Escape from the noun phrase

Diachronica ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patience Epps
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Relative Clause ◽  
Main Clause ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
Northwest Amazon ◽  
Insight Into

This paper deals with the evolution of certain subordinating constructions in Hup, a Nadahup (Makú) language of the northwest Amazon. Internal reconstruction, informed by close resemblances among synchronically attested clause types, suggests that Hup’s headless relative clause has given rise to a converb construction, a subtype of adverbial in which a dedicated verb form modifies a main clause. This development provides new insight into the origins of converbs and sheds light on the crosslinguistically common resemblance between relative and adverbial constructions more generally. Additionally, the Hup converbal clause has itself developed a main clause function, and the subordinating morphology employed by the relative and converb constructions is associated with topicalization. The transitions undergone by these structures in Hup contribute to our understanding of the diachronic pathways that may be taken by clauses once they have attained syntactic complexity.

scholarly journals Las oraciones de relativo y la definitud de su antecedente expreso

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 7-77
Author(s):  
Janusz Pawlik
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Relative Clause ◽  
Definite Article ◽  
Spanish Speaker ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Definite Reference

The paper is concerned with the (in)definite reference of a noun phrase which is the head of a relative clause in Spanish. Speaker and hearer do not share any knowledge of the referent on the basis of previous mention (anaphora) or situational uses. There is something about the relative clause which makes a first-mention definite article possible. We take an insight into the contents of the description conveyed by such relatives.

scholarly journals Phrase and Clause Usage in Michael Jackson’s Song Lyrics

Lexicon ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Adi Pratama
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Relative Clause ◽  
Prepositional Phrase ◽  
Main Clause ◽  
Verb Phrase ◽  
The World ◽  
Song Lyrics ◽  
Adverbial Clause ◽  
Michael Jackson

This research aims to find out the usage of phrase and clause types that are found in Michael Jackson song-lyrics such as Billie Jean, Beat It, Black or White, Dirty Diana, Earth Song, Heal the World, Man in the Mirror, Smooth Criminal, They Don’t Really Care About Us, and Thriller. The phrase and clause types are based on Eastwood’s categories. The phrase is divided into five types: (1) verb phrase, (2) noun phrase, (3) adjective phrase, (4) adverb phrase and (5) prepositional phrase, while the clause is divided into two types, namely main clause and sub clause. There are also four types of sub clause: (1) adverbial clause, (2) conditional clause, (3) noun clause, (4) and relative clause. This categorization can find out the usage of grammatical pattern in the sentence. In the analysis, the findings of phrases and clauses show that the most dominant number are noun phrase (51.94%) and main clause (63.74%).

scholarly journals Reanalysis processes in non-native sentence comprehension

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Hiroki Fujita ◽  
Ian Cunnings
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movement ◽  
Sentence Processing ◽  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Sentence Comprehension ◽  
Memory Trace ◽  
Main Clause ◽  
Direct Object ◽  
Subordinate Clause

Abstract We report two offline and two eye-movement experiments examining non-native (L2) sentence processing during and after reanalysis of temporarily ambiguous sentences like “While Mary dressed the baby laughed happily”. Such sentences cause reanalysis at the main clause verb (“laughed”), as the temporarily ambiguous noun phrase (“the baby”) may initially be misanalysed as the direct object of the subordinate clause verb (“dressed”). The offline experiments revealed that L2ers have difficulty reanalysing temporarily ambiguous sentences with a greater persistence of the initially assigned misinterpretation than native (L1) speakers. In the eye-movement experiments, we found that L2ers complete reanalysis similarly to L1ers but fail to fully erase the memory trace of the initially assigned interpretation. Our results suggested that the source of L2 reanalysis difficulty is a failure to erase the initially assigned misinterpretation from memory rather than a failure to conduct syntactic reanalysis.

Taking time with the tough-construction

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-36
Author(s):  
JOHN GLUCKMAN
Keyword(s):  
Movement Analysis ◽  
Main Clause ◽  
Syntactic Analysis ◽  
English Syntax ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
The Way

I provide a syntactic analysis of the take-time construction (It took an hour to complete the test). The investigation provides insight into well-known issues concerning the related tough-construction. Using a battery of standard syntactic diagnostics, I conclude that the take-time construction and the tough-construction require a predication analysis of the antecedent-gap chain, not a movement analysis. I also conclude that the nonfinite clause is in a modificational relationship with the main clause predicate, not a selectional relationship. Broadly, this study expands the class of tough-constructions, illustrating crucial variation among predicates, and pointing the way to a unified analysis. The investigation also reveals undiscussed aspects of English syntax, including the fact that English has a high applicative position.

scholarly journals La posición de las cláusulas temporales con cuando

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilián Guerrero ◽  
◽  
Rebeca Gerardo-Tavira ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Initial Position ◽  
Main Clause ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
Order Variation ◽  
Temporal Clauses ◽  
Adverbial Clauses

Previous typological studies have shown that temporal clauses, unlike other adverbial clauses, can occur before or after the main clause, and this order variation has been observed across languages and within the same language. In the case of Spanish, some studies have found that temporal clauses tend to occur at the beginning of the clause. In this paper, we extend the assumptions of typological studies into the analysis of temporal clauses introduced by cuando ‘when’. Based in used data, we found that the initial position is preferred in oral data, while both positions are equally common in writing data. We examine some semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic motivations that, together, may explain this order variation: the semantic nature of cuando, sequential iconicity, length, and syntactic complexity, as well as pragmatic order.

