Linguistics and Philosophy· 2026Q1
What someone could have said sometime: protagonist projection and covert mixed quotation
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
This paper argues that protagonist projection, where expressions are used from a perspective other than the speaker's, is a form of covert mixed quotation, meaning expressions are both used and mentioned without explicit quotation marks.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Protagonist projection is re-conceptualized as covert mixed quotation.
- A 'quasi-monstrous' account allows for shifted contexts and times without full monstrous shifting.
- The theory explains constraints on non-verbatim quotes and indexical shifts.
- Mixed quotation and protagonist projection are shown to be modalized and temporalized.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract This paper offers an account of protagonist projection: cases where words or expressions are used from a perspective other than that of the speaker. The paper argues that protagonist projection is an instance of covert mixed quotation: the phenomenon by which expressions are both used and mentioned without overt quotation marks. I offer a quasi-monstrous account where expressions are evaluated relative to shifted contexts and times, but stopping short of full-blown monstrous shifting. The paper argues that mixed quotation, and hence protagonist projection, is modalized and temporalized. The resulting account explains some limits on mixed quotation and protagonist projection, first in the flexibility of non-verbatim quotes, and second in shifting indexicals outside metalinguistic environments.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Linguistics and Philosophy, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Language and Linguistics
Language and LinguisticsArts and Humanities