scholarly journals Integrating GIVENness into a structured meaning approach in HPSG

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kordula De Kuthy ◽  
Detmar Meurers
Keyword(s):  
Information Structure ◽  
Widespread Phenomenon ◽  
The Right ◽  
Structured Meaning

In this article we show how the HPSG approach to information structure of De Kuthy (2002) and De Kuthy and Meurers (2003) can be extended to capture givenness (Schwarzschild, 1999) and make the right predictions for so-called deaccenting of given information, a widespread phenomenon not previously dealt with in HPSG.

Differential object marking in Catalan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Alexandrina Irimia ◽  
Anna Pineda
Keyword(s):  
Information Structure ◽  
Differential Object Marking ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
The Core ◽  
Nominal Structure ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
Widespread Phenomenon ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
Object Marking ◽  
Case Feature

Abstract In this paper we provide a comprehensive picture of differential object marking in Catalan, focusing on both the empirical facts and their theoretical contribution. We support some important conclusions. First, Catalan differential object marking is quite a robust and widespread phenomenon, contrary to what prescriptive grammars assume. Second, we show that, from a formal perspective, Catalan differential object marking cannot be completely subsumed under hierarchical generalizations known as scales. The contribution of narrow syntax mechanisms and nominal structure is fundamental, supporting recent views by López (2012) or Ormazabal and Romero (2007, 2010, 2013a, b), a.o. Building on these works as well as on observations initially made by Cornilescu (2000) and Rodríguez-Mondoñedo (2007), a.o., we adopt an analysis under which canonical, animacy-based differential marking results from the presence of an additional (PERSON) feature, beyond Case. This structural make-up is not only at the core of differences marked objects exhibit from unmarked objects with a Case feature, but also derives the prominence of differential marking on (animates) under information-structure processes, in the high left (and right) periphery, in contexts of the type discussed by Escandell-Vidal (2007a, b, 2009).

The syntax, information structure, and prosody of German ‘VP’-fronting

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-283
Author(s):  
Vera Lee-Schoenfeld ◽  
Anya Lunden
Keyword(s):  
Information Structure ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
High Tone ◽  
New Information ◽  
Verb Phrases ◽  
Vp Fronting ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Right ◽  
Definiteness Effect

Abstract This paper explores fronted verb phrases in German, drawing attention to the difference between passive/unaccusative VPs and fronted agentive vPs. While both kinds of verb phrases have been discussed in the literature as being frontable, it has been largely overlooked that fronted vPs typically come with a certain kind of post-fronting context and a rise-fall or bridge-contour intonation, which is characteristic of I-topicalization. We observe that, unlike VPs, agentive vPs essentially need to be I-topics, with a high tone at the right edge of the fronted domain, in order to be frontable. Given the special context required for fronted vPs, the situation described by the vP does not contain new information but must already have been under discussion and is now being commented on. We present the results of two experimental studies and appeal to the thetic/categorical distinction to offer a new angle on the definiteness effect that has been associated with fronted verb phrases. We propose that a subject-containing fronted vP is associated with a thetic rather than the default categorical judgment, which means that the fronted subject and predicate form only one information-structural unit (a topic) rather than two (topic and comment). Contributing to the literature on theticity, we observe that, unlike in non-fronting thetic statements, the subject in fronted vPs cannot be a true definite. We attribute this to clashing intonation restrictions on theticity in non-fronting constructions versus theticity in just the fronted portion of a sentence.

Requirement-Driven Design Processes With Integrated Knowledge Structures

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Staffan Sunnersjo¨ ◽  
Ingvar Rask ◽  
Rafael Amen
Keyword(s):  
Information Structure ◽  
Product Information ◽  
Knowledge Structures ◽  
Product Development Process ◽  
Information Structures ◽  
Product Models ◽  
Product And Process Knowledge ◽  
Product And Process ◽  
The Right ◽  
High Degree

Customer requirements provide objectives and constraints for all phases of the product development process. For complex system products with a high degree of customization, it is no mean task to ensure that the right persons at the right time have ready access to the selected requirement specifications that they should adhere to and strive to satisfy. In the present work a systematic sequence of development phases associated with computer implemented information structures for requirements, functions and systems have been studied at three companies with widely different products and business scenarios. Although individual adaptations are required, the overall processes for requirement decomposition and propagation appear surprisingly similar. To fully exploit the potential of such information systems, many companies would benefit from also including knowledge structures in their product models. Fundamental product and process knowledge often evolves slowly over time, can be gradually upgraded and be reused many times. It also constitutes one of the company’s most valuable assets and should be carefully maintained and enhanced. In the work presented here a few different approaches to integrating knowledge structures into the total product information structure have been developed and exemplified for the three companies studied.

scholarly journals Aggressive interactions between juvenile swordfishes and blue sharks in the Western Mediterranean: a widespread phenomenon?

