental psychologists, such as Wundt and James, were as interested in and knowledgeable about the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system as about the young science of the mind. However, the experimental study of mental processes was short-lived, being eclipsed by the rise of behaviorism early in this century. It was not until the late 1950s that the signs of a new mentalism first appeared in scattered writings of linguists, philosophers, computer enthusiasts, and psychologists.
       In this new incarnation, the science of mind had a specific mission: to challenge and replace behaviorism. In the meantime, brain science had in many ways become allied with a behaviorist approach.... While behaviorism sought to reduce the mind to statements about bodily action, brain science seeks to explain the mind in terms of physiochemical events occurring in the nervous system. These approaches contrast with contemporary cognitive science, which tries to understand the mind as it is, without any reduction, a view sometimes described as functionalism.
       The cognitive revolution is now in place. Cognition is the subject of contemporary psychology. This was achieved with little or no talk of neurons, action potentials, and neurotransmitters. Similarly, neuroscience has risen to an esteemed position among the biological sciences without much talk of cognitive processes. Do the fields need each other?... [Y]es because the problem of understanding the mind, unlike the wouldbe problem solvers, respects no disciplinary boundaries. It remains as resistant to neurological as to cognitive analyses. (LeDoux & Hirst, 1986, pp. 1-2)
       Since the Second World War scientists from different disciplines have turned to the study of the human mind. Computer scientists have tried to emulate its capacity for visual perception. Linguists have struggled with the puzzle of how children acquire language. Ethologists have sought the innate roots of social behaviour. Neurophysiologists have begun to relate the function of nerve cells to complex perceptual and motor processes. Neurologists and neuropsychologists have used the pattern of competence and incompetence of their brain-damaged patients to elucidate the normal workings of the brain. Anthropologists have examined the conceptual structure of cultural practices to advance hypotheses about the basic principles of the mind. These days one meets engineers who work on speech perception, biologists who investigate the mental representation of spatial relations, and physicists who want to understand consciousness. And, of course, psychologists continue to study perception, memory, thought and action.
    ... [W]orkers in many disciplines have converged on a number of central problems and explanatory ideas. They have realized that no single approach is likely to unravel the workings of the mind: it will not give up its secrets to psychology alone; nor is any other isolated discipline-artificial intelligence, linguistics, anthropology, neurophysiology, philosophy-going to have any greater success. (Johnson-Laird, 1988, p. 7)

    Historical dictionary of quotations in cognitive science > Mind

  • 13 definite

    adjective
    (having exact limits) bestimmt; (precise) eindeutig, definitiv [Antwort, Entscheidung]; eindeutig [Beschluss, Verbesserung, Standpunkt]; eindeutig, klar [Vorteil]; klar umrissen [Ziel, Plan, Thema]; klar [Konzept, Linie, Vorstellung]; deutlich [Konturen, Umrisse]; genau [Zeitpunkt]
    * * *
    ['definit]
    (clear; fixed or certain: I'll give you a definite answer later.) eindeutig, endgültig
    - academic.ru/19194/definitely">definitely
    - definite article
    * * *
    defi·nite
    [ˈdefɪnət]
    I. adj evidence, proof sicher; place, shape, tendency, time limit bestimmt
    let's make the 9th \definite machen wir den 9. fest
    is that \definite? ist das sicher?
    there's nothing \definite yet es steht noch nichts fest
    one thing's \definite,... eines ist sicher,...
    ▪ to be \definite about sth sich dat einer S. gen sicher sein
    a \definite answer eine klare [o eindeutige] Antwort
    a \definite decision eine definitive Entscheidung
    a \definite increase ein eindeutiger Zuwachs
    to have \definite opinions feste Vorstellungen von etw dat haben
    a \definite improvement eine eindeutige Verbesserung
    II. n ( fam)
    she's a \definite for the Olympic team sie wird auf jeden Fall in der Olympiamannschaft dabei sein
    are you going to Anne's party? — it's a \definite kommst du zu Annes Party? — auf jeden Fall!
    * * *
    ['defInɪt]
    adj
    1) (= fixed, concrete, explicit) definitiv; answer, decision klar, eindeutig; agreement, date, plan, intention, wish fest, definitiv; command, request bestimmt

    there has been an improvement, that's definite — es ist eindeutig eine Verbesserung eingetreten

    for definite (say, know) — mit Bestimmtheit

    2) (= distinct, pronounced) mark, stain, lisp deutlich; advantage, improvement klar, eindeutig; problem, possibility echt
    3) (= positive, decided) tone, manner bestimmt

