Blackfoot causative formation between lexicon and grammar

Linguistics ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inge Genee
Keyword(s):  
Argument Structure ◽  
Morphological Type ◽  
Grammatical Structure ◽  
States Of Affairs ◽  
Lexical Unit ◽  
Causative Constructions ◽  
Discourse Grammar ◽  
Synthetic Construction ◽  
Causative Construction ◽  
Semantic Properties

AbstractThis article considers the treatment of causatives in Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG) in relation to questions regarding the division of labor between the Grammar and the Lexicon in Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG). The focus is on causative constructions in which the causativizer affixes to the verb in so-called polysynthetic languages. In this respect the article also contributes to the treatment of polysynthesis in FDG. The central question is whether the causative construction is a derived lexeme created in the lexicon and inserted into the grammatical structure as a single lexical unit, or whether it is created in the grammar as a synthetic construction involving two lexical units. The article describes the pertinent morphosyntactic and semantic properties of causative constructions in Blackfoot, a polysynthetic language belonging to the Algonquian language family. I show that such constructions contain two events, each with their own semantic properties including argument structure and modifiability. In FDG this is accounted for by analyzing the semantic configuration at the Representational Level of analysis as a complex Episode consisting of two States-of-Affairs, while analyzing the morphosyntactic configuration at the Morphosyntactic Level as a complex verbal Word containing two verbal Roots, one of which is the causativizer. The causativizer is analyzed as an independent verbal lexeme stored in the lexicon rather than as derivational morpheme. This analysis follows logically from the way in which FDG conceptualizes polysynthesis, namely as a morphological type which allows the presence of more than one lexical element within a single word.

scholarly journals Investigating Indonesian EFL learners’ knowledge and use of English causative constructions

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Wijaya ◽  
Evelyn Winstin
Keyword(s):  
English Language ◽  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Sentence Completion ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Causative Constructions ◽  
Functional Aspects ◽  
Improve Instruction ◽  
Causative Construction

Abstract This paper explored Indonesian EFL learners’ explicit knowledge, processing, and use of English periphrastic causative constructions make, have, and get. 20 English L1 speakers and 20 Indonesian intermediate level EFL learners majoring in English Language Education at an Indonesian university took part in this study. Data were collected through a cloze task, a sentence completion task, an interpretation task, and a set of open-ended questions asking learners to provide descriptions about their knowledge of the constructions. Results showed that learners did not always use the first noun strategy to identify the agent in a passive causative construction. Also, their suppliances of the causative verbs in most items did not significantly differ from L1 speakers. However, the syntactic patterns were mostly non-target-like. They demonstrated insufficient explicit knowledge that could enable them to verbalize the formal and functional aspects underlying the constructions. Pedagogical implications along with suggestions to improve instruction are discussed.

Argument structure licensing and Englishhave

2011 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
KYUMIN KIM
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Argument Structure ◽  
Syntactic Structure ◽  
Causative Constructions ◽  
Theoretical Claim ◽  
Possessive Constructions ◽  
Typological Classification

This paper provides a unified syntactic account of the distribution of Englishhavein causative constructions (e.g.John had Mary read a book) and experiencer constructions (e.g.John had the student walk out of his classroom). It is argued thathaveis realized in the context of anapplicative head(Appl) and an event-introducer v, regardless of the type of v.Haveis spelled out in the causative when Appl merges under vCAUSE, and in the experiencer construction when Appl merges under vBE. This proposal is extended tohavein possessive constructions (e.g.John has a hat/a brother):haveis realized in the context of vBEand Appl. The proposed account provides empirical evidence for expanding the distribution of Appl: (i) a causative can take ApplP as a complement, which was absent in Pylkkänen's (2008) typological classification, and (ii) Appl can merge above Voice, contrary to Pylkkänen's analysis in which Appl is argued to always merge below VoiceP, never above. Moreover, the proposed account supports the theoretical claim that argument structure is licensed by functional syntactic structure; in particular, it shows that the relevant functional heads are not aspectual heads, but Appl and v.