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
JAIME PENADÉS-SUAY ◽  
PABLO GARCÍA-SALINAS ◽  
JESÚS TOMÁS ◽  
FRANCISCO JAVIER AZNAR
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Defensive Strategy ◽  
Blue Shark ◽  
Prionace Glauca ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Aggressive Interactions ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Widespread Phenomenon ◽  
The Right

There are numerous reports of billfishes spearing objects, marine organisms, and even humans. Whether or not this behaviour is intentional and, if so, what is its functional meaning, are open questions. In 2016, an adult blue shark (Prionace glauca) was found to be killed by a juvenile swordfish (Xiphias gladius) in the western Mediterranean. Here we report on three more recent cases involving both species in the same area. In February 2017, an adult male blue shark was found stranded in Garrucha (Spain) with a fragment of a juvenile swordfish’s rostrum (18cm long x 2cm wide at proximal end) inserted in its cranium. In March 2017, an adult pregnant female blue shark was stranded alive on the coast of Ostia (Italy) but died shortly afterwards; a fragment of a juvenile swordfish’s rostrum (25x3cm) was found allocated between the eye and the cranium. Finally, in February 2018, an adult female blue shark appeared stranded in the coast of Vera (Spain), with a putative impalement injury anterior to the right eye but without an associated bill fragment. Surprisingly, X-ray and computed tomography revealed an older injury in the right nostril, with a small piece of a juvenile swordfish’s rostrum (5.3x1.2cm). These cases suggest that juvenile swordfish would drive their rostrum into blue sharks as a defensive strategy that is likely to be far from anecdotal. We suggest that no regular cases of these interactions are reported because they occur at high sea and evidence of them, when available, can easily be overlooked.

Asymmetry of the male internal reproductive organs in Mantophasmatodea

BMC Zoology ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Josefine Kreuz ◽  
Monika J. B. Eberhard
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Vesicle ◽  
Male Genitalia ◽  
External Genitalia ◽  
Reproductive Organs ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Asymmetric Structures ◽  
Insect Order ◽  
Widespread Phenomenon ◽  
The Right ◽  
Morphological Novelties

Abstract Background Asymmetries are a widespread phenomenon in otherwise bilaterally symmetric organisms, and investigation of asymmetric structures can help us gather insights into fundamental evolutionary processes such as the selection for morphological novelties caused by behavioural changes. In insects, asymmetric genitalia have evolved in almost every order, and usually it’s the sclerotized parts and most conspicuous male phallic organs that are known to exhibit asymmetries. While external copulatory organs in insects have often been subject to investigations concerning asymmetries and the evolution thereof, internal reproductive structures have received far less attention. Here we describe the internal and external male genitalia in three species of Austrophasmatidae, Mantophasmatodea, using μ-CT imaging and light microscopy. Mantophasmatodea is the most recently discovered insect order, and with 21 species described to date, it is among the smallest insect orders currently known. Results We confirm that male heelwalkers exhibit asymmetries in the external genitalia and associated structures, represented by asymmetric phallic lobes and cerci. Moreover, we found an extreme asymmetry within the internal male genitalia: in all adult males investigated (N = 5), the seminal vesicle, a dilatation of the vas deferens, was only developed on the right side of the male while missing on the left side. Conclusion The false-male-above mating position exhibited by Mantophasmatodea and especially the long copulation duration of ca. 3 days might select for this unusual absence asymmetry of the left seminal vesicle. If this holds true for all heelwalker species, this absence asymmetry constitutes another autapomorphy for Austrophasmatidae or even the insect order Mantophasmatodea.

scholarly journals A newly identified left–right asymmetry in larval sea urchins

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (8) ◽  
pp. 160139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Hodin ◽  
Keegan Lutek ◽  
Andreas Heyland
Keyword(s):  
Sea Urchins ◽  
Directional Asymmetry ◽  
Asymmetric Structure ◽  
Water Column Stability ◽  
Functional Understanding ◽  
Widespread Phenomenon ◽  
Sand Dollars ◽  
Left Right Asymmetry ◽  
The Right ◽  
First Time

