scholarly journals Chapter 3. Constructional syntactic analysis

At this stage, a semantic-syntactic dictionary is activated, in order to supply the letter tokens with the information concerning their contextual realization and meaning proper. The list of features assigned to a word form is thus augmented by semantic and syntactic ones. Contextual realization is specified by means of subcategorization frames. Meaning is described in terms of semantic features which may or may not be hierarchically arranged. Among them, basic features are identified, e.g. ‘living being’, ‘action’, ‘space’, ‘time’, ‘quantity’, that have no direct bearing on the parts of speech. Thus, the feature ‘action’ can be assigned both to verbs and nouns. Additional semantic features make it possible to account for manifold aspects of word meaning. Thus, horse is marked both as ‘domestic animal’ and ‘vehicle’, which would be impossible in case of a strict hierarchy of features. The algorithm of syntactic analysis draws on the same basic idea as that of graphematical analysis, viz. iterative assembling of individual tokens into syntactic constructions, from local groups to larger ones until a resulting syntactic structure of a whole sentence emerges consisting of Subject-Predicate-Objects-Adverbials. Syntactic rules are ranked accordingly. The chapter illustrates the work of algorithm in a variety of cases and discusses multiple difficulties resulting from the syntactic ambiguity.

Author(s):  
David Stringer

Lexical semantics is concerned with inherent aspects of word meaning and the semantic relations between words, as well as the ways in which word meaning is related to syntactic structure. This chapter provides an introduction to some of the main themes in lexical semantic research, including the nature of the mental lexicon, lexical relations, and the decomposition of words into grammatically relevant semantic features. The mapping between the semantics of verbs and their associated syntax is discussed in terms of thematic roles, semantic structure theory, and feature selection. A review of some of the most influential findings in second language research involving both open-class and closed-class lexical items reveals important implications for classroom pedagogy and syllabus design in the domain of vocabulary instruction.


Author(s):  
Eileen Haebig ◽  
Laurence B. Leonard ◽  
Patricia Deevy ◽  
Jennifer Schumaker ◽  
Jeffrey D. Karpicke ◽  
...  

Purpose Recent behavioral studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of implementing retrieval practice into learning tasks for children. Such approaches have revealed that repeated spaced retrieval (RSR) is particularly effective in promoting children's learning of word form and meaning information. This study further examines how retrieval practice enhances learning of word meaning information at the behavioral and neural levels. Method Twenty typically developing preschool children were taught novel words using an RSR learning schedule for some words and an immediate retrieval (IR) learning schedule for other words. In addition to the label, children were taught two arbitrary semantic features for each item. Following the teaching phase, children's learning was tested using recall tests. In addition, during the 1-week follow-up, children were presented with pictures and an auditory sentence that correctly labeled the item but stated correct or incorrect semantic information. Event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were time locked to the onset of the words noting the semantic feature. Children provided verbal judgments of whether the semantic feature was correctly paired with the item. Results Children recalled more labels and semantic features for items that had been taught in the RSR learning schedule relative to the IR learning schedule. ERPs also differentiated the learning schedules. Mismatching label–meaning pairings elicited an N400 and late positive component (LPC) for both learning conditions; however, mismatching RSR pairs elicited an N400 with an earlier onset and an LPC with a longer duration, relative to IR mismatching label–meaning pairings. These ERP timing differences indicated that the children were more efficient in processing words that were taught in the RSR schedule relative to the IR learning schedule. Conclusions Spaced retrieval practice promotes learning of both word form and meaning information. The findings lay the necessary groundwork for better understanding of processing newly learned semantic information in preschool children. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.15063060


2018 ◽  
pp. 35-38
Author(s):  
O. Hyryn

The article deals with natural language processing, namely that of an English sentence. The article describes the problems, which might arise during the process and which are connected with graphic, semantic, and syntactic ambiguity. The article provides the description of how the problems had been solved before the automatic syntactic analysis was applied and the way, such analysis methods could be helpful in developing new analysis algorithms. The analysis focuses on the issues, blocking the basis for the natural language processing — parsing — the process of sentence analysis according to their structure, content and meaning, which aims to analyze the grammatical structure of the sentence, the division of sentences into constituent components and defining links between them.