Putting the argument back into argument structure constructions

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence Romain
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Argument Structure ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Causative Alternation ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Causative Construction

Abstract This paper shows that low-level generalisations in argument structure constructions are crucial to understanding the concept of alternation: low-level generalisations inform and constrain more schematic generalisations and thus constructional meaning. On the basis of an analysis of the causative alternation in English, and more specifically of the theme (i.e., the entity undergoing the event denoted by the verb), I show that each construction has its own schematic meaning. This analysis is conducted on a dataset composed of 11,554 instances of the intransitive non-causative construction and the transitive causative construction. The identification of lower-level generalisations feeds into the idea that language acquisition is organic and abstractions are formed only gradually (if at all) from exposure to input. So far, most of the literature on argument structure constructions has focused on the verb itself, and thus fails to capture these generalisations. I make up for this deficit through an in-depth analysis of the causative alternation.

The influence of community on language structure

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irit Meir ◽  
Assaf Israel ◽  
Wendy Sandler ◽  
Carol A. Padden ◽  
Mark Aronoff
Keyword(s):  
Social Factors ◽  
Argument Structure ◽  
Social Factor ◽  
Grammatical Structure ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
Cultural Artifact ◽  
Language Structure ◽  
Single Argument ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Brain

By comparing two sign languages of approximately the same age but which arose and developed under different social circumstances, we are able to identify possible relationships between social factors and language structure. We argue that two structural properties of these languages are related to the size and the heterogeneity versus homogeneity of their respective communities: use of space in grammatical structure and degree of lexical and sublexical variability. A third characteristic, the tendency toward single-argument clauses appears to be a function of a different social factor: language age. Our study supports the view that language is not just a structure in the brain, nor is it strictly the domain of the individual. It is very much a socio-cultural artifact. Keywords: community and language structure; sign languages; ISL; ABSL; variation; space; argument structure

Translation of English Causative Verbs into Persian: A Comparative Study of Professional Translators and Translation Trainees

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 1266
Author(s):  
Naghmeh Ghasdian ◽  
Ahmad Sedighi
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Translation Strategies ◽  
Causative Constructions ◽  
Lord Of The Flies ◽  
Causative Construction ◽  
Persian Translation ◽  
Professional Translator ◽  
Language Pair ◽  
Causative Verbs

According to books of grammar, a causative form is an expression of an agent causing or forcing a person to perform an action. Translation of English causatives into Persian seems to be one of the biggest problems that Translation students and novice translators usually come across. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the translation strategies applied by the professional translator and translation trainees while translating English causatives into Persian. In this descriptive corpus-based study, the present researcher examined sixty causative constructions of novel Lord of The Flies by Gerald (1991) and their Persian translation by Mansouri (2003). In addition, twenty causative constructions from the novel were given to the twenty Translation students in order to analyze their Persian translations of causative constructions. Based on the finding, the professional translator has used Non-causative and Positive Implication strategies most frequently, whereas the students have used Auxiliary and Noncausative strategies most frequently. It can be concluded that there is a strategy behind every choice, and a reason behind every strategy, and translators should try their best to transfer all the components of a causative verb as well as possible, because each word or verb has its own value. The translator's mastery over the causative construction in the language pair explores throughout this study reminds us of a point of paramount significance. The main implication of this research may make the translators, at any level, better understand the English causative sentences and avoid producing translations that hinder communication between the translator and the readers.

