scholarly journals A note on the order of constituents in the Mehri Noun Phrase

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-163
Author(s):  
Ur Shlonsky
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Nominal Phrase ◽  
Constituent Order

Abstract Data elicited from native speakers of Mehri and, to a lesser extent, Jibbali—two extant Modern South Arabian languages—show that within the extended nominal phrase, the noun precedes adjectives and the numerals one and two, but follows numerals from three up. This yields the following order: Num≥3 >> Noun >> Num=1,2 >> Adjective. Demonstratives appear between the noun and the numerals one or two, Noun >> Dem >> Num=1,2 >> Adjective, but when the noun is preceded by numerals from three up, the order is Dem >> Num≥3 >> Noun >> Adjective. Following Cinque (2005), I argue that these orders can be explained by taking the constituent order derived by external merge to be Dem >> Num≥3 >> Num=1,2 >> Adjective >> Noun and having the noun (more precisely, the minimal noun phrase) move step-by-step to a position immediately above, and therefore to the left of Num=1,2. The noun cannot move above Num≥3 and since it cannot skip it, it also remains below Dem.

Group genitive in Swedish – s-genitive as a phrase marker

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-252
Author(s):  
Alicja Piotrowska
Keyword(s):  
Relative Clause ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Prepositional Phrase ◽  
Nominal Phrase ◽  
Colloquial Language ◽  
The Status

Abstract In this paper I discuss the constructions with the group genitive and their use in today’s Swedish. The development of the s-genitive from a diachronic perspective, its degrammaticalization and the status of the s-genitive are discussed. The aim of the paper is to examine and analyse the use of the group genitive in the Swedish nominal phrases in three contexts, i. e. coordinated nominal phrases, nominal phrase with a prepositional phrase and nominal phrase with a relative clause. The group genitive’s domain is above all spoken, colloquial language. The analysed material consists of authentic examples of everyday use of language from the Swedish corpus Språkbanken and a questionnaire conducted among native speakers. The study shows that the group genitive is very productive with various types of nominal phrases in Swedish, even though it is still limited to colloquial and non-formal use of language.

Abstractions and exemplars: The measure noun phrase alternation in German

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 729-771
Author(s):  
Roland Schäfer
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Cognitive Linguistics ◽  
Experimental Validation ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Noun Phrases ◽  
Prototype Model ◽  
Weak Effect ◽  
Specific Measure ◽  
Corpus Study ◽  
Large Corpus

AbstractIn this paper, an alternation in German measure noun phrases is examined under a varying-abstraction perspective. In a specific measure NP construction, the embedded kind-denoting noun either agrees in case with the measure noun (eine Tasse guter Kaffee‘a cup of good coffee’) or it stands in the genitive (eine Tasse guten Kaffees). Each of the two alternants is syntactically similar to a non-alternating construction. I propose a prototype model which assigns a common prototypical meaning to each of the alternants and its corresponding non-alternating construction. Based on this, I argue that lexical, morphosyntactic, and stylistic features help to predict the choice of the alternant. A large corpus study is presented which supports this analysis. However, in addition to the prototype effects, an exemplar effect is also shown to influence the choice, namely the relative frequencies with which lemmas occur in the non-alternating constructions. I argue that allowing both prototype and exemplar effects is more adequate than following radical prototype or exemplar approaches. It is also verified in two experiments that the corpus-derived model corresponds to the behaviour of native speakers. The weak effect size of the experimental validation is discussed in the context of corpus-based cognitive linguistics and the validation of corpus-derived models.

Word Order and Agreement in Tagoi

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-174
Author(s):  
Suzan Alamin
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Word Order ◽  
Class System ◽  
Order Types ◽  
Sentence Level ◽  
Constituent Order ◽  
Noun Class ◽  
South Kordofan

Abstract This study provides a detailed description of word order types, agreement patterns and alternations found in Tagoi, a Kordofanian language traditionally spoken in South Kordofan. After a brief presentation of the language (section 1), the noun class system is introduced (section 2) and the word order and agreement patterns are examined at the noun phrase level (section 3). Section 4 gives information about the constituent order at clause and sentence level, while Section 5 summarizes the findings and conclusion of the paper. All in all, the paper aims at contributing to a better understanding of the grammar, structure and typological features of Tagoi.

