AMS Group A (Loreto, Olga, and Ty) CHALLENGE ("It') for TAM Group A

While we agree with Warwick's abstract and expansive definition of “it,” we want to argue that “it” can also be a concrete notion, because in some particular examples “it” appears as a specification of that object. We could bring a simple example: “The book lay on the table. It has been already read.” So in this instance, “it” refers to something specific.

We also want to return to Joseph Roach’s definition of “it” as “precondition of celebrity”: charisma, presence, aura, etc. But even this narrow usage of the word is very problematic. Who has “it”? Can we say that Britney Spears has “it”? Can we copy “it”? Would a Britney Spears impersonator embody the real Britney Spears’ “it”? And who determines who has “it”?

Finally, we want to point out that “it” is a very specific word in English. But in some languages, such as Spanish or Russian, the notion of “it” as we are using it in English does not exist. We use not one, but many words, to denote a concrete “it.”