Acts and the relationship between discourse and grammar

2005 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Hannay ◽  
Caroline Kroon
Keyword(s):  
Considerable Extent ◽  
Central Question ◽  
Grammatical Structure ◽  
Syntactic Structures ◽  
Intonation Units ◽  
The Status ◽  
Discourse Grammar ◽  
Discourse Organization ◽  
The Relationship

In modelling the discourse–grammar interface, a central question concerns the status of discourse act as the minimal unit of discourse organization and its relation to units of grammatical structure. This paper seeks to clarify the notion of act by defining it as a strategic rather than a conceptual unit, and by setting out a classification of strategic acts. Illustration is then offered for the position that discourse acts are to a very considerable extent realized in English by intonation units and punctuation units. This is done by considering how punctuational variation and cases of intonation/syntax mismatch can be explained in terms of the specific discourse contribution of the units concerned. Although the correlation between discourse acts and intonation/punctuation units remains problematic, in that there may not be a 1 : 1 correspondence, it is still attractive — at least for English — to see the linguistic correlate of acts in intonation and punctuation units rather than in syntactic structures. The paper finishes by considering the implications for the formalizing of relations between discourse, semantics and syntax in Functional Discourse Grammar.

scholarly journals MORPHOLOGICAL AND ANALYTIC CAUSATIVE CONSTRUCTION IN DELI JAVANESE DIALECT

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-132
Author(s):  
Zuindra Zuindra ◽  
Mulyadi Mulyadi
Keyword(s):  
Research Data ◽  
Causative Constructions ◽  
Tree Diagram ◽  
Causative Construction

This article discusses causative construction of Deli Javanese dialect which focuses on morphological and analytic causative construction. This study aims to reveal how  morphological and analytic causative constructions in Deli Javanese dialect are formed. The theory of causative construction concept is based on Comrie (1989). The research data  were obtained from text books, journals and interview. The causative construction in this analysis was elaborated by using tree diagram. The result showed that the morphological causative construction of Deli Javanese dialect utilized the verbs, which were shown by prefixes and suffixes. The causative construction in the verb nggodoke ‘boil something for somebody’ is derived from nggodok ‘boil’; thus, it is indicated by the suffix –e. Meanwhile, the analytic causative construction utilized nggawe ‘make’ in which it indicates an action with desire. Furthermore, Analytic causative construction in Deli Javanese dialect is a clause construction, which has two predicates. This research finally provides some contributions and references for any further research related to the causative construction within any languages.

scholarly journals The discourse motivation for split-ergative alignment in Dutch nominalisations (and elsewhere)

Pragmatics ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Freek Van de Velde
Keyword(s):  
Argument Structure ◽  
Natural Consequence ◽  
Du Bois ◽  
Discourse Grammar ◽  
Grammar Model

Dutch nominalisations of the type het eten van vlees (‘the eating of meat’) have ergative alignment. The alignment is functionally motivated, in that it is a natural consequence of the flow of discourse. The functional account that is put forward here draws on the notion of Preferred Argument Structure (Du Bois 1987) and on the distinction between foregrounded and backgrounded discourse (Hopper & Thompson 1980). Support for this account comes from other domains of ergativity in Dutch, such as causativised predicates and participial constructions and from the observation that the alignment in Dutch nominalisations is in fact split-ergative. The present study adduces corpus evidence to corroborate the claims. In the last section, the analysis is cast in a Functional Discourse Grammar model (Hengeveld & Mackenzie 2008), including its hitherto underdescribed Contextual Component.

scholarly journals The interpretation of external arguments

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Wood ◽  
Alec Marantz
Keyword(s):  
Argument Structure ◽  
Syntactic Structure ◽  
Semantic Properties ◽  
Semantic Values

This chapter examines the syntactic and semantic properties of heads, e.g. Voice, Appl, and little p, that add participants to events. Instead of assuming that such heads exist as distinct primitives in the functional lexicon, it is proposed that there is one such head, which can get different interpretations depending on how it is merged into the structure. The chapter’s approach attributes the relative uniformity of the expression of argument structure to the principles that interpret syntactic structure semantically; thus, syntax is truly autonomous, with the atoms of syntactic representations carrying no inherent semantic values. Once syntactic heads are absolved from the necessity of explicitly carrying certain features relevant to their interpretation, a sparse inventory of functional heads can be developed. The system is applied to a set of constructions that present distinct challenges to theories that demand a kind of transparent reflection of argument structure in underlying syntactic representations.

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