Linguistics ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei He

AbstractThis study investigates “subject-predicate predicate sentences” (“S-P P sentences”) in modern Mandarin Chinese from a Cardiff Grammar approach with the aim of answering three main questions: (i) What is/are the functional syntactic structure(s) of the sentences to be considered in the study? (ii) What is/are the semantic motivation(s) for the structure(s)? (iii) What is/are the contextual constraints on the structure(s)? The study is guided by three basic principles: (a) language is multifunctional; (b) meaning is primary while form is the realization of meaning; and (c) different strands of meaning are realized by a single syntactic structure. Further, the study utilizes the concepts of Theme and Subject within the Cardiff Grammar in order to analyze and discuss the generally acknowledged seven types of “S-P P sentences”. The results show that only one type is truly S-P P and another type only in one sense, whereas no other types can be categorized as such. All the syntactic structures are conditioned by a different set of distinctive semantic features and contextual factors.


Author(s):  
Ольга Вячеславовна Орлова ◽  
Юаньин Ван

Введение. Изучены ксенонимы-интерпретативы в сетевом дискурсе русскоязычной диаспоры Китая как репрезентанте русской лингвокультуры, ориентированной в область китайской культуры. Ксенонимы-интерпретативы имеют полноценные лексические соответствия в языке-реципиенте, не отмечены этнокультурной маркированностью в матричном языке и служат восприятию, пониманию и интерпретации иностранной языковой и социокультурной реальности диаспоральным сообществом. Цель. На основе рассмотрения одного из наиболее распространенных в изучаемом дискурсе китаизмов – ксенонима мафань – проследить механизмы лингводискурсивной адаптации, а также особенности функционирования ксенонима-интерпретатива в публичной интернет-коммуникации русскоязычного сообщества Китая. Материал и методы. Материалом исследования послужили более 500 текстов сетевой коммуникации русскоязычной диаспоры Китая, включающие ксеноним-интерпретатив мафань. Вместе с методологическим инструментарием интерлингвокультурологии, теории заимствования и лексической семантики используются приемы контекстологического и дискурс-анализа, а также корпусной и квантитативной лингвистики. Результаты и обсуждение. Ксеноним-интерпретатив мафань при вхождении в сетевой диаспоральный дискурс и адаптации в нем, в том числе графической, претерпевает значительные семантические, деривационные, стилистические, морфолого-синтаксические трансформации, демонстрируя на всех этих уровнях крайне высокую степень подвижности и вариативности. Анализ вариантов письменной фиксации показал доминирование написания китаизма в соответствии с нормативной транскрипционной системой записи кириллицей китайских имен, наряду со значимым количеством некодифицированных и иероглифических написаний. При приспособлении ксенонима к специфике морфолого-синтаксического строя русского языка также наблюдаются его значительная грамматическая вариативность и факты включения в процесс окказионального словообразования. В ходе анализа данных словарей, а также корпусных и иных данных об употреблении лексемы в аутентичной речевой среде выявлено большое количество различных по честеречной принадлежности и семантике эквивалентов лексемы при ее переводе, а также наличие книжной и этикетной стилистической окраски в китайском языке, не сохраняющейся при вхождении в русскоязычное неформальное общение. Анализ фактов метаязыковой рефлексии по поводу ксенонима, а также совокупности контекстов его употребления в гипертексте диаспорального дискурса обнаружил наличие в русском языке семантической и стилистической лакуны, которую восполняет ксеноним мафань как универсальное понятие, обозначающее неприятную, доставляющую дискомфорт деятельность или ситуацию. Заключение. В результате проведенного анализа составлен нуждающийся в дальнейшей доработке проспект методики комплексного анализа ксенонима-интерпретатива в сетевом диаспоральном дискурсе. Introduction. This research is devoted to the study of xenonyms-interpretatives in the network discourse of the Russian-speaking diaspora of China as a representative of the Russian linguistic culture, which is focused in the area of Chinese culture. Xenonyms-interpretatives have full-fledged lexical correspondences in the recipient language, are not marked by ethno-cultural marking in the matrix language and serve the perception, understanding and interpretation of foreign language and socio-cultural reality by the diaspora community. Aim and objectives. The purpose of the study, based on the consideration of one of the most common in the analyzed discourse xenonym мафань, is to trace the mechanisms of linguistic and discursive adaptation, as well as the peculiarities of functioning of xenonym-interpretative in public Internet communication of the Russian-speaking community in China. Material and methods. The material of the research is more than 500 texts of network communication of the Russian-speaking diaspora community of China, including xenonym-interpretative мафань. Together with the methodological tools of interlinguoculturology, borrowing theory and lexical semantics, the methods of contextual and discourse analysis, corpus and quantitative linguistics are used. Results and discussion. Xenonym-interpretative мафань when entering and adapting in the network diaspora discourse, including graphic adaptation, undergoes large semantic, derivative, stylistic, morphological-syntactic transformations, demonstrating at all these levels an extremely high degree of mobility and variability. The analysis of written fixation variants showed a substantial dominance of spelling according to the normative transcription system of Chinese names written in Cyrillic alphabet, along with a significant number of and hieroglyphic writings. When the xenonym is adapted to the specifics of the morphological and syntactic structure of the Russian language, its significant grammatical variability and facts of inclusion in the process of occasional word formation are also observed. The analysis of dictionaries data, as well as corpus and other data about the use of the word in the authentic speech environment revealed a large number of different in semantics and parts of speech affiliation equivalents of translation, but also the presence of book and etiquette stylistic coloring in the Chinese language, not preserved in the Russian-speaking informal communication. Analysis of the facts of metalanguage reflection on the xenonym, as well as the totality of contexts of its use in the hypertext of diaspora discourse revealed the presence of a semantic and stylistic lacuna in the Russian language, which is filled by the xenonym мафань as a universal concept that denotes unpleasant, discomforting activity or situation. Conclusion. As a result of the research, a project of the methodology of complex analysis of the xenonyminterpretative in the network diaspora discourse has been compiled.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M Rodd

