Univerbation

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (s41) ◽  
pp. 205-252
Author(s):  
Christian Lehmann

Abstract Univerbation is the syntagmatic condensation of a sequence of words recurrent in discourse into one word, as when the Spanish combination a tras (to back) becomes atrás ‘behind’. It affects both lexemes and grammatical formatives. Unlike processes of word formation, including conversion of a syntactic construction into a word, as in forget-me-not, and compounding, as in Spanish lavaplatos ‘dishwasher’, univerbation is a spontaneous process. There are two main types of univerbation: phrasal univerbation downgrades a phrase to a word, as when Latin terrae motus ‘earth’s movement’ becomes Spanish terremoto ‘earthquake’. Transgressive univerbation coalesces a string of words which do not form a syntagma into a word, as when French par ce que becomes parce que. A set of univerbations may share structural features and may therefore evolve into a pattern of compounding. Thus, blackbird originated by univerbation, but may now provide a pattern of compounding. As a consequence, univerbation and compounding are not always easily distinguishable. The discussion uses empirical evidence adduced in earlier work, mostly from Romance and Germanic languages. Its aim is not to present novel phenomena but to provide a theoretical background for the phenomenology and improve on available analyses.

Author(s):  
Jan Terje Faarlund

The chapter has three parts. The first part is an introduction to the Mainland Scandinavian languages, with a brief sketch of their history, their relationship to the other Scandinavian languages, and their position among the North Germanic languages. Mainland Scandinavian is treated as one language, since it consists of a continuum of mutually intelligible dialects across Scandinavia. The second part is a presentation of the sources and the origin of the examples used in the book. They are taken from various sources, reference grammars, research literature, the internet, text corpora, and original research. The third part is a presentation of the theoretical background and the descriptive framework, which is generative grammar in its current version, known as ‘minimalism’.


Author(s):  
Ana Luís

This chapter explores the interaction between creole morphology and morphological theory by drawing on empirical evidence which illustrates that morphological similarities exist between creoles and non-creoles. Such evidence shows that morphological patterns in creoles may be used for the creation of new lexemes (through word-formation), that morphosyntactic features may be mapped onto existing lexemes (by means of inflection), or that derived words in creoles may be semantically non-compositional while inflected words may exhibit form–meaning mismatches and be part of non-predictable paradigms. Conceptually, the morphological evidence will be used to claim that creole word structure is just as principled as the morphology of non-creole languages, and that it can be naturally accounted for by applying the same formal apparatus that is used for the analysis of non-creole languages.


2009 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter P. Lindquist

Abstract Given the evanescent quality of the spoken word, interpreters tend to be evaluated, trained, and selected on the basis of unproven theories and preconceptions about the cognitive processes and areas of difficulty associated with their work. A gap persists between theoretical work and empirical evidence of the processes proposed by such studies. Recent developments in technology are now being applied to interpreter performance evaluation, shedding light on aspects of interpreter performance that have previously resisted systematic analysis. It is now possible to examine large volumes of language in use, in both audio and textual realms. This paper presents the MRC model for analysis of interpreter performance and a study conducted using that method for the purpose of identifying interpreter training needs. Theoretical background, the MRC model, and the study outcomes and pedagogical implications are presented.


Author(s):  
Valentyna Bebykh ◽  
Natalia Bytsko

The article deals with the dynamic and evolutionary processes of eponymous terms formation in medicine in the systems of English and Ukrainian languages. The aim of the work is to systematize medical propriatives on the basis of such defining features as denotative-characteristic, etymological-word-forming and functional features. Methods and techniques adopted in onomastics and stylistics were used, such as: textual and stylistic analysis, classification of onomastic material, structural, etymological and word-formation analysis, analysis of variants of names, synthesis and identification of patterns. The research focuses on lexical and semantic features and structural features of medical terms with an onymic component. The scientific research of domestic and foreign researchers on the presence or absence of a clear boundary between common and proper names is analyzed. The ways of origin of propriatives and ways of forming a layer of onymic medical vocabulary are outlined. Based on the samples of eponymous terms in accordance with the fields of medicine, in particular rheumatology and neurology, anatomy and clinical nomenclature, the characteristics of dynamic and evolutionary processes in each of the subsystems is presented: quantitative ratio data are given, ways and methods of formation are identified, the role and place of eponyms in medical phenomena and objects are determined, the structural features of these terminological units are described. Much attention is paid to the process of transforming proper names into common words. The processes of transition of proper names into common names, which occur in medical terminology, differences of propriatives and appellates in functions, properties, mechanism of development, essence and linguistic features, context, etymology and translation are studied.


Author(s):  
Svatopluk Kapounek ◽  
Jan Sečkař

The paper focuses on the economic cycle synchronization of the euro area outsiders: Denmark, Sweden and United Kingdom. The authors discussed openness of the selected economies, their structural similarities and economic cycle synchronization in the years 2000–2011. They applied moving correlation and correlation between the selected countries and the euro area. They found significant synchronization of the economic cycles after the year 2005. Furthermore, economic cycles of the analyzed countries were exceptionally synchronized than the euro area average level.Our contribution is in comparison of the economic cycle synchronization in the selected countries with the euro area average. The authors assume that changes in order provide important information about the synchronization, unbiased by the consequences of the financial crisis in the year 2007.A theoretical background for the final discussions provided new version of the OCA theory focused on the costs associated with the loss of the monetary policy autonomy. The authors concluded that selected countries were not protected against the global macroeconomic shock after the year 2007, although they keep the autonomous monetary policy.


Author(s):  
Máire Noonan

This chapter explores the fine structure of R-pronouns, spatial PPs, and P-stranding constructions. The guiding hypothesis and theoretical backdrop is that an extended clausal structure is generalized to all categories, including adpositions, (P). The empirical evidence comes from a comparison of the morphosyntactic distribution of the ‘r’ in German and Dutch so-called R-pronouns (locative pronouns) and P-stranding constructions, and from complex spatial PPs in Colloquial German. The chapter argues that a comparative approach to these closely related Germanic languages warrants the decomposition of function words into parts not traditionally recognized as morphemes. The morphemes making up locative pronouns (e.g. Dutch daar ‘there’) and place adpositions (e.g. German auf ‘on’) are shown to pronounce different parts of the clausal structure. A ramification of the analysis is that P-stranding in Dutch and German is in fact the stranding of a remnant phrase that contains the R-pronoun by a projection containing the preposition.


When a new name is necessary for a concept, word formation and borrowing are possible ways to produce one. As such, they are in competition for the creation of neologisms. However, borrowings can also interact with existing word formation rules. The reanalysis of a borrowing can result in its attribution to an existing word formation rule. The reanalysis of a number of formally similar borrowings can even result in a new word formation rule. Word formation and borrowing both have an inherently diachronic component to them. Historically, Latin was an important source language for borrowing. The effects are found in neoclassical word formation and in many internationalisms. Nowadays, anglicisms have become the most frequent kind of borrowings. Word formation rules may be activated to counter the prevalence of borrowing by creating alternative designations, but they may also be used to integrate borrowings into the lexical and grammatical system of the borrowing language. After an introduction with some theoretical background, twelve case studies present particular situations illustrating different types of interaction of word formation and borrowing in a range of European languages. The concluding chapter describes some general trends that emerge from these case studies.


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