Semantically related verb verb combinations in Tibetan and Ladakhi

2021 ◽  
pp. 354-394
Author(s):  
Bettina Zeisler
Keyword(s):  
Compound I ◽  
Causative Constructions ◽  
Fourth Type ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Modal Verb

Tibetic languages are, from the very beginning, very rich in verb verb combinations that are not simply due to the omission of contextually given arguments. Some of these combinations have grammaticalized into temporal-modal-evidential constructions, modal verb constructions, and causative constructions. A fourth type of combination, which will be described here as ‘semantically related verb verb combinations’, is rather problematic. Formally, the first verb modifies the second verb, while semantically, one might argue that they form a compound. I will show that particularly the most frequent combinations have to be analyzed as biclausal modifying constructions, while other, less frequent constructions show a greater degree of compositionality or even grammaticalization.

Object Shift and remnant VP-topicalisation: Danish and Swedish verb particles and ‘let’-causatives

2013 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Engels ◽  
Sten Vikner
Keyword(s):  
Image Sequences ◽  
Mirror Image ◽  
Verb Second ◽  
Object Shift ◽  
Order Preservation ◽  
Causative Constructions ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Internal Object ◽  
Particle Verb ◽  
Empirical Database

On the basis of an examination of remnant VP-topicalisation constructions, this paper argues for an order preservation analysis of Scandinavian Object Shift. Extending the empirical database, we account for the phenomena in an Optimality Theoretic framework. The paper focusses on two particular constructions in Danish and Swedish, namely particle verb constructions and causative constructions with Danish lade and Swedish låta ‘let’. It is shown how differences in the VP-internal object position give rise to mirror image sequences concerning Object Shift in connection with verb second (V°-to-I°-to-C° movement) and with remnant VP-topicalisation.

scholarly journals Zur Verwendung der Partikel go in Modalverbkonstruktionen

2011 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Von Rotz
Keyword(s):  
Research Question ◽  
Questionnaire Data ◽  
Swiss German ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Modal Verb

This article focusses on the use of the particle go in Swiss German modal verb constructions. The particle go is associated with the verb gaa 'go'. The research question is whether the particle go is solely used together with verbs entailing movement from one point to another. The presented results arise from questionnaire data and subsequent interviews. The area under investigation is situated in the highlands of the Canton St. Gallen in the East of Switzerland namely the villages Mels, Sargans, Wangs and Bad Ragaz.

„Im Deutschen kan das nicht“ – Text type didactics for the teaching of German modal verb constructions

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-46
Author(s):  
Sabine Jentges
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Construction Grammar ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Scientific Debate ◽  
Text Type ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Modal Verb ◽  
Approach To Teaching

Abstract In the Netherlands, the similar origin Dutch shares with German lends itself to a contrastive approach to teaching and learning German and, for this reason, is promoted on all levels. This leads to Dutch textbooks and grammars being almost exclusively contrastive in nature, irrespective of the targeted language level, which is also reflected in the unanimous scientific debate. This paper discusses to which degree construction grammar approaches and/or contrastive approaches can assist the Dutch learner of German in their language acquisition. Advanced Dutch learners of German’s use - or lack thereof - of sollen ‘are supposed to’ vs. sollten ‘should’ in written texts is analyzed and compared to the presentation of this topic in Dutch teaching materials for German as a foreign language. Furthermore, the questions are raised whether a contrastive approach mainly promotes the strategy of avoiding errors stemming from L1 inferences as well as whether a construction grammar approach leads to a more adequate acquisition of the target language. Based on these discussions, possible implementations for teaching soll(t)en to Dutch learners of German are proposed.

scholarly journals A corpus-based study of directives in Taiwanese Southern Min

2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 300-336
Author(s):  
Miao-Hsia Chang ◽  
Ún-giân Iûnn
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Discourse Markers ◽  
Final Particle ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Southern Min ◽  
Modal Verb ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Main Components ◽  
Taiwanese Southern Min