This chapter focuses on the process by which stored knowledge about a word’s form (orthographic or phonological) maps onto stored knowledge about its meaning. This mapping is made challenging by the ambiguity that is ubiquitous in natural language: most familiar words can refer to multiple different concepts. This one-to-many mapping from form to meaning within the lexicon is a core feature of word-meaning access. Fluent, accurate word-meaning access requires that comprehenders integrate multiple cues in order to determine which of a word’s possible semantic features are relevant in the current context. Specifically, word-meaning access is guided by (i) distributional information about the a priori relative likelihoods of different word meanings and (ii) a wide range of contextual cues that indicate which meanings are most likely in the current context.


enadakultura ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamar Makharoblidze

The question of derivates has been repeatedly raised in the teaching processes of language grammar and general linguistics. This circumstance became the basis for creating this short article. It is well known that a word-form can be changeable or unchangeable, and this fact is determined by the parts of speech. Form-changing words can undergo two types of change: inflectional and derivative. During the inflectional change, the form of the word changes, but the lexical and semantic aspects of the word do not change, i.e. its semantic and content data do not change. A classic example of this type of change is flexion of nouns.Derivation is the formation of a word from another word by the addition of non-inflectional affixes. Derivation can be of two types. The first is lexical derivation, in which the derivative affix produces a word with a different lexical content. A word-form can be another part of speech or the same part of speech but with a different lexical content. The second type of derivation is, first of all, grammatical derivation, when grammatical categories are produced. The grammatical category in general (and a word-form in general as well) includes the unity of morphological and semantical aspects. There is no separate semantics without morphology. Any semantic category and/or content must be conveyed in a specific form, so only a specific form has a specific morphosemantics, which can be produced by the grammatical derivatives. The main difference between the two types of derivation mentioned above (and therefore between the two types of derivatives) is the levels of the language hierarchy. The first type of affixes works at the lexical level of the language, while the second type derivatives produce forms at the morphological and semantic levels. The second type derivatives are inter-level affixes, because they act on two hierarchical levels. Any grammatical category includes specific morphosemantic oppositional forms. Thus, unlike inflectional affixes, the rest of the morphological affixes are all other types of inter-level derivatives. It should be noted that the preverb in Kartvelian languages ​​is the only linguistic unit with all possible functions of affix. DOWNLOADS


