The relation between aspect and inversion in English

2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
ASTRID DE WIT
Keyword(s):  
Information Structure ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Vantage Point ◽  
Functional Explanation ◽  
Time Inversion ◽  
Progressive Aspect ◽  
Reference Time ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Locative Inversion ◽  
And Inversion

This article discusses the peculiar use of the simple present/past in full-verb inversion (i.e. locative inversion, directional inversion, quotative inversion, presentational there), and the corresponding scarcity of progressive aspect in these contexts. While it is normally ungrammatical in English to use the simplex tenses to report events that are ongoing at reference time, inversion seems to defy this restriction. Building on a combination of insights from analyses of aspect and of full-verb inversion in English, this study presents a cognitive-functional explanation for this exceptional characteristic of inversion that has gone largely unnoticed in previous accounts. I argue that there exists a canonical relationship between the preposed ground and the postposed figure in full-verb inversion and that this meaning of canonicity ties in perfectly with the perfective value that I deem constitutive of the English simple tenses. In addition, some cases of directional inversion involve a ‘deictic effect’ (Drubig 1988): in these instances, the conceptualizer's vantage point is anchored within the ground and the denoted (dis)appearance of the figure is construed as inevitable. On the basis of a large sample of corpus data and native-speaker elicitations, I demonstrate that the use of the progressive is disallowed in inverted contexts that involve a deictic effect, while its use is dispreferred but not excluded in other cases of inversion. This study thus brings together insights from the domains of information structure and aspect in English, and merges these into a comprehensive cognitive account.

Embracing multidimensionality in phonological analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-139
Author(s):  
Abigail C. Cohn ◽  
Margaret E. L. Renwick
Keyword(s):  
Native Speaker ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Iterative Approach ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
Multiple Factors ◽  
Multiple Data ◽  
Language Data ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract We pursue the idea, implicit in much current phonological research, that understanding the multiple factors that shape speech production and perception is within the purview of phonology. In particular, increased access to naturalistic data has highlighted the multidimensional reality of variation in spoken language. At the same time, longstanding methods of doing phonology – including impressionistic analysis, and laboratory and experimental studies – remain crucial to understanding native speaker competence and grammar. We advocate for an expanded methodological toolbox in phonological analysis, using an iterative approach that crucially includes naturalistic corpus data. Integrating across multiple data sources offers fuller insight into the nature of the phonological system and native speaker-hearer ability. Several case studies highlight findings gained through linked, iterative studies, showing the importance of naturalistic data for a richer understanding of phonological phenomena, and leading us to reflect on desiderata for corpora to reveal speaker-specific patterns in fine phonetic detail and variability, which we argue are part of a speaker-hearer’s phonological competence. Phonological analysis that embraces the full spectrum of variation in spoken language data (from categorical to gradient, and systematic to sporadic) contributes to a deeper understanding of phonology in this richer sense.

Zero verb marking in Sranan

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Astrid De Wit ◽  
Frank Brisard
Keyword(s):  
Native Speaker ◽  
Past Tense ◽  
Perfective Aspect ◽  
Tense And Aspect ◽  
Lexical Aspect ◽  
The Past ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Present Tense ◽  
Basic Level

In the Surinamese creole language Sranan, verbs in finite clauses that lack overt TMA-marking are often considered to be ambiguous between past and present interpretations (depending on the lexical aspect of the verb involved) or analyzed as having a perfective value. We claim that these verbs are in fact zero-marked, and we investigate the various uses of this zero expression in relation to context and lexical aspect on the basis of corpus data and native speaker elicitations. It is shown that existing analyses do not cover and unify all the various uses of the construction. We propose, as an alternative, to regard the zero form as present perfective marker, whereby tense and aspect are conceived of as fundamentally epistemic categories, in line with Langacker (1991). This combination of present tense and perfective aspect, which is regarded as infelicitous in typological studies of tense and aspect (cf. the ‘present perfective paradox’, Malchukov 2009), gives rise to the various interpretations associated with zero. However, in all of its uses, zero still indicates that, at the most basic level, a situation belongs to the speaker’s conception of ‘immediate reality’ (her domain of ‘inclusion’). This basic ‘presentness’ distinguishes zero from the past-tense marker ben, which implies dissociation.

