Abstract
Separating things into parts or constituents using different means is an everyday activity that humans everywhere undertake. The way in which humans categorise such events and label them in verbs varies considerably across languages and cultures. In a cross-linguistic study of the categorisation of separation events, Majid et al. (2007: 147) note that separation events such as opening, taking apart and peeling, which involve minimal destruction of the affected object and are mostly reversible, were distinguished from those involving cutting and breaking, which involve significant material destruction accompanied by non-reversible change in the integrity of the object.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Meaning, Life and Culture |
| Subtitle of host publication | In conversation with Anna Wierzbicka |
| Editors | Helen Bromhead, Zhengdao Ye |
| Place of Publication | Canberra |
| Publisher | ANU E Press |
| Chapter | 2 |
| Pages | 33-59 |
| Number of pages | 26 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781760463939 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781760463922 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 17 Dec 2020 |