Functive phrases in typological and diachronic perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 605-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Creissels
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrases ◽  
Semantic Type ◽  
The Cross

This paper is concerned with a particular semantic type of noun phrases in secondary predicate function, illustrated by as a negotiator in He was sent as a negotiator. It explores the cross-linguistic regularities in the polysemy patterns characteristic of the markers and constructions having the expression of this meaning as one of their possible uses, and discusses the grammaticalization paths in which they are involved.

scholarly journals Specificity distinction

2001 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 85-101
Author(s):  
Donka F. Farkas
Keyword(s):  
Natural Language ◽  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Noun Phrases ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Semantic Type ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Rich Variety ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Rich ◽  
The Way

This paper is concerned with semantic noun phrase typology, focusing on the question of how to draw fine-grained distinctions necessary for an accurate account of natural language phenomena. In the extensive literature on this topic, the most commonly encountered parameters of classification concern the semantic type of the denotation of the noun phrase, the familiarity or novelty of its referent, the quantificational/nonquantificational distinction (connected to the weak/strong dichotomy), as well as, more recently, the question of whether the noun phrase is choice-functional or not (see Reinhart 1997, Winter 1997, Kratzer 1998, Matthewson 1999). In the discussion that follows I will attempt to make the following general points: (i) phenomena involving the behavior of noun phrases both within and across languages point to the need of establishing further distinctions that are too fine-grained to be caught in the net of these typologies; (ii) some of the relevant distinctions can be captured in terms of conditions on assignment functions; (iii) distribution and scopal peculiarities of noun phrases may result from constraints they impose on the way variables they introduce are to be assigned values. Section 2 reviews the typology of definite noun phrases introduced in Farkas 2000 and the way it provides support for the general points above. Section 3 examines some of the problems raised by recognizing the rich variety of 'indefinite' noun phrases found in natural language and by attempting to capture their distribution and interpretation. Common to the typologies discussed in the two sections is the issue of marking different types of variation in the interpretation of a noun phrase. In the light of this discussion, specificity turns out to be an epiphenomenon connected to a family of distinctions that are marked differently in different languages.  

scholarly journals ‘A relieved Obama’ won’t last long

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 75-87
Author(s):  
Helen de Hoop ◽  
Erica Kemperman
Keyword(s):  
Type Theory ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Noun Phrases ◽  
The State ◽  
Proper Noun ◽  
Semantic Type ◽  
Corpus Study ◽  
Semantic Composition ◽  
Indefinite Article ◽  
Production Experiment

Indefinite articles are generally used to introduce new or unfamiliar entities to the discourse. However, in noun phrases such as een opgeluchte Obama ‘a relieved Obama’, the proper noun denotes a familiar individual who does not even have to be new in the discourse. Yet, an indefinite article is used in this construction. We have conducted a corpus study in written Dutch and a production experiment in order to find out the characteristics of this construction as well as its definite counterpart. We will show that the denotation of the adjective plays a crucial role in the semantic composition of the construction, and that preferences for either a definite or an indefinite article correlate with differences in the duration of the state denoted by the adjective. We will use semantic type-theory to account for these findings.

scholarly journals Noun phrase conjunction in Akan

Pragmatics ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nana Aba Appiah Amfo
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Noun Phrases ◽  
African Languages ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Historical Origins

Noun phrase conjunction in Akan (Niger-Congo, Kwa) is performed by placing a connective between two noun phrases, but there is some variation in the forms used in the major dialects. In the Twi dialects the connective is ne, but Fante speakers may use nye or na depending on whether a comitative or a coordinative interpretation is intended. This paper focuses on the historical origins of the noun phrase connective n(y)e in Akan. It suggests that Akan patterns with other sub-saharan African languages such as Ewe, Ga, Yoruba and Hausa, which have noun phrase connectives originating from comitative verbs. This suggestion is based on the morpho-semantics of these connectives. In addition, the paper demonstrates that the origin of the connective n(y)e could be further traced to an equative copula in the language. This conclusion is based on syntactic and semantic evidence available in the language and strengthened by the cross-linguistic tendency for copula verbs to develop into noun phrase connectives in a number of unrelated languages.

scholarly journals Variable plural marking in Palenquero Creole

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-315
Author(s):  
Estilita María Cassiani Obeso ◽  
Hiram L. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrases ◽  
Spontaneous Speech ◽  
Plural Marking ◽  
The Cross ◽  
Subject Role ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Spanish Bilinguals

AbstractOne of the most salient putative African features of Palenquero, an Afro-Hispanic creole spoken in northern Colombia, is the prenominal plural marker ma. However, plural number is not categorically marked with ma, which alternates with bare forms in plural contexts and also occurs in singular contexts. In a principled sample of noun phrases (n = 1,186) from the spontaneous speech of twenty-seven Palenquero-Spanish bilinguals, the rate of ma (versus zero) is 51% in plural and 13% in singular contexts. Singular ma is favored with subjects and specific objects, consistent with an association with definiteness. In plural contexts, where it is robust, selection of ma is favored with specific and generic referents in subject role. This conditioning indicates that plural marking is favored for discourse referential nouns, in accordance with the cross-linguistic generalization that morphological marking tends to appear on instances that approach the prototypical function of a category (Hopper & Thompson, 1984).

