A morphosyntactic analysis of nominal expressive suffixes in Russian and Greek

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Steriopolo ◽  
Giorgos Markopoulos ◽  
Vassilios Spyropoulos

Abstract This work investigates and compares nominal expressive suffixes in Russian and Greek within the framework of Distributed Morphology. It shows that, although the suffixes under investigation share the same expressive meaning, they differ significantly in their syntactic structure, namely in the manner and place of attachment in the syntactic tree. More specifically, in both languages expressive suffixes can attach either as heads or as modifiers and, furthermore, they may occupy various syntactic positions. This illustrates that, despite their uniformity at semantic level, expressive suffixes exhibit variation with respect to their syntactic structuring both within and across languages.

2020 ◽  
pp. 56-83
Author(s):  
David J. Medeiros

This chapter examines variation in terms of case marking within complex spatial prepositions in Hawaiian and Māori. A dialect difference is proposed such that post-revitalization Māori patterns with Hawaiian in the realization of genitive case within spatial prepositions (the cross-linguistically more common pattern), to the exclusion of pre-revitalization Māori. Working within a model in which genitive case within spatial prepositions follows from syntactic structure, the unexpected non-genitive marking in pre-revitalization Māori is linked to the grammar of possession in that language, as contrasted with Hawaiian and post-revitalization Māori. The specific case marking variation is modeled in terms of morphological feature matching in a Distributed Morphology framework. Therefore, independent properties of the grammar of possession accounts for the observed micro-variation.


Author(s):  
Holly P. Branigan ◽  
Martin J. Pickering

AbstractWithin the cognitive sciences, most researchers assume that it is the job of linguists to investigate how language is represented, and that they do so largely by building theories based on explicit judgments about patterns of acceptability – whereas it is the task of psychologists to determine how language is processed, and that in doing so, they do not typically question the linguists' representational assumptions. We challenge this division of labor by arguing that structural priming provides an implicit method of investigating linguistic representations that should end the current reliance on acceptability judgments. Moreover, structural priming has now reached sufficient methodological maturity to provide substantial evidence about such representations. We argue that evidence from speakers' tendency to repeat their own and others' structural choices supports a linguistic architecture involving a single shallow level of syntax connected to a semantic level containing information about quantification, thematic relations, and information structure, as well as to a phonological level. Many of the linguistic distinctions often used to support complex (or multilevel) syntactic structure are instead captured by semantics; however, the syntactic level includes some specification of “missing” elements that are not realized at the phonological level. We also show that structural priming provides evidence about the consistency of representations across languages and about language development. In sum, we propose that structural priming provides a new basis for understanding the nature of language.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-65
Author(s):  
Takashi Nakajima

Abstract Using deadjectival psych verbs with -garu in Japanese, this study shows that agglutinative complex predicate formation is done by recursive application of Merge to roots and functional heads. This process creates a layered syntactic structure, with each layer providing the computational system with (i) specific semantic features, (ii) arguments, and (iii) phonetic form (PF) exponents at conceptual–intentional (CI)/sensory motor (SM) Interfaces. The whole amalgam of the root and the functional heads is interpreted as a “word” at PF. Following the general architecture of Distributed Morphology, I will show that the morpheme that derives deadjectival verbs -garu is underlyingly -k-ar-u (k-Copula-T), where k is “little” v that originates in the verbal root k-o “come” and ar- is a copula. They are now grammaticalized functional heads that extend adjectival roots. Crucially, this k is homophonous with “little” a, which makes -garu and the adjective-deriving morpheme -karu (k-Copula-T) parallel. k is voiced in -garu due to a structurally conditioned assimilation rule (Embick 2013). This analysis reveals the mechanisms of agglutinative predicate formation in a precise and detailed manner. Similarly, it gives natural solutions to some of the long-standing problems including how adjectives modify N such as utukusii dansaa “beautiful dancer,” which is ambiguous between attributive modification and a relative clause.


