scholarly journals Nominal juxtaposition in Australian languages: An LFG analysis

2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 415-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
LOUISA SADLER ◽  
RACHEL NORDLINGER
Keyword(s):  
Grammatical Function ◽  
Functional Grammar ◽  
Lexical Functional Grammar ◽  
Theoretical Literature ◽  
Syntactic Similarity ◽  
Australian Languages ◽  
Grammatical Functions

It is well known that Australian languages make heavy use of nominal juxtaposition in a wide variety of functions, but there is little discussion in the theoretical literature of how such juxtapositions should be analysed. We discuss a range of data from Australian languages illustrating how multiple nominals share a single grammatical function within the clause. We argue that such constructions should be treated syntactically as set-valued grammatical functions in Lexical-Functional Grammar (LFG). Sets as values for functions are well-established in LFG and are used in the representation of adjuncts, and also in the representation of coordination. In many Australian languages, coordination is expressed asyndetically, that is, by nominal juxtaposition with no overt coordinator at all. We argue that the syntactic similarity of all juxtaposed constructions (ranging from coordination through a number of more appositional relations) motivates an analysis in which they are treated similarly in the syntax, but suitably distinguished in the semantics. We show how this can be achieved within LFG, providing a unified treatment of the syntax of juxtaposition in Australian languages and showing how the interface to the semantics can be quite straightforwardly defined in the modular LFG approach.

scholarly journals Preserving grammatical functions in LFG

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald M. Kaplan
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Interpretation ◽  
Grammatical Function ◽  
Functional Grammar ◽  
Traditional Role ◽  
Lexical Functional Grammar ◽  
Grammatical Functions

Patejuk and Przepiórkowski (2016) have provided arguments and evidence to call into question the traditional role that named grammatical functions have played in the descriptions and representations of Lexical Functional Grammar. They propose reducing the number of distinguished function names to a much more limited set. In this brief paper I examine a few of their observations and find them not yet convincing enough to justify such a fundamental revision of LFG theory. I am also concerned that a less refined structure at the interface between syntax and semantics will only shift to the semantic interpretation component the descriptive and explanatory burden of interpreting idiosyncratic morphosyntactic properties. I conclude that most if not all grammatical function distinctions should be preserved in LFG functional structures. 

scholarly journals A Lexical-Functional Analysis of Predicate Topicalization in German

1999 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gert Webelhuth ◽  
Farrell Ackerman
Keyword(s):  
Functional Analysis ◽  
Original Formulation ◽  
Grammatical Function ◽  
Complex Predicates ◽  
Functional Grammar ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Lexical Functional Grammar ◽  
Lexical Representations ◽  
Idiomatic Expressions ◽  
Similarities And Differences

In this paper we examine the topicalization paradigm for ten different verbal constructions in German. We argue that a uniform explanation for the observed behaviors follows from the interpretation of the relevant expressions as (parts of) lexical representations. To this end we motivate a revision of Functional Uncertainty as proposed in Kaplan and Zaenen 1989 to account for filler/gap relations in long-distance dependencies. We assume with the original formulation of this principle that topicalized elements share values with the (grammatical) function status of an entity an indeterminate distance away. We appeal to the inventory of functions posited within LEXICAL-FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR (LFG), inclusive of the frequently neglected PREDICATE function, which, we argue, is associated with both simple and complex predicates. In addition we show that topicalization, given this function-based proposal, should not be limited to maximal categories. We argue that the need to posit a PREDICATE function for German topicalization is supported by an independent line of research within LFG concerning the analysis of complex predicates. For this purpose we employ the proposals of T. Mohanan (1990/1994), which argue for the independence of the construct PREDICATE from its categorial realization. We show that this type of proposal extends to provide a uniform account of the German topicalization paradigm. This permits us to explain the similarities and differences in the behaviors of various sorts of predicators as well as certain idiomatic expressions interpreted as complex predicates.

scholarly journals The prepositional passive in Lexical Functional Grammar

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie Y. Findlay
Keyword(s):  
Recent Work ◽  
Functional Grammar ◽  
Lexical Functional Grammar ◽  
Adequate Analysis ◽  
Grammatical Functions

The aim of this paper is to provide an adequate analysis in LFG of the prepositional passive, e.g. That problem has been dealt with, My pen has been written with. This construction has been examined in LFG before by Bresnan (1982), Lødrup (1991), and Alsina (2009), but empirical and theoretical problems, some well-documented, some new, mean that such proposals cannot be maintained. Instead, I offer an account couched in recent work on the mapping between grammatical functions and arguments (Asudeh et al., 2014; Findlay, 2014a) that treats the defining characteristic of the prepositional passive not as purely syntactic, but rather as being located at the interface between syntax and semantics.

Typological and theoretical implications

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Lowe
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Analysis ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Functional Grammar ◽  
Lexical Functional Grammar ◽  
Mixed Categories

This chapter briefly considers the evidence for transitive nouns and adjectives in early Indo-Aryan in both a typological and a theoretical perspective. The fact that most transitive nouns and adjectives in early Indo-Aryan fall under the traditional heading of ‘agent nouns’ (subject-oriented formations) is typologically notable, since while action nouns with verbal government are well-known, the possibility of relatively verbal agent nouns has not always been acknowledged. The theoretical analysis is framed within Lexical-Functional Grammar, and makes use of the concept of ‘mixed’ categories to effect a clear formalization of transitive nouns and adjectives which captures their transitivity while allowing them to remain fundamentally nouns and adjectives in categorial terms.

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