scholarly journals Extra-clausal constituents in Functional Discourse Grammar: function and form

2020 ◽  
pp. 159-185
Author(s):  
Riccardo Giomi ◽  
Evelien Keizer
Keyword(s):  
Functional Constraints ◽  
Discourse Grammar ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Formal Properties ◽  
Heterogeneous Class

This paper presents a first outline of an encompassing account of extra-clausal constituents (ECCs) within the framework of Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG). Drawing primarily on English corpus data, we investigate both the functional and the formal properties of this heterogeneous class of constituents, focusing in particular on their underlying pragmatic structure and contribution to the ongoing discourse, and on the communicative factors relevant to their placement within the larger linguistic expressions within which they occur. More specifically, we suggest that each ECC forms a separate, though invariably dependent unit of communicative behaviour (i.e. a Subsidiary Discourse Act). Moreover, we argue that the mechanism governing the placement of ECCs vis-à-vis both their hosts and each other is fundamentally different from the placement rules proposed in FDG for morphosyntactic units belonging to the clause, phrase or word; the result is a system that captures both the functional constraints on the placement of ECCs and their greater positional freedom.

Middle constructions in Romanian

2018 ◽  
Vol 134 (4) ◽  
pp. 1154-1176
Author(s):  
Alice Bodoc ◽  
Mihaela Gheorghe
Keyword(s):  
Corpus Analysis ◽  
The Other ◽  
Verb Forms ◽  
Implicit Argument ◽  
Adverbial Modification ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The One ◽  
Formal Properties ◽  
Middle Constructions ◽  
Heterogeneous Class

Abstract The present paper aims to present an inventory of Romanian middle contructions (se‑verbal constructions), and to extend the analysis to other structures (with or without se) that were not previously investigated, but exhibit the same characteristics, and seem to allow middle reading (adjunct middles). Since Jespersen (1927), middles were attested cross-linguistically, and the focus on middles is justified if we consider the fact that this is an interesting testing ground for theories of syntax, semantics and their interaction (Fagan 1992). Starting from Grahek’s definition (2008, 44), in this paper, middles are a heterogeneous class of constructions that share formal properties of both active and passive structures: on the one hand, they have active verb forms, but, on the other hand, like passives, they have understood subjects and normally display promoted objects. The corpus analysis will focus on the particular contexts in which the middle reading is triggered: i) the adverbial modification; ii) the modal/procedural interpretation of the event; iii) the responsibility of the subject; iv) the arbitrary interpretation of the implicit argument which follows from the generic interpretation (Steinbach 2002).

The structural non-integration of wh-clefts

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 477-503 ◽  
Author(s):  
WOJCIECH GUZ
Keyword(s):  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Fully Integrated ◽  
Focusing Effect ◽  
Structural Integration ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Heterogeneous Class

Weinert & Miller (1996) suggest that English wh-clefts are a heterogeneous class in that they can have varied degrees of structural integration. Many such constructions depart structurally from the canonical wh-cleft which consists of a wh-clause, the copula and a focus constituent, and in which all the three elements are brought together into a fully integrated utterance. In the types of wh-clefts displaying looser structure, their lack of syntactic integration has so far been related to such linguistic features as (a) omission of the copula, (b) non-canonical copular complementation, e.g. independent main clauses instead of standard infinitival phrases appearing in the focus constituent, (c) lack of a clearly identifiable copular complement, (d) the focusing effect of the wh-clause extending over several clauses (Weinert & Miller 1996; Koops & Ross-Hagebaum 2008; Hopper & Thompson 2008; Callies 2012). Although the disintegrating effect of these features has been observed, the extent of the phenomenon in modern English has not been properly established and other non-integration features have not been investigated. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to use corpus data to identify and examine such non-integration features and to investigate the extent – expressed quantitatively – to which these features are found in wh-clefts with the verb do in the wh-clause. The article also points out the formulaic status of those wh-clauses which become disconnected from their focus phrases.

scholarly journals Idiomatic expressions and anaphoric reference in functional discourse grammar

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (23) ◽  
pp. 177
Author(s):  
Evelien Keizer
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Effort ◽  
Idiomatic Expressions ◽  
Usage Patterns ◽  
Discourse Grammar ◽  
Corpus Data

This paper deals with a special type of anaphoric relation that consists in a reference through/to a part of a fixed idiomatic experience. It is proved that, contrary to what is generally assumed, such references are not necessarily grammatically or stylistically marked. Instead, they are part of several productive usage patterns. With corpus data and a discursive-functional grammatical approach, I provide a theoretically-substantiated analysis of each of these patterns. This analysis shows their production and interpretation processes, accounts for their systematicity and productivity, and puts forth an explanatory proposal of the cognitive effort and communicative advantages of their use.