scholarly journals ANALISIS PENGGUNAAN ADJEKTIVA NOMINATIF DALAM BAHASA JEPANG (Berdasarkan Data Sintaksis Corpus)

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-105
Author(s):  
Dwi Puspitosari
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Secondary Level ◽  
The Other ◽  
Challenging Issue ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
Word Classes ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Japanese Learners

This study aims to identify nominative adjectives in Japanese that are difficult to categorize based on the occurred changes when these words are produced along with the other words. For non-native Japanese learners, this has become a challenging issue. The main reason is the adjective that was classified into two categories in accordance with their changes, i.e., i-adjectives and na-adjectives. These adjectives presented different forms of change that had a tendency of transforming into nouns when collaborating with other nouns. Not only did learners in elementary and secondary level face the difficulties, but also those in upper levels did. The data in this study focused on adjectives with a high frequency of use that were collected from "Gendai Nihongo Kakikotoba Kinko Koopasu". The data was analyzed based on the use of adjectives in sentences taken from the corpus data, which underwent different forms of changes. The results of this study indicated that there were many adjectives that underwent different forms of changes and could be classified into multiple word classes.   Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mngidentifikasi kata sifat-kata sifat yang bersifat nominatif dalam bahasa Jepang yang sulit dikategorikan berdasarkan perubahan saat berhadapan dengan kata lain. Bagi pembelajar bahasa Jepang non-native speaker, hal seperti ini merupakan permasalahan yang dirasa sulit. Alasannya adalah karena kata sifat yang menurut perubahannya diklasifikasikan menjadi dua yakni kata sifat -i dan kata sifat -na, mengalami perubahan yang tidak seragam dan cenderung menjadi nomina saat dihadapkan dengan nomina. Tidak hanya pada pembelajar tingkat dasar dan menengah, pembelajar tingkat atas pun mengalami kesulitan. Pada penelitian ini, data akan difokuskan pada kata sifat dengan frekuensi pemakaian yang tinggi dan dikumpukan dari “Gendai Nihongo Kakikotoba Kinko Koopasu”. Proses analisis data dilihat dari penggunaan kata sifat dalam kalimat diambil dari data corpus, yang mengalami perubahan tidak seragam. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan banyak kata sifat yang mengalami perubahan tidak seeragam dan dapat diklasifikasikan ke dalam kelas kata ganda.    

scholarly journals Thematic Analysis in Translating English and Arabic Scientific Texts

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 88
Author(s):  
Hamza Ethelb
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Information Structure ◽  
Functional Model ◽  
Hierarchical Organization ◽  
Thematic Structure ◽  
Scientific Texts ◽  
Frequent Type ◽  
Thematic Progression ◽  
Corpus Data

The thematic and information structure of scientific and technical texts are arguably different among languages. This study examines the thematic structure of scientific texts in English and Arabic to see the differences in the hierarchical organization at different thematic levels. It adopts Halliday’s functional model of theme-rheme and applies it to English and Arabic scientific texts. The paper mainly investigates the three levels of theme: textual, interpersonal and experiential with the intention of discussing their translations into Arabic. It uses a corpus data of two scientific texts. The syntactic and textual elements of those texts were compared and contrasted and professional translations were provided to study the Arabic thematic structure. The data provides English and Arabic versions which allow for a comparable analysis of structure, convention and style. The study reveals that the most frequent type of themes and thematic progression is the experiential theme. It shows that those experiential themes are almost always occupying initial positions. The structure of themes has the tendency to be reproduced in the translation. However, the findings of this investigation indicate that position of themes may change as a result of translation, or changed from experiential into textual.

scholarly journals Locative Inversion as an Alternation Phenomenon in Setswana: The Case of Lexical Functional Grammar Theory

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Setumile Morapedi
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Information Structure ◽  
Initial Position ◽  
Functional Grammar ◽  
Structure Approach ◽  
Syntactic Structures ◽  
Lexical Functional Grammar ◽  
New Information ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Locative Inversion