Abstract This study aims to examine the subtypes of directives and their realization patterns in Taiwanese Southern Min (TSM). The data were drawn from a play script corpus published in the 20th century. Nine directive subtypes were identified: advice, begging, invitation, order, offer, request, suggestion, urge, and warning. The realization patterns were analyzed in terms of the main components in the directives: alerter, discourse marker, politeness marker, subject, modal expression, verb phrase, and utterance final particle. The analysis reveals a number of features: (1) Alerters mainly take the form of an address term; (2) Utterance-initial discourse markers are mainly realized by tan ‘now’; (3) The subject is either hearer-dominated or speaker- and hearer-dominated, with the latter expressing solidarity in casual situations; (4) the politeness marker chhiáⁿ tends to take an overt subject; (5) The modal verb tio̍h accounts for the majority of subtypes; (6) The dominant verb types include dynamic, stative, uttering, and ingesting verbs; (7) Complex verb constructions mainly include directional verbs, disposal markers, and benefactive verbs; (8) Directional verbs are pervasive across all directives. A metaphorical transfer is operative in the use of directional verbs. Those marking an action toward the speaker (e.g., lâi ‘come’) are strongly associated with a positive attitude, while those expressing movement away from the speaker (e.g., khì ‘go’) are highly connected to an adversative mood. The omnipresence of [lâi V] suggests that it has been conventionalized as a default bundle to express politeness.

Diachronie der Zukunft

2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (3) ◽  
pp. 364-395
Author(s):  
Stefan Hartmann
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Construction Grammar ◽  
Middle High German ◽  
Complex Relationship ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Present Participle ◽  
Modal Verb ◽  
Reference Corpus

Abstract Based on the Reference Corpus of Middle High German (REM) and the Bonn Early New High German Corpus (FnhdC), this paper investigates the development of the German future construction werden + Infinitive as well as constructions that are often seen as its predecessors and/or competitors. The paper focuses on the construction werden + Present Participle but also takes modal verb constructions with mögen, müssen, sollen, and wollen into account. A semantic analysis of the dependent verbs occurring in the constructions with regard to their aspectual characteristics reveals that werden + Infinitive and werden + Present Participle undergo parallel developments that can be seen as context expansion from a grammaticalization-theoretical perspective. The modal verb constructions, by contrast, remain stable with regard to the aspectual semantics of their dependent verbs. Furthermore, it is argued that, following recent theoretical approaches from diachronic Construction Grammar, the complex relationship between werden + Infinitive and werden + Participle can be modelled as ›attraction‹ or contamination between different constructions.

scholarly journals Short-circuited interpretations of modal verb constructions

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bert Cappelle ◽  
Ilse Depraetere
Keyword(s):  
Modal Interpretation ◽  
Pragmatic Information ◽  
The Simpsons ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Modal Verb ◽  
Semantic Value ◽  
Constructionist Approach ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Modal Semantic

In this paper we aim to show how distinct semantic and pragmatic layers of modal interpretation can be fruitfully integrated within a constructionist approach. We discuss in detail a number of cases from the Simpsons where a modal verb, as part of a longer expression, has a short-circuited interpretation, that is, where it is conventionally associated with a context-specific modal semantic value and, in some cases, with added pragmatic information. Short-circuitedness is evidenced by the humorous effect that is obtained when a character wilfully or unknowingly ignores standard aspects of interpretation of such a modal verb construction.

Modal verbs and modal constructions in Ladakhi

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettina Zeisler
Keyword(s):  
Special Focus ◽  
Compositional Process ◽  
Modal Verbs ◽  
Case Marking ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Modal Verb ◽  
Complex Modal

AbstractThe paper describes different types of modal expressions, particularly expressions of ability, in Ladakhi, a Tibetic language spoken in Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, India. A special focus lies on the unexpected syntactic behaviour of complex modal verb constructions, where the semantics of both the modal verb and the event verb contribute to the realisation of surface case marking, so that the event verb can no longer be analysed as being a complement of the modal verb. This intertwined syntax appears to be the result of a compositional process. The observable variation in syntactic behaviour across dialects and idiolects further allows for reconstruction of the compositional process.

scholarly journals Actualization of future tense semantics in German subordinate clause

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 18-31
Author(s):  
Elena V. Bodnaruk
Keyword(s):  
Sampling Method ◽  
Subordinate Clause ◽  
Future Tense ◽  
Modal Verbs ◽  
Complex Sentences ◽  
Subordinate Clauses ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Modal Verb ◽  
Adequate Coverage ◽  
Linguistic Units