VIDÍŠ TÝM LEPŠIE, ČÍM BLIŽŠIE SA POZERÁŠ SLOVAK COMPARATIVE CORRELATIVE CC' CONSTRUCTIONS FROM A CONSTRUCTION GRAMMAR PERSPECTIVE

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-40
Author(s):  
Jakob Horsch
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Construction Grammar ◽  
Corpus Study ◽  
Cognitive Constraints ◽  
Initial Element ◽  
Parallel Change ◽  
Complex Symmetric ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Formal Properties ◽  
Over Time

Abstract The Slovak Comparative Correlative (CC) construction has received little attention, although it is interesting regarding both its semantics and its form: As discussed in Horsch (2019), CCs are characterized by their complex symmetric (parallel change over time) and asymmetric (cause-effect) semantics, which are encoded in a biclausal structure in which each clause consists of a combination of fixed material and obligatory/optional slots. Typically, the first clause (C1) encodes a cause/protasis, and precedes the second clause (C2), which encodes an effect/apodosis: [čím bližšie sa pozeráš,]C1 [tým lepšie vidíš.]C2 ‘the closer you look, the better you see.’ However, there are also structures that retain the same meaning but in which C2 precedes C1 (often referred to as CC’): [Tým lepšie vidíš]C2 [čím bližšie sa pozeráš.]C1. ‘You see the better, the closer you look.’ Additionally, there is a variant in Slovak where the clause precedes the clause-initial element and comparative element: [Vidíš tým lepšie,]C2 [čím bližšie sa pozeráš.]C1. Embedded in a Usage-based Construction Grammar approach, this is the first large-scale corpus study to investigate the C2C1 order in Slovak, and how semantics influences its formal properties. It is argued that both the significantly higher amount of C1C2 order in the corpus data and the significantly higher amount of C2C1 structures in which the clause precedes the comparative element in C2 can be explained with the principle of iconicity (linguistic form is influenced by the semantics of a construction), which makes certain strings easier to process and thus leads to performance preference. From a cross-linguistic perspective, the present investigation provides evidence in support of Goldberg’s Tenet #5 (2003, p. 219), which posits that cross-linguistic generalizations can be accounted for with general cognitive constraints.

Optimal control of higher order differential inclusions with functional constraints

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elimhan N. Mahmudov
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Control ◽  
Optimality Conditions ◽  
Differential Inclusion ◽  
Differential Inclusions ◽  
Higher Order ◽  
Second Order ◽  
Sufficient Optimality Conditions ◽  
Functional Constraints ◽  
Complementary Slackness ◽  
Complementary Slackness Conditions

The present paper studies the Mayer problem with higher order evolution differential inclusions and functional constraints of optimal control theory (PFC); to this end first we use an interesting auxiliary problem with second order discrete-time and discrete approximate inclusions (PFD). Are proved necessary and sufficient conditions incorporating the Euler–Lagrange inclusion, the Hamiltonian inclusion, the transversality and complementary slackness conditions. The basic concept of obtaining optimal conditions is locally adjoint mappings and equivalence results. Then combining these results and passing to the limit in the discrete approximations we establish new sufficient optimality conditions for second order continuous-time evolution inclusions. This approach and results make a bridge between optimal control problem with higher order differential inclusion (PFC) and constrained mathematical programming problems in finite-dimensional spaces. Formulation of the transversality and complementary slackness conditions for second order differential inclusions play a substantial role in the next investigations without which it is hardly ever possible to get any optimality conditions; consequently, these results are generalized to the problem with an arbitrary higher order differential inclusion. Furthermore, application of these results is demonstrated by solving some semilinear problem with second and third order differential inclusions.