The paper has examined locative inversion constructions in Setswana, showing that the pre-posed locative phrase in these constructions is not the subject as it is viewed by other linguists in the literature. It has been argued, in this paper, that locative phrase occurs in the sentence initial position to perform the topic function which sets the scene for the focused noun phrase that alternates with it (locative phrase). The analysis has been achieved through information structure approach, showing the locative phrase that occurs in sentence initial position is a discourse phenomenon showing given information, and that the focused post-verbal noun phrase is new information that is emphasised on. Also, an appeal is made to Lexical Functional Grammar Approach to explain different ways of representing syntactic structures such as constituent structure and the functional structure.

scholarly journals "A TOT PEROVSKOJ NE DAL VSLAST' POSPAT'": PROSODY AND GRAMMAR OF ANAPHORIC TOT THROUGH THE LENS OF CORPUS DATA

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. I. Podlesskaya ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Information Structure ◽  
Anaphora Resolution ◽  
Prosodic Features ◽  
Semantic Roles ◽  
Actual Distribution ◽  
Spoken Discourse ◽  
Verb Forms ◽  
Actual Use ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
National Corpus

Based on data from the Russian National Corpus and the General InternetCorpus of Russian, the paper addresses syntactic, sematic and prosodic features of constructions with the demonstrative TOT used as an anaphor. These constructions have gained some attention in earlier studies [Paducheva 2016], [Berger, Weiss 1987], [Kibrik 2011], [Podlesskaya 2001], but their analysis (a) covered primarily their prototypical uses; and (b) was based on written data. The data from informal, esp. from spoken discourse show however that the actual use of these constructions may deviate considerably from the known prototype. The paper aims at bridging this gap. I claim (i) that the function of TOT is to temporary promote a referent from a less privileged discourse status to a more privileged one; and (ii) that TOT can be analyzed on a par with switch reference devices in the languages where the latter are grammatically marked (e.g. on verb forms). The following parameters of TOT-constructions are discussed: syntactic and semantic roles of TOT and of its antecedent in their respective clauses, linear and structural distances between TOT and its antecedent, animacy of the maintained referent. Special attention is payed to the information structure of the TOT construction: I give structural and prosodic evidence that TOT never has a rhematic status. The revealed actual distribution of TOT (a) adds to our understanding of cross-linguistic variation of anaphoric functions of demonstratives; and, hopefully, (b) may contribute to further developing computational approaches to coreference and anaphora resolution for Russian, e.g. by improving datasets necessary for this task.

(Inter)subjective uses of the Dutch progressive constructions

Linguistics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 1111-1159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynn Anthonissen ◽  
Astrid De Wit ◽  
Tanja Mortelmans
Keyword(s):  
Native Speaker ◽  
Corpus Study ◽  
Progressive Aspect ◽  
Semantic Account ◽  
Subjective Meanings ◽  
General Association

AbstractThis paper addresses the (inter)subjective functions of progressive aspect in Dutch. While the aspectual profile of the various Dutch progressive constructions has received considerable attention in the last few years, much less attention has been paid to their non-aspectual uses. As we will demonstrate in this paper on the basis of a corpus study of spoken Dutch, complemented with native-speaker elicitations, the Dutch progressive constructions can be specifically recruited to express (inter)subjective meanings such as surprise, irritation and intensity, and they differ in this respect from their simplex counterparts. Our analysis of progressive aspect in terms of backgrounded boundaries provides an explanation for (i) the general association of progressive aspect with (inter)subjectivity and (ii) our observation that some Dutch progressive constructions are more prone to such (inter)subjective exploitation than others. This semantic account also underlies the last part of this contribution, in which we discuss cases of what we call “(inter)subjective reinforcement” in complex progressive constructions, that is, the embedding of progressive constructions in other constructions that are also semantically affiliated to (inter)subjectivity (e.g. the perfect,gaan/komen‘go/come’, modals and the bare infinitive construction), which has been largely neglected in the literature.