Author(s):  
Анна Юрьевна Колесникова

Введение. Представлено исследование семантики восприятия, возникающей в процессе описания ирреальности как объекта чувственного опыта в творчестве В. Пелевина. Языковые единицы с перцептивной семантикой, обладая функционально-эстетической нагрузкой, играют важную роль в реализации формальных и смысловых аспектов организации художественного текста. Цель – изучить особенности языковой репрезентации феномена ирреальности в творчестве В. Пелевина на основе структурно-семантических моделей высказывания и лингвистических средств выражения семантики восприятия. Материал и методы. Исследование осуществляется при помощи метода лингвистического моделирования, нацеленного на изучение базовых компонентов структуры высказывания, и лингвостилистического анализа. В качестве материала выбран постмодернистский текст, который отражает активные процессы, происходящие в языковой системе, в частности романы В. Пелевина «Чапаев и Пустота» и «Generation „П“» (1990-е гг.). Результаты и обсуждение. Установлено, что семантика восприятия реализуется на различных уровнях организации художественного текста. На структурно-семантическом уровне высказывания, помимо базовой модели перцептивной ситуации, выявлены модели, позволяющие актуализировать ирреальные объекты, которые становятся доступными чувственному восприятию персонажей. Для замещения позиции объекта чаще используются абстрактные и конкретные имена существительные и местоимения. Имена прилагательные и причастия, выступающие в качестве квалификатора, описывают разнообразные характеристики воспринимаемого. На уровне формальной организации текста репрезентация семантики ирреального обусловила усложнение синтаксического строя произведения (использование различных типов сравнительных конструкций, сопоставительных и противительных бессоюзных предложений, сложноподчиненных предложений с придаточными места и времени и др.). На стилистическом уровне семантику ирреальности реализуют средства художественной выразительности (метафора, метонимия, сравнение, персонификация и др.), в состав которых входят языковые единицы с перцептивным значением. Заключение. Репрезентация семантики ирреальности в творчестве В. Пелевина тесно связана с изображением перцептивных процессов. Особая роль отводится объектам восприятия, которые, обладая необычными качественными характеристиками, становятся предметом языковой актуализации на разных уровнях художественного текста. Introduction. The article presents the study of the semantics of perception, which is observed in the process of describing unreality as an object of sensory experience in the works of V. Pelevin. Language units with perceptual semantics having a functional and aesthetic meaning play an important role in the implementation of formal and semantic aspects of the organization of a literary text. The purpose of the article is to study the linguistic features of the representation of the semantics of unreality in the work of V. Pelevin on the basis of the identified structural and semantic models of the statement and linguistic means of expressing the semantics of perception. Material and methods. The research is carried out using the method of linguistic modeling aimed at identifying the main components of the utterance structure and linguistic and stylistic analysis. The material chosen is a postmodern text that reflects the active processes taking place in the language sys-tem in particular V. Pelevin’s novels «Chapaev and the Void» and «Generation “P”» which relate to the mature period of the writer’s work (the 1990s). Results and discussion. In the course of the research, it was revealed that the semantics of perception is implemented at various levels of the organization of a literary text. In addition to the basic model of the situation of perception at the structural-semantic level of the utterance, there are models that make it possible to actualize unreal objects. In such circumstances, these objects become accessible to the sensory perception of characters. Abstract and concrete nouns and pronouns are more often used to replace the position of an object. Adjectives and participles that act as qualifiers describe various char-acteristics of the perceived. At the level of the formal text organization, the representation of the se-mantics of the unreal caused the complexity of the syntactic structure of the work (the use of various types of comparative sentences, complex sentences, adverbial clauses of place and adverbial clauses of time, etc.). At the stylistic level of the text, the semantics of unreality are implemented by stylistic devices and expressive means which include language units with perception meaning. Conclusion. The study allows us to conclude that the representation of unreality semantics in the work of V. Pelevin is closely related to the image of perceptual processes. A special role is assigned to perception objects with unusual qualitative characteristics which become the subject of language actualization at different levels of the literary text.


1985 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Conrad

Studies have shown that less fluent non-native readers cannot make full use of semantic-level cues. Non-natives direct proportionately more attention than natives to syntactic and graphophonic information. This study asked whether a similar difference would be found between native and non-native listeners. Three groups were tested: native English-speakers and advanced and intermediate non-natives. After hearing a text, subjects were given a 55-item cloze test. It was hypothesized that with a subject's increased proficiency in the language, processing would show progressively greater attention to semantic than to syntactic or phonological cues. The cloze test was scored using a diagnostic scoring procedure developed by Clarke and Burdell (1977). Results confirmed the hypothesis. Semantically acceptable responses increased progressively for intermediate, advanced, and native groups, while responses based on syntactic structure decreased.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-166
Author(s):  
Olga Steriopolo

