scholarly journals Some Observations on Demonstrative Pronouns in the Tarnovo Edition of the Stishen Prologue

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 9-19
Author(s):  
Aneta Tihova

The article successively examines the demonstrative pronouns for general display, for close people and objects, for distant people and objects and for enumerating, which have the function of the 3rd person forms of personal pronouns in the Tarnovo edition of the Stishen Prologue (a calendar hagiographic collection, translated in the first half of the fourteenth century). It is established that the semantics of the demonstrative forms is determined by the context: in a combination with a noun form they have an indicative meaning, and in a combination with a verb form they mean a third-person pronoun, for example, съи блажен!и which means този блаженият (“this blissful one”), съи бэше means той беше (“he was”). The use of the elongated forms for masculine тъи, for feminine тя, for the plural тие / тйе which later turn into he, she and they, as well as the presence of the new forms тои, characteristic of the spoken language, are historically significant.

Author(s):  
Renate Pajusalu

The paper deals with the changes occurring in the system of demonstratives and personal pronouns in the Võro language, the present-day variety of the South Estonian Võru dialect. In the Võro language the third person pronoun is timä/tä and there are three demonstrative pronouns (sjoo~seo, taa, and tuu) and three series of demonstrative adverbs (siin:siia:siit; taha:tan:tast; sinna:seal:sealt) are in use. The data for the study come from the newspaper Uma Leht (2012–2014) and mini-series produced by Estonian Public Broadcasting in 2011. The data show that the former addressee-centered system of South Estonian demonstratives has disappeared. At the same time, the language has retained all of the pronouns, although their frequency and context of use differs in the written and the spoken data.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Costanza Navarretta

This paper addresses the usefulness of speech pauses for determining whether third person neuter gender singular pronouns refer to individual or abstract entities in Danish spoken language. The annotations of dyadic map task dialogues and spontaneous first encounters are analyzed and used in machine learning experiments act to automatically identify the anaphoric functions of pronouns and the type of abstract reference. The analysis of the data shows that abstract reference is more often performed by marked (stressed or demonstrative pronouns) than by unmarked personal pronouns in Danish speech as in English, and therefore previous studies of abstract reference in the former language are corrected. The data also show that silent and filled pauses precede significantly more often third person singular neuter gender pronouns when they refer to abstract entities than when they refer to individual entities. Since abstract entities are not the most salient ones and referring to them is cognitively more hard than referring to individual entities, pauses signal this complex processes. This is in line with perception studies, which connect pauses with the expression of abstract or complex concepts. We also found that unmarked pronouns referring to an entity type usually referred to by a marked pronoun are significantly more often preceded by a speech pause than marked pronouns with the same referent type. This indicates that speech pauses can also signal that the referent of a pronoun of a certain type is not the most expected one. Finally, language models were produced from the annotated map task and first encounter dialogues in order to train machine learning experiments to predict the function of third person neuter gender singular pronouns as a first step toward the identification of the anaphoric antecedents. The language models from the map task dialogues were also used for training classifiers to determine the referent type (speech act, event, fact or proposition) of abstract anaphors. In all cases, the best results were obtained by a multilayer perceptron with an F1-score between 0.52 and 0.67 for the three-class function prediction task and of 0.73 for the referential type prediction.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
CYNTHIA L. ALLEN

Present-day English is unlike Old English in not using singular demonstrative pronouns with anaphoric reference to human beings. This article adds to the contributions of Cole (2017) and Los & van Kemenade (2018) in our understanding of the factors determining the choice between personal and demonstrative pronouns in Old English by documenting the hitherto unexamined use of these pronouns as heads of relative clauses. It also traces how the singular demonstrative pronouns referring to humans retreated as heads of relative clauses in Early Middle English. A corpus-based study shows that third-person personal pronouns were unusual as heads of relative clauses in Old English and normally referred to specific individuals, while demonstratives were the pronouns of choice for generic reference but could also refer to specific individuals. The increased use of personal pronouns for generic reference is well underway in Early Middle English. While the retreat of the singular demonstrative pronouns to refer to humans in Early Middle English seems to have some connection with the reduced marking of feature distinctions in that period, a simple explanation in terms of loss of gender is untenable.


Author(s):  
Yantsubeni Ngullie

The paper gives an account of pronouns in Lotha, a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Nagaland, India. Lotha is a generic name and refers to both the linguistic group and the ethno-cultural entity. Lothas are racially Mongoloid and linguistically, it has been classified under the Central Naga group of the Naga sub-branch of the Tibeto-Burman languages. Pronouns in Lotha are free forms which can function solely to fill the position of a noun phrase in a clause. Personal pronouns are typically deixis to the speech participants for each of the three grammatical person i.e. first person, second person and third person. In annex to person, numbers i.e. singular, dual and plural are also distinguished on pronouns. Personal pronouns in Lotha are independent and free-standing and for that matter it takes case-markers and postposition in similar ways as full noun phrase. The first, second and third personal pronouns take case marking only when it serves as a subject and does not take any case markers when it serves as an object. Demonstrative pronouns function in several ways based on proximity and distance in time. Lotha has three-way distinction of identifying demonstrative pronoun i.e. proximate, distance and remote marked by ʃi ‘this’ (near the speaker), ci ‘that’(near the hearer) and o-ci ‘over there’( far away from both the speaker and hearer). The interrogative pronouns kvə, ndo and otʃɔ are attached to the bound nominal suffixes. Indefinite pronouns can be formed from the question words which can change to affirmative by attaching the indefinite suffix -sana and its negative particle counterpart mek. Reflexive pronoun in Lotha is expressed by the reflexive lexeme bɔbɔ ‘self’ which is a free morpheme.


Humaniora ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 682
Author(s):  
Yi Ying

Personal pronouns in communication plays a significant role. Proper use of personal pronouns, communication can proceed smoothly. Misuse of personal pronouns, or failure of communication will be blocked, or even make the communication between two sides break up. Therefore, understanding the language of the two personal pronouns is very important. This study analyzes the Chinese and India and usage of the classification of personal pronouns. Conclusion of the study hope to promote cross-cultural language communication, in particular, help to learn Chinese or learn Bahasa Indonesia in different occasions to use the correct pronouns. The results: (1) Chinese and Bahasa first person pronoun "I" have in common is in the sentence can be a subject and attribute; (2) Bahasa first person pronoun "aku" can not be used in some situations such as: official occasions, and older than themselves, respect for people or strangers or people who speak; (3) Chinese third-person plural pronouns, written language, "they" said that men and women is not the same guy, same use of Bahasa Indonesia kami; (4) Bahasa Indonesia are changes in the form of personal pronouns, while the Chinese personal pronouns do not; (5) the third person pronoun to differentiate between Chinese men and women, and things, but Bahasa Indonesia is no difference between the third person pronoun gender and things; (6) Bahasa Indonesia the personal pronoun is not gender distinction. 


Author(s):  
Е.М. Вишневская ◽  
Н.И. Хайду

Постановка задачи. Исследование посвящено анализу ролевого дейксиса как языкового средства моделирования адресата на материале произведения К. Фокс «Наблюдая за англичанами». В рамках исследования рассматривалась специфика языковой ситуации, которой обусловлен тип адресата. В статье также представлены примеры, иллюстрирующие явление дейксиса и его использование автором произведения. Основными задачами исследования