scholarly journals Agrammatic Comprehension of Simple Active Sentences With Moved Constituents

2003 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 288-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naama Friedmann ◽  
Lewis P. Shapiro
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Language Impairment ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
The Other ◽  
Matching Task ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Movement Strategy ◽  
Conduction Aphasia ◽  
Basic Order ◽  
Active Sentence

This study examines agrammatic comprehension of object-subject-verb (OSV) and object-verb-subject (OVS) structures in Hebrew. These structures are syntactically identical to the basic order subject-verb-object (SVO) sentence except for the movement of the object to the beginning of the sentence, and thus enable empirical examination of syntactic movement in agrammatic comprehension. Seven individuals with agrammatism, 7 individuals with conduction aphasia, and 7 individuals without language impairment, all native speakers of Hebrew, performed a sentence-picture matching task. The task compared OSV and OVS sentences to SVO sentences and to subject and object relatives. Individuals with agrammatism performed more poorly than those in either of the other groups. Their comprehension of SVO sentences was significantly above chance, but comprehension of OSV and OVS sentences was at chance and was poorer than comprehension of SVO sentences. These results show that agrammatic comprehension of structures that involve movement of a noun phrase is impaired even when the structure is a simple active sentence, in line with the Trace Deletion Hypothesis (TDH; Y. Grodzinsky, 1990, 1995a, 2000). A modification is suggested to accommodate the TDH with the VP Internal Subject Hypothesis, according to which individuals with agrammatism use an "Avoid Movement" strategy in comprehension.

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.

Partitive and pseudo-partitive revisited: Reflections on the status of ‘de’ in French

1991 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Battye
Keyword(s):  
Internal Structure ◽  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Phrase Structure ◽  
Functional Projection ◽  
Nominal Phrase ◽  
Indefinite Article ◽  
The Status

AbstractThe radical structural distinction often proposed between pseudo-partitive (i.e. beaucoup de problèmes) and partitive (i.e. beaucoup des problèmes épineux) is argued to be the by-product of too restrictive a view of the internal structure of the noun phrase in French. A more articulated nominal phrase structure is adopted here, one which makes. use of the idea of the determiner being itself the head of a functional projection (the so-called DP-panalysis). This DP approach to partitive and pseudo-partitive configurations, it is proposed, also allows for a reappraisal of what are traditionally termed the partitive and plural indefinite article (i.e. du, de la, de l' and des).

scholarly journals ADJECTIVE SEQUENCING IN GA

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 71-95
Author(s):  
Yvonne Akwele Amankwaa Ollennu
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Head Noun ◽  
Common Phenomenon ◽  
Syntactic Rule ◽  
Lexical Categories ◽  
Nominal Phrase ◽  
Semantic Classes ◽  
Scholarly Attention

The use of multiple words to describe nouns is a common phenomenon in language and languages that have adjectives employ this word class.Ga, a Kwa language of the Niger Congo, branch is no exception, whereas languages without adjectives may use other lexical categories like nouns and verbs which play the adjectival role. Ga has adjectives and employs them as attributives for nouns. The paper examines the syntactic rule governing the occurence of several adjectives serving as attibtutes of a single head noun. In this paper the noun is considered as the head of the Ga Nominal Phrase. The order of these adjectives has not received scholarly attention in Ga and this is to fill that gap in the literature. I argued that the order of adjectives is not haphazardly arranged but follows a laid down syntactc prescription. For instance the data showed that Dimension adjectives normall occur in first position, whereas colour adjectives occur further from the head noun. It was also revealed that in the ordering of adjectives in which Value adjectives is included, the Age adjective occurs in last position and Value adjective occurs first or last when included in the ordering of adjectives for a noun. Consequently, it is opined that defying the arrangement in the ordering of the adjectives resulted in unacceptable forms.The adjectives are grouped according to  Dixon semantic classes. Data is gathered from native speakers of Ga. The findings contribute to the existing literature on adjective sequencing in Ghanaian languages.

scholarly journals Adjektiva dalam Bahasa Maanyan (The Adjective in Maanyan Language)