    she was very definite about it — sie war sich (dat) sehr sicher

    4) (GRAM) definitiv
    * * *
    definite [ˈdefınıt] adj
    1. bestimmt, präzis, klar, eindeutig (Vorstellung etc)
    2. bestimmt, fest oder klar umrissen, eindeutig festgelegt:
    definite plans feste Pläne
    3. (genau) festgesetzt oder -gelegt, bestimmt (Zeitraum etc):
    definite integral MATH bestimmtes Integral
    4. endgültig, definitiv (Antwort etc)
    5. LING bestimmt (Artikel)
    def. abk
    3. JUR defendant
    4. WIRTSCH deferred
    * * *
    adjective
    (having exact limits) bestimmt; (precise) eindeutig, definitiv [Antwort, Entscheidung]; eindeutig [Beschluss, Verbesserung, Standpunkt]; eindeutig, klar [Vorteil]; klar umrissen [Ziel, Plan, Thema]; klar [Konzept, Linie, Vorstellung]; deutlich [Konturen, Umrisse]; genau [Zeitpunkt]
    * * *
    adj.
    bestimmt adj.
    bestimmtes (Mathematik) adj.
    definit adj.
    eindeutig adj.
    positiv / negativ (Mathematik) adj.

    English-german dictionary > definite

  • 14 definite

    definite [ˈdefɪnɪt]
       a. ( = fixed) [plan] précis ; [intention, order, sale] ferme
    • is that definite? c'est sûr ?
    • have you got a definite date for the wedding? avez-vous décidé de la date du mariage ?
       b. ( = distinct) [feeling, increase] net ; [advantage] certain
       c. ( = positive) [person, tone] catégorique ; [views] arrêté
    * * *
    ['defɪnɪt]
    1) ( not vague) [plan, criteria, amount] précis; [impression] net/nette

    definite evidence — preuves fpl formelles

    2) ( firm) [contract, agreement, decision, intention] ferme; [refusal] catégorique
    3) ( obvious) [change, improvement, increase] net/nette; [advantage] certain, évident; [smell] très net/nette
    4)

    to be definite — [person] ( sure) être certain ( about de); ( unyielding) être formel/-elle ( about sur)

    English-French dictionary > definite

См. также в других словарях:

  • possibility — noun ADJECTIVE ▪ exciting, interesting, intriguing ▪ endless, many ▪ The resort offers endless possibilities for entertainment. ▪ only …   Collocations dictionary

  • distinct — dis|tinct W3 [dıˈstıŋkt] adj [Date: 1300 1400; : Latin; Origin: distinctus, past participle of distinguere; DISTINGUISH] 1.) clearly different or belonging to a different type ▪ two entirely distinct languages distinct types/groups/categories etc …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • possibility */*/*/ — UK [ˌpɒsəˈbɪlətɪ] / US [ˌpɑsəˈbɪlətɪ] noun Word forms possibility : singular possibility plural possibilities Get it right: possibility: The noun possibility is never followed by an infinitive. Use the pattern the/a possibility of doing something …   English dictionary

  • possibility — pos|si|bil|i|ty [ ,pasə bıləti ] noun *** 1. ) count or uncount the chance that something might happen or be true: Another possibility is that we ll go to Mexico instead. One possibility for the weekend is to rent a camper and drive to the lake.… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • distinct — [[t]dɪstɪ̱ŋkt[/t]] 1) ADJ GRADED: oft ADJ from n If something is distinct from something else of the same type, it is different or separate from it. Engineering and technology are disciplines distinct from one another and from science... This… …   English dictionary

  • distinct — adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin distinctus, from past participle of distinguere Date: 14th century 1. distinguishable to the eye or mind as discrete ; separate < a distinct cultural group > < teaching as …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • possibility — pos|si|bil|i|ty W2S2 [ˌpɔsıˈbılıti US ˌpa: ] n plural possibilities 1.) [U and C] if there is a possibility that something is true or that something will happen, it might be true or it might happen ▪ There s always a possibility that he might go… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • possibility — noun 1 (C, U) something that may happen or may be true (+ of): the possibility of an enemy attack | a distinct/real possibility (=something that is quite likely to happen): A peace settlement now looks like a real possibility | there s a… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • possibility — noun 1) there is a possibility that he might be alive Syn: chance, likelihood, probability, hope; risk, hazard, danger, fear 2) they discussed the possibility of launching a new project Syn: feasibility, practicability …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • possibility — noun 1) a possibility that he might be alive Syn: chance, likelihood, probability, potentiality, hope, risk, hazard, danger, fear 2) buying a smaller house is one possibility Syn: option …   Synonyms and antonyms dictionary

  • Subjunctive possibility — (also called alethic possibility or metaphysical possibility) is the form of modality most frequently studied in modal logic. Subjunctive possibilities are the sorts of possibilities we consider when we conceive of counterfactual situations;… …   Wikipedia

Поделиться ссылкой на выделенное

Прямая ссылка:
… Нажмите правой клавишей мыши и выберите «Копировать ссылку»