The purpose of the article is to identify the features of the expression of temporal future tense semantics in various types of subordinate clauses of complex sentences, which so far have not received adequate coverage in linguistic literature. Analyzed are utterances with complex sentences containing direct speech, obtained with the random sampling method from the German fictional and publicistic texts. The total volume of the analyzed material makes up 1089 linguistic units with future tense semantics. In spite of dependent character of predication in the subordinate clause, the explication of future tense semantics in it is very heterogeneous. The most frequent types of subordinate clauses with future-oriented meaning in both analyzed discourses are conditional clauses, attribute, object, and subject clauses as well as subordinate clauses of time and purpose. The diverse repertoire of linguistic means, among which are not only grammatical ones (for example, Präsens, Futur I, Perfekt, Konditionalis I, Präteritum Konjunktiv), but also lexical and grammatical (for example, modal verb constructions), allows of formal and semantic variation, revealing a certain sensitivity in relation to discursive characteristics of the utterance. The most significant explicators of future tense semantics in the subordinate clause are the grammatical forms Präsens and Futur I. Präsens is characterized by high frequency in all types of subordinate clauses and “neutrality” against Futur I, which has limitations when used, for example, in conditional clauses, subordinate clauses of time and purpose, in view of their future time orientation. Futur I can also serve to focus attention on the upcoming action, which contributes to frequency of its use in dependent predication. The semantics of perfect forms, modal verbs, their functional synonyms and conjunctive forms also reveals certain combination preferences by expressing future tense semantics in a subordinate clause.

scholarly journals THE INFLUENCE OF COMPONENT SEMANTICS IN MODAL VERB CONSTRUCTIONS WITH THE MODAL VERBS OF “OBLIGATION” ON THEIR GRAMMATICAL AND STATISTICAL FEATURES (ON THE BASIS OF THE TECHNICAL DISCOURSE TEXTS)

2018 ◽  
pp. 82-99
Author(s):  
T. Borisenko ◽  
M. Tsinovaya ◽  
L. Tsapenko ◽  
T. Sirotenko
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
The United States ◽  
Statistical Characteristics ◽  
Modal Verbs ◽  
Verb Semantics ◽  
Text Corpora ◽  
Verb Constructions ◽  
Modal Verb ◽  
Main Verb ◽  
Technical Discourse

The article presents the study of Modal verb constructions with the modal verbs of “obligation” must, have to+ Inf., be to + Inf. functioning in the scientific and technical discourse texts. The material of the research are three technical text corpora, which belong to engineering fields scientifically and technically unrelated to each other – “Electrical Engineering (Energy Supply and Power Management)”, “Automotive Industry” and “Chemical Engineering” – and compiled on the basis of scientific journals of the United States and Great Britain. This allows to obtain the results that are supposedly of a universal nature and can be applied practically to any field of scientific discourse. The goal is to consider: firstly, which semantic groups of verbs (in different grammatical forms) are attached to a particular modal verb, i.e. the following interrelationship is defined: the semantics of a modal verb – semantics and form of a main verb (the second constituent of the modal construction); secondly, to what extent this interdependence affects the usage frequency of the various semantic groups of the main verbs that make up certain MVCs. The results of the research have demonstrated that in Modal verb constructions of this type functioning in the scientific technical discourse texts the predicative meaning of modal verbs is determinant for the semantic features of main verbs connecting to them (modal verbs). The main verb semantics in its turn influences on their (main verbs) grammatical and statistical characteristics. The modal verb must has the highest frequency of use in scientific texts. It gives imperative which underlines the author’s stability of position and faultlessness of the obtained and presented results. Have to + Inf. MVC is much less frequent and it is a result of the modal component semantics of this construction. Modal verb constructions where the modal verb is be to + Inf. are used by the authors of scientific articles quite rarely, which can be also explained by semantic peculiarities of the verb be to + Inf. In Modal verb constructions with the modal verbs of “obligation” must, have to+ Inf., be to + Inf. the passive voice is more preferable than active voice because in the scientific and technical discourse texts human activity does not manifest evidently since the authors should take second place and be present indirectly through their scientific achievements.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document