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
H Sydoruk ◽  

Abstract. The article summarizes the theoretical experience of studying the structural and semantic characteristics of scientific and technical terms and agricultural terms in particular. It has substantiated the fact that the agrarian sphere is experiencing a rapid emergence of terms-innovations that are quickly passing all stages of structural-semantic assimilation. A significant percentage of terms are formed as a result of rethinking their previous meanings, which leads to the emergence of so-called semantic terms. Analysis of structural and semantic features of agricultural terms showed that their formation occurs through derivation, terminologization of common vocabulary and assimilation of borrowings. The paper also analyzes examples of the functioning of English-language multicomponent clusters and the peculiarities of their translation. The purpose of research is to clarify the structural and semantic features of agricultural terminology, to identify and describe the processes of formation of one- and multi-component agricultural terms, to determine the main word-forming types of agricultural terminology. Results of research. Agrarian terminology, which is a set of words and stable phrases corresponding to the concepts functioning in this area (objects, phenomena and actions), is a mobile and flexible part of common vocabulary, and therefore requires systematization. The main carriers of these concepts are nouns, a certain number of verbs and adjectives which most serve as definitions in multicomponent clusters and are not independent. Word-forming means are mainly Latin-Greek morphemes, word stems and phrases. Depending on the participation of language in term formation, the terms of the agricultural sector are divided into three types: simple terms or word-terms; complex terms; terms-phrases or multicomponent clusters Agrarian terminology uses such ways of word formation as lexical-semantic, lexical-syntactic, morphological, abbreviation, and morphological-syntactic. Many commonly used lexical items acquire meanings inherent in the agricultural sector, becoming terms with a narrower meaning. Modern scientific literature on agricultural topics contains terms that have two or more meanings in this area, the clarification of which is only disclosed by the context. In translation, such ambiguity causes blurring of meaning, vagueness, substitution of terms and ultimately distortion of the content as a whole. It is important to consider the lexical and grammatical environment of the term. Due to the context, the following translation issues can be addressed: a) the word is used in its common or special narrow meaning; b) the choice of one of several meanings of a polysemous term in a particular context. From agrarian vocabulary, terminological units move into colloquial language, sometimes becoming jargons or terminoids that function in limited areas of engineering and technology, forming a layer of stylized new scientific and technical terms. Professional slang is usually short, expressive and to some extent stylistically colored. The most successful of them are fixed in the terminology system over time and receive official recognition in a certain subject area, being fixed in dictionaries, and some pass to other areas and into the common language. Specifics of functioning the terminological combinations require appropriate methods of their translation, among which there are a few main ones: literal translation of lexical units is carried out with the help of calque; replacement of parts of speech; explanatory translation of terms; translation with word order changes, primarily in attributive group. Conclusions. Agro-biological terminology tends to be poly-variant in translation, polysemy and homonymy. In order to overcome the difficulties in translating professional texts, it is necessary to work more actively with special vocabulary, thoroughly study the issues of ambiguity, synonyms and antonyms, word formation and methods of translation. The above considerations open opportunities for the practical application of these methods of translation of agro-biological terminology, and for further creative search for the correct perception of professionally oriented texts.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 410
Author(s):  
Nurul Hasanah ◽  
Japen Sarage

The term sentence and utterance are made different in terms that the former refers to syntactic structure, while the latter points out the actual function of such a structure in real communication. The same things apply to the terms request and requesting. The first term suggests the structural characteristics of sentence asking people to do something while the second term indicates the real sentence causing people to do something. The first deals with formal grammar while the second deals with pragmatics the actual use of language in communication.This article attempts to see requesting in its possible different syntactic forms as parts of speech acts in Ocean’sEleven by Steven Soderbergh. A pragmatic approach is applied since it uses context as a part of linguistic analysis involving the speaker, addressee, time, location, and genre in the conversation. A syntactic form of a sentence only cannot represent the real meaning of intention.The analysis of speech act of the conversation in the film brings us to an understanding that pragmatics encourage us to comprehend different kinds of setting to achieve requesting as a part of language use. Pragmatics as a branch of linguistics reveals mutual understanding between the speaker and the hearer.


2021 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 75-81
Author(s):  
N. A. Petrova

This article examines dynamic morphological processes – the transformation of the parts of speech (namely, attributive verbal forms and verbal nouns), as well as the syncretic cases of zero derivation on the example of young people’s speech. The author has employed the traditional complex method of analyzing the language material, which in turn has used the system of instrumental operations (synonymous rephrasing, downsizing, and opposition method; the latter allows examining the system connections of a word and their influence on the semantics of a word form), oriented towards developing the categorial value; the logico-syntactic and syntagmatic methods aided in determining the grammatical signs of language units. Using as an example the youth jargon, represented in the Dictionary of Colloquial Speech of the City of Arkhangelsk, this article shows the mechanism for transpositioning different word groups into interjections, where several lexem subgroups of the syncretic type function; in addition, the author identifies the basic directions for the different parts of speech transitioning turning into the evaluative vocabulary.


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