JALABAHASA ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Kity Karenisa
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Morphological Characteristic ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Morphological Features ◽  
Austronesian Languages ◽  
Syntactic Behavior

Berdasarkan pengamatan terhadap adjektiva dalam bahasa Maanyan, terutama pada ciri morfologisnya, perilaku adjektiva dalam bahasa Maanyan berbeda dengan perilaku adjektiva bahasa Austronesia pada umumnya. Kategori sintaksis kalimat yang berbeda mensyaratkan bentuk adjektiva yang berbeda, yaitu dengan pemarkah adjektiva {ma-} ataupun tanpa pemarkah. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui ciri adjektiva dalam bahasa Maanyan berdasarkan ciri morfologis, perilaku sintaksis, dan perilaku semantisnya. Data dalam penelitian ini dikumpulkan oleh peneliti dari bahasa yang dikuasainya sebagai penutur asli bahasa Maanyan, kemudian dikonfirmasi dengan penutur asli lainnya. Berdasarkan analisis diperoleh simpulan bahwa adjektiva dalam bahasa Maanyan dapat dikenali dari ciri bentuk atau ciri morfologis yang berupa monomorfemis dan polimorfemis, dari perilaku sintaksis, yaitu sebagai atribut dalam frasa nomina, dan dari perilaku semantis dengan makna yang mengikutinya. Based on the observation on adjective in Maanyan language, especially in morphological features, adjective behavior in Maanyan language is different from the adjective behavior in other Austronesian languages in general. Different categories of syntactic sentences require different forms of adjectives: with the adjective marker {ma-} or without the marker. This study aims to determine the characteristics of adjectives in Maanyan language based on morphological characteristics, syntactic behavior, and semantic behavior. The data in this study were collected by researcher native speakers of Maanyan language and then confirmed to other native speakers. Based on the analysis, it can be concluded that the adjective in Maanyan language can be recognized by the morphological characteristic of monomorphemic and polymorphemic, from its syntactic behavior, ie as attributes in the noun phrase, and from its semantic behavior to the meaning that follows. 

ANAPHORA RESOLUTION IN L2 ENGLISH

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 971-998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Contemori ◽  
Ohood Asiri ◽  
Elva Deida Perea Irigoyen
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Anaphora Resolution ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Pronoun Resolution ◽  
Previous Evidence ◽  
Preceding Context ◽  
Shed Light

AbstractWe test the interpretation of pronominal forms in L2 speakers of English whose L1 is Spanish. Previous research on learners of nonnull subject languages has shown conflicting results. The aim of the present study is to reconcile previous evidence and shed light on the factors that determine learners’ difficulty to interpret pronominal forms in the L2. In six comprehension experiments, we found that intermediate L2 speakers did not show increased difficulty compared to native speakers in integrating multiple sources of information (syntactic, discourse, pragmatic) to resolve ambiguous pronouns in intrasentential anaphora and cataphora conditions. However, we also found that when two referents with equal prominence are introduced using a conjoined noun phrase in the preceding context, the learner’s performance is significantly different than the performance of the native speakers, both in intrasentential and intersentential anaphora. We suggest that L2 speakers may encounter difficulties evaluating the salience of the antecedents during pronoun resolution.

Ordering patterns

2020 ◽  
pp. 387-394
Author(s):  
Gerjan van Schaaik
Keyword(s):  
Noun Phrase ◽  
Final Section ◽  
Phrase Structure ◽  
Noun Phrases ◽  
Tabular Form ◽  
Fourth Section ◽  
The Third ◽  
Constituent Order ◽  
Constituent Ordering

After an extensive account of the basics of Turkish grammar, this chapter offers nothing but ordering principles: the first two sections are about the morphotactics of nouns and verbs, and noun phrase structure. All this is represented in tabular form. The ordering principles for noun phrases (including adverbial and postpositional phrases) in a clause is dealt with next, and thus, constituent order in nominal, existential, and verbal sentences is discussed in the third section. Dependent clauses are the topic of the fourth section, which also gives an overview of verbal linking suffixes to form such clauses. The final section shows that constituent ordering in verbal sentences can better be understood in terms of the pragmatic notions Topic and Focus than in terms of traditional distribution of Subject and Objects (SOV).

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