Our words matter: acceptability, grammaticality, and ethics of research on singular 'they'-type pronouns

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Marie Ackerman
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Experimental Work ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Singular Form ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Ethics Of Research ◽  
Formal Properties

Until now, there has been little experimental work investigating the processing and formal properties of the singular they suite of pronouns. As scientific and popular attention to singular they increases, it will be critical for research to acknowledge theoretical and ethical issues regarding discussion of this phenomenon. This commentary uses the recent paper by Doherty & Conklin (2017) as a starting point to discuss issues surrounding work on the various forms of singular they. It concludes that there is sufficient theoretical and empirical evidence to claim they has a grammatically singular form (at least in colloquial English). It also recommends care be taken in academic discussions of the grammaticality and acceptability of terms which are associated with marginalised communities.

scholarly journals Multiword units lead to errors of commission in children's spontaneous production: “What corpus data can tell us?*”

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stewart M. McCauley ◽  
Colin Bannard ◽  
Anna Theakston ◽  
Michelle Davis ◽  
Thea Cameron‐Faulkner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spontaneous Production ◽  
Multiword Units ◽  
Corpus Data

scholarly journals Analyzing free variation with harmony – A case study of verb-cluster serialization

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-437
Author(s):  
Markus Bader
Keyword(s):  
Native Speakers ◽  
Initial Position ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Modal Verbs ◽  
Weighted Constraints ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Frequency Relationship ◽  
Zero Frequency ◽  
Free Variation

Abstract In German, a verb selected by another verb normally precedes the selecting verb. Modal verbs in the perfect tense provide an exception to this generalization because they require the perfective auxiliary to occur in cluster-initial position according to prescriptive grammars. Bader and Schmid (2009b) have shown, however, that native speakers accept the auxiliary in all positions except the cluster-final one. Experimental results as well as corpus data indicate that verb cluster serialization is a case of free variation. I discuss how this variation can be accounted for, focusing on two mismatches between acceptability and frequency: First, slight acceptability advantages can turn into strong frequency advantages. Second, syntactic variants with basically zero frequency can still vary substantially in acceptability. These mismatches remain unaccounted for if acceptability is related to frequency on the level of whole sentence structures, as in Stochastic OT (Boersma and Hayes2001). However, when the acceptability-frequency relationship is modeled on the level of individual weighted constraints, using harmony as link (see Pater2009, for different harmony based frameworks), the two mismatches follow given appropriate linking assumptions.

Open But Segregated? Class Divisions And the Network Structure of Social Capital in Chile

Social Forces ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Otero ◽  
Beate Volker ◽  
Jesper Rozer
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Lower Class ◽  
Social Resources ◽  
Economic Capital ◽  
Economic Disadvantage ◽  
Occupational Class ◽  
Class Divisions ◽  
Heterogeneous Class

Abstract This paper studies how social capital is divided across classes in Chile, one of the most unequal countries in the world. We analyse the extent to which upper-, middle-, and lower class individuals congregate in social networks with similar others, while following Bourdieu and expecting that in particular the networks of the higher social strata are segregated in terms of social capital. We test our argument with large-scale, representative survey data for the Chilean urban population aged 18–75 years (n = 2,517) and build an integrated indicator of people’s social class that combines measures of education, occupational class, and household income. Our regression analyses show that upper-class individuals have larger networks and access to more varied and prestigious social resources than their middle- and lower class counterparts. Interestingly, however, we found a U-shaped relationship between social class and class homogeneity, indicating that network segregation is high at the top as well as at the bottom of the class-based social strata. In contrast, the classes in the middle have more heterogeneous class networks, possibly forming an important bridge between the “edges” of the class structure. These findings demonstrate that whereas social and economic capital cumulates in higher classes, the lower classes are socially deprived next to their economic disadvantage.

The traceback method and the early constructicon: theoretical and methodological considerations

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolas Koch ◽  
Stefan Hartmann ◽  
Antje Endesfelder Quick
Keyword(s):  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Child Language ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Methodological Choices ◽  
Corpus Data ◽  
Methodological Considerations ◽  
Language Corpus

AbstractUsage-based approaches assume that children’s early utterances are item-based. This has been demonstrated in a number of studies using the traceback method. In this approach, a small amount of “target utterances” from a child language corpus is “traced back” to earlier utterances. Drawing on a case study of German, this paper provides a critical evaluation of the method from a usage-based perspective. In particular, we check how factors inherent to corpus data as well as methodological choices influence the results of traceback studies. To this end, we present four case studies in which we change thresholds and the composition of the main corpus, use a cross-corpus approach tracing one child’s utterances back to another child’s corpus, and reverse and randomize the target utterances. Overall, the results show that the method can provide interesting insights—particularly regarding different pathways of language acquisition—but they also show the limitations of the method.

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