THAT GUY WHO IS WEIRDLY UNSPECIFIC: A FICTIONAL ENTITY IN ENCYCLOPEDIC KNOWLEDGE

Abstract

This article provides a detailed semantic analysis of the relatively novel idiom Don’t be that guy and shows that that guy in it need not designate a specific individual, illustrating the important role played by reference to “virtual” entities in describing what actually occurs in the world. It goes on to suggest how fictive entities underpin the world as we know it by invoking some key Cognitive Grammar notions to elucidate the knowledge structures that make the use of this idiom possible.