Directional asymmetry (DA) in body form is a widespread phenomenon in animals and plants alike, and a functional understanding of such asymmetries can offer insights into the ways in which ecology and development interface to drive evolution. Echinoids (sea urchins, sand dollars and their kin) with planktotrophic development have a bilaterally symmetrical feeding pluteus larva that undergoes a dramatic metamorphosis into a pentameral juvenile that enters the benthos at settlement. The earliest stage of this transformation involves a DA: a left-side invagination in mid-stage larvae leads to the formation of the oral field of the juvenile via a directionally asymmetric structure called the echinus rudiment. Here, we show for the first time in two echinoid species that there is a corresponding DA in the overall shape of the larva: late-stage plutei have consistently shorter arms specifically on the rudiment (left) side. We then demonstrate a mechanistic connection between the rudiment and arm length asymmetries by examining rare, anomalous purple urchin larvae that have rudiments on both the left and the right side. Our data suggest that this asymmetry is probably a broadly shared feature characterizing ontogeny in the class Echinoidea. We propose several functional hypotheses—including developmental constraints and water column stability—to account for this newly identified asymmetry.

scholarly journals Postposing and Information Structure in English and Farsi/Persian

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-55
Author(s):  
Soheila Shafiei
Keyword(s):  
Information Structure ◽  
Initial Position ◽  
New Information ◽  
The Right ◽  
Canonical Position

Abstract The term postposing denotes any construction in which a phrasal constituent appears to the right of its canonical position, leaving its initial position either empty or occupied by an expletive. Ward and Birner (2004) argue that postposed constructions preserve the old-before-new information structure paradigm in English. The present paper investigates postposed constituents in Persian to find out the information structure paradigm of such constructions. The data have been taken from 34 interviews. The findings show that various constituents might undergo postposing in spoken Farsi (known as Tehrani dialect), and, in contrast to English, NPs were found to be triggered in postposed position when the referent was hearer-old.

DIFFERENTIAL GAME-THEORETIC THOUGHTS ON OPTION PRICING AND TRANSACTION COSTS

2000 ◽  
Vol 02 (02n03) ◽  
pp. 209-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
GEERT JAN OLSDER
Keyword(s):  
Option Pricing ◽  
Transaction Costs ◽  
Differential Game ◽  
Information Structure ◽  
Special Kind ◽  
Clear Winner ◽  
Game Theoretic ◽  
Nature Play ◽  
Hamilton Jacobi Bellman ◽  
The Right

This paper investigates some differential game applications to option pricing mechanisms and related problems. Two players, an investor and "Nature", play a zero-sum game. The usual uncertainty modelling (log-normality for instance) in systems describing the price evolution of stocks is replaced by "Nature", a player who counteracts the investor as much as possible. A relationship between a restricted version of the Black-Scholes and the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman partial differential equations is given. This paper, is a first step to possibly solve various option pricing problems (with constraints and/or transactions costs for instance) by means of the available numerical software for optimal control problems. In the second part of the paper, another model, now with three players, is considered. The third player is the bank interested in maximising its own profits by choosing the right formula for transaction costs. Thus a three-person nonzero-sum game, with a special kind of Stackelberg information structure, results. Some simple examples hint in the direction that the bank will be a clear winner.

Sincerity Silencing

Hypatia ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 458-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Kate Mcgowan
Keyword(s):  
Free Speech ◽  
Philosophical Literature ◽  
Additional Work ◽  
Widespread Phenomenon ◽  
Catharine Mackinnon ◽  
The Right

Catharine MacKinnon claims that pornography silences women in a way that violates the right to free speech. This claim is, of course, controversial, but if it is correct, then the very free speech reasons for protecting pornography appear also to afford reason to restrict it. For this reason, it has gained considerable attention.The philosophical literature thus far focuses on a type of silencing identified and analyzed by Jennifer Hornsby and Rae Langton (H&L). This article identifies, analyzes, and argues for the importance of a different type of silencing.As we shall see, there are compelling reasons in favor of regarding H&L silencing as a free speech violation and, as I argue here, the same can be said for sincerity silencing. Although additional work needs to be done to show that either one actually is a free speech violation, I demonstrate here that both types of silencing equally warrant this further attention. Moreover, I show that sincerity silencing is a fairly widespread phenomenon; so, therefore, is the harm it constitutes. As a result of these considerations, then, we can safely conclude that sincerity silencing also requires our attention.

Syntactic and Prosodic Effects of Information Structure in Romance

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Poletto ◽  
Giuliano Bocci
Keyword(s):  
Word Order ◽  
Information Structure ◽  
Romance Languages ◽  
General Overview ◽  
Left Dislocation ◽  
The Right

The chapter presents a general overview of several phenomena related to information structure in the Romance languages and varieties spoken in Europe and takes into account the left and the right side of the clause as the locus where information structure is encoded. The first part presents an overview of the syntactic and phonological properties of constructions like Hanging Topics, Left Dislocation, and fronted foci and of their pragmatic import as well as of the properties of constructions which occur on the right side of the clause (i.e. Right Dislocation, Marginalization, word order alternations, and focus). In the second part a general overview of syntactic and prosodic accounts proposed in the literature is provided with special attention to the problems each type of account raises with respect to the empirical domain considered.

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