Universals and transfer in the acquisition of the progressive aspect: Evidence from L1 Chinese, German, and Spanish learners’ use of the progressive -ing in spoken English

2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyan Zeng ◽  
Yasuhiro Shirai ◽  
Xiaoxiang Chen
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
First Language ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Progressive Aspect ◽  
Aspect Hypothesis ◽  
Proficiency Levels ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
Lexical Aspect ◽  
Learner Corpus

Abstract This study investigated the effects of learners’ first language (L1), lexical aspect of verbs, and proficiency levels on their use of the English progressive aspect. It analyzed spoken data from learners of three different L1s (Chinese, German, and Spanish) in an international learner corpus (LINSEI), in comparison with native speech in a comparable native speaker corpus (LOCNEC). The analysis reveals that regardless of learners’ L1 and proficiency levels, their use of progressive markings is predominantly associated with activity verbs (prototypes), supporting the association prediction of the Aspect Hypothesis (Andersen, Roger W. & Yasuhiro Shirai. 1994. Discourse motivations for some cognitive acquisition principles. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 16(2). 133–156). Contrary to the fourth prediction of the Aspect Hypothesis, both intermediate and advanced learners use stative progressives, and especially intermediate L1 Spanish learners overuse stative progressives, indicating a complex interaction between L1 and proficiency on non-prototypical form-meaning associations. The results suggest that L1 effect, lexical aspect of verbs, and proficiency levels jointly drive tense-aspect acquisition.

Procesos de conceptualización de eventos en español y en sueco

Revue Romane ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuel Bylund
Keyword(s):  
Information Structure ◽  
Progressive Aspect ◽  
Linguistic Differences ◽  
The Relationship

This study examines the relationship between grammaticised aspect (GA) and the information structure of events in discourse. The aim is to test the hypothesis about the influence of grammaticised aspect on event conceptualization processes. The data studied consist of narratives by speakers of Swedish (−GA) and speakers of Spanish (+GA). The segmentation, selection and perspectivation of events carried out by these groups were studied through audiovisual tests. Analyses of the narratives reveal cross-linguistic differences as to information structure: the speakers of Swedish prefer holistic event presentations and verbalize a high number of closed events, whereas the speakers of Spanish show a greater sensitivity towards the phasal structure of the events, manifested in a finer eventive resolution focusing on progressive aspect.

Focus at the syntax–discourse interface in L2 Spanish: Optionality and unaccusativity reconsidered

2021 ◽  
pp. 026765832110176
Author(s):  
Timothy Gupton ◽  
Silvia Sánchez Calderón
Keyword(s):  
Information Structure ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Judgment Task ◽  
L2 Acquisition ◽  
Advanced Learners ◽  
Response Options ◽  
Syntactic Theory ◽  
Preference Task ◽  
Discourse Interface

We examine the second language (L2) acquisition of variable Spanish word order by first language (L1) speakers of English via the acquisition of unaccusative and transitive predicates in various focus-related contexts. We employ two bimodal linguistic tasks: (1) acceptability judgment task (B-AJT) and (2) appropriateness preference task (B-APT). Both present contextualized prompts similar to previous studies, followed by response options with accompanying audio to control for intonation and pauses. Results suggest a number of key findings: (1) by the high intermediate level, L2ers acquire the relevant syntactic and syntax information structure interface competencies for both predicate types; (2) native speakers and L2 groups exhibit optionality, and only differ in nuanced ways; and (3) advanced learners show signs of acquiring syntactic and syntax–information structure competencies in numerous contexts, but display minor differences regarding optionality with corrective focus, an interface incorporating multiple interfaces (syntax–prosody pragmatics). Unlike the predictions of the Interface Hypothesis (IH), this subtle, non-native-like divergence is characterized by divergent knowledge of optionality similar to that found among native speakers. Attempting to understand more completely the development of native-speaker optionality, we also conduct a corpus study of child-directed Spanish from CHILDES and find that, although syntactic theory explains much of the data, it cannot account for all of the variability in the data. Results suggest that children are exposed to apparent optionality from the earliest stages.

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