Missionary Contributions to Bantu Languages in Tanzania: James Thomas Last (1850–1933) and the Vidunda language

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 393-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karsten Legere
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Sole Source ◽  
African Languages ◽  
Bantu Languages ◽  
Linguistic Data ◽  
Noun Classes ◽  
Lexical Items ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Insight Into

This paper deals with linguistic work by the lay missionary James Thomas Last (1850–1933), who was among the first Europeans to live up-country in what is now Tanzania. In the course of a seven-year stay he was exposed to African languages which have only partly been known outside Africa. Last collected linguistic data that culminated 1885 in the publication of the Polyglotta Africana Orientalis. This book is a collection of 210 lexical items and sentences elicited in or translated into 48 African languages, and supplemented by entries for some other languages. In order to demonstrate the relevance as well as the inconsistencies of this missionary’s contribution, special attention is paid to the book section on the Vidunda language currently spoken by approximately 10,000 people in Central Tanzania. It turns out that approximately 75 per cent of the Vidunda entries are still acceptable today. The data even provides insight into the grammatical set-up of Vidunda (e.g., the noun classes and constituents of the noun phrase). Less relevant are the verbal paradigms. In a nutshell, Last produced material which had for many years been the sole source of lexical and grammatical information about the Vidunda language.

Effects of Irrelevant Sounds on Phonological Coding in Reading Comprehension and Short term Memory

1996 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 398-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn Boyle ◽  
Veronika Coltheart
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Relative Clause ◽  
Instrumental Music ◽  
Short Term Memory ◽  
Phonological Similarity ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Syntactic Complexity ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Memory ◽  
Phonological Coding

The effects of irrelevant sounds on reading comprehension and short-term memory were studied in two experiments. In Experiment 1, adults judged the acceptability of written sentences during irrelevent speech, accompanied and unaccompanied singing, instrumental music, and in silence. Sentences varied in syntactic complexity: Simple sentences contained a right-branching relative clause ( The applause pleased the woman that gave the speech) and syntactically complex sentences included a centre-embedded relative clause ( The hay that the farmer stored fed the hungry animals). Unacceptable sentences either sounded acceptable ( The dog chased the cat that eight up all his food) or did not ( The man praised the child that sight up his spinach). Decision accuracy was impaired by syntactic complexity but not by irrelevant sounds. Phonological coding was indicated by increased errors on unacceptable sentences that sounded correct. These error rates were unaffected by irrelevant sounds. Experiment 2 examined effects of irrelevant sounds on ordered recall of phonologically similar and dissimilar word lists. Phonological similarity impaired recall. Irrelevant speech reduced recall but did not interact with phonological similarity. The results of these experiments question assumptions about the relationship between speech input and phonological coding in reading and the short-term store.

Prosodic phrasing of relative clauses with two possible antecedents in Spanish: A comparison of Spanish native speakers and L1 Basque bilingual speakers

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene de la Cruz-Pavía ◽  
Gorka Elordieta
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Relative Clause ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Basque Country ◽  
First Language ◽  
Prosodic Phrasing ◽  
Length Effect ◽  
Bilingual Speakers ◽  
Production Study ◽  
Prosodic Boundaries

AbstractThe present production study investigates the prosodic phrasing characteristic of sentences containing a relative clause with two possible noun phrase antecedents [Noun Phrase 1 Noun Phrase 2 Relative Clause] in the variety of Spanish spoken in the Basque Country. It aims to establish the default prosodic phrasing of these structures, as well as whether differences are found in phrasing between native and non-native speakers. Additionally, it examines the effect on prosodic phrasing of constituent length and familiarity with the sentences (skimming the sentences prior to reading them aloud). To do that, the productions of 8 Spanish monolinguals, 8 first language (L1) Spanish/second language (L2) Basque bilinguals, and 8 L1Basque/L2Spanish bilinguals are examined. A default phrasing consisting of the prevalence of a prosodic break after NP2 ([NP1 NP2/RC]) is obtained, and differences are found between the prosodic contours of native and non-native speakers. Additionally, a constituent length effect is found, with a higher frequency of prosodic boundaries after NP2 as RC length increases, as predicted by Fodor’s Same Size Sister Constraint. Last, familiarity with the sentences was found to increase the frequency of occurrence of the default phrasing.

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