Abstract This work analyzes grammatical gender reversals (feminine to masculine and masculine to feminine) in various languages by examining them both morphosyntactically and sociopragmatically, and is, to the best of my knowledge, the first such twofold analysis of grammatical gender reversals. The morphosyntactic analysis is based on my previous works on expressive morphology. The sociopragmatic analysis is based on the sociopragmatic framework developed in Acton (Acton, Eric K. 2014. Pragmatics and the social meaning of determiners. Doctoral Dissertation. Stanford, CA: Stanford University) and presents a continuation and development of my earlier work on sociopragmatics of gender reversals (Steriopolo, Olga. 2019a. “A sociopragmatic analysis of grammatical gender reversals.” In: Con temporary means and methods in ELT and applied linguistics, eds. C. Can, P. Patsala, and Z. Tatsioka, ch. 26: 535–55. Tallinn: LIF – Language in Focus). Grammatical gender reversals result in an evaluative meaning of the noun. I argue that they crosslinguistically use the same syntactic structure, in which an evaluative head [eval] is projected above a categorized noun, n. The evaluative head [eval] changes the grammatical gender of the base to which it attaches, resulting in a gender reversal with an evaluative meaning. This meaning varies across languages and directly depends on the sociocultural context, such as how masculinity and femininity are perceived and valued within a given society. The data presented in this research are, in order of appearance, from the following languages: Russian, Israeli Hebrew, Lak, Polish, Lokono, Teop, Palestinian Arabic, Manambu, Tigre, Maasai, Oromo, Benchnon, Halkomelen, and Alamblak.


2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-387
Author(s):  
Ivona Kučerová ◽  
Adam Szczegielniak

Abstract Recent work in Distributed Morphology, most prominently Harley (2014), argues for roots being able to take syntactic complements, which opens the door for the possibility of having syntactic features within a root’s representation – something most DM literature rejects (Embick 2015). Upon a closer inspection of the arguments presented in the literature, it is not clear whether the disagreement has an empirical underpinning, or whether it stems from the lack of methodological clarity as far as the identification of the precise nature of what constitutes a syntactic feature. This paper takes this methodological question seriously and investigates a type of derivational behavior that, in our view, provides a decisive argument for the presence of syntactic features on roots. We argue that the presence of a syntactic feature on the root can be conclusively established based on a feature’s impact on specific properties within a larger syntactic structure. Based on empirical evidence form gender agreement phenomena, we introduce a model of grammar that distinguishes roots with syntactic features from those which do not have them. We propose that such a distinction between roots will manifest itself in the timing of root insertion – roots without syntactic features are late inserted, while roots with syntactic features must be early inserted.


2005 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel Oltra-Massuet ◽  
Karlos Arregi

In this article, we argue for a syntactic approach to the computation of stress in Spanish. Our basic claim is that stress placement in this language makes crucial reference to the internal syntactic structure of words. In particular, we propose that foot boundaries are projected from certain functional heads. The analysis is set within the framework of Distributed Morphology and uses the formalism of the bracketed grid for the representation of stress. Several hypotheses concerning the syntax of words are argued to be necessary in gaining a better understanding of stress placement in Spanish.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 453
Author(s):  
Haojie Li

The verb-copying sentence is a special sentence in Chinese and has received extensive attention from the academic circles. Under the framework of Distributed Morphology and MP, the article makes a modified adjustment to the structure derived by phase from the narrow syntax through the post-syntactic “Feature Copying” operation, which is simply the ornamental adjustment to the resulting syntactic structure, to better explain the verb-copying sentence. This analysis does not require a specific syntactic structural hierarchy and is more natural in theory. It is also consistent with mainstream ideas such as lexical array and derivation by phase under the framework of MP.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 844
Author(s):  
Lydia Felice

A key question facing piece-based syntactic morphological frameworks is whether morphophonological structure may be read directly from syntactic structure, as in Spanning, or if postsyntactic operations mediate this relationship, as in Distributed Morphology. Additionally, it is necessary to determine whether linear order is relevant for determining locality. This paper brings new data from STAMP portmanteaux in Gã (Kwa, Ghana) to bear on this question. I demonstrate that STAMP portmanteaux are composed of terminal nodes which do not form a syntactic constituent, and thus are incompatible with syntax-only morphological frameworks like Spanning. PF operations which are sensitive to linear locality, like Fusion in DM, are necessary to generate the portmanteaux. Instrumental adjuncts are additionally demonstrated to block portmanteaux formation, confirming that linear locality is crucial for calculating portmanteaux. Gã STAMP portmanteaux thus provide empirical support for PF operations that are sensitive to linear locality.


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