Linguistic Relativity and the Question of Language-Specific Ontology: An Exploration of the Ontological Commitments of the Basque Language

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roslyn M Frank
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Noun Phrases ◽  
Linguistic Relativity ◽  
Ontological Commitments ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Cultural Research ◽  
Cross Cultural Research ◽  
Data Source ◽  
The Cross ◽  
The Relationship

<p>This essay explores the relationship holding between language, cognition and space by examining the notion of “ontological commitments” and focusing on Basque as the exemplar. In recent years discussions of linguistic relativity have brought to the fore the question of language-specific ontology. This topic has been addressed by Lucy (1996; 2000), and Levinson (1996), and even earlier by Whorf in the 1940s (Whorf 1995) as well as more indirectly by language typologists such as Senft (2000) and other researchers (Barton and Frank 2001; Nisbett 2003; Nisbett et al. 2001; Watson 1990). The chapter begins by introducing the key role played by “ontological commitments” in language, using Basque as the data source and, more concretely, by means of a fine-grained analysis of two Basque morphemes -en and -ki along with the schemas associated with them. Once the morphological complexity of each of the Basque examples is established, I attempt to describe the conceptual structure inherent to each classifier, following the lead of Tuggy (2003), Inglis (2003) and Palmer (2003). Methodologically, I draw on Langacker’s (2004) remarks on type, instance and nominal grounding, as well as those of Hudson (2004) and Dryer (2004) in reference to the cross-linguistic applicability of the terms “nominal grounding” and “noun phrases”. Overall, I argue for the following position: there is an aspect of spatial representation that relates directly to the differences in these ontological commitments and is conditioned by them. Finally, I propose that cognitive linguistics can profit by broadening its focus and becoming more aware of the cross-linguistic and cross-cultural research being conducted on ontological commitments.</p>

(A few) psycholinguistic properties of the NP

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Acuña-Fariña
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrases ◽  
Strategy Use ◽  
Semantic Features ◽  
Conceptual Information ◽  
Morphological Component ◽  
The Cross ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Formal Information ◽  
Formal Features

Essentially, noun phrases are beams of formal features, like case or arbitrary gender, and semantic features, like number, animacy, or biologically-based gender. This means that when such nominal elements are embedded in the structure of the sentence, their features interact with that structure in many ways. The main purpose of this work is to explore some of those interactions psycholinguistically, as well as to provide a set of explanatory principles that account for a substantial number of results reported in the psycholinguistic literature. It will focus mostly on agreement. Towards that goal, firstly a distinction will be made between the storing of nominal features and the computation of those features; secondly a comparison of the features of number and gender will be made; thirdly, it will be seen how the processing and the production of featural information interacts with the strength of a language’s morphological component; fourthly, the cross-linguistically different degrees of semantic interfacing (such as agreement ad sensum) will also be seen to correlate with morphological strength; finally, it will be argued that processing systems behave quite opportunistically when it comes to using either the formal information or the conceptual information coded in their NPs. This opportunism very often translates into a timing strategy: use first whatever information is available first.

A New Approach to the Demonstration of Oxidase-Localization Using Tannic Acid Or Catechin

1973 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 698-699
Author(s):  
V. Mizuhira ◽  
Y. Futaesaku
Keyword(s):  
Cross Section ◽  
Tannic Acid ◽  
Elastic Fiber ◽  
The Other ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Tissue Block ◽  
Active Reaction ◽  
The Cross

Previously we reported that tannic acid is a very effective fixative for proteins including polypeptides. Especially, in the cross section of microtubules, thirteen submits in A-tubule and eleven in B-tubule could be observed very clearly. An elastic fiber could be demonstrated very clearly, as an electron opaque, homogeneous fiber. However, tannic acid did not penetrate into the deep portion of the tissue-block. So we tried Catechin. This shows almost the same chemical natures as that of proteins, as tannic acid. Moreover, we thought that catechin should have two active-reaction sites, one is phenol,and the other is catechole. Catechole site should react with osmium, to make Os- black. Phenol-site should react with peroxidase existing perhydroxide.

Structures Resembling Striated Rootlets in Oocytes

1972 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 124-125
Author(s):  
Valerie V. Ernst
Keyword(s):  
Golgi Complex ◽  
Fibrous Structure ◽  
Oocyte Development ◽  
The Cross

During the earliest stage of oocyte development in the limpet, Acmea scutum, Golgi complexes are small, few and randomly dispersed in the cytoplasm. As growth proceeds, the Golgi complexes increase in size and number and migrate to the periphery of the cell. At this time, fibrous structures resembling striated rootlets occur associated with the Golgi complexes. Only one fibrous structure appears to be associated with a Golgi complex.The fibers are periodically cross banded with an average of 4 dense fibrils and 6 lighter fibrils per period (Fig. 1). The cross fibrils have a center to center spacing of about 7 run which appears to be the same as that of the striated rootlets of the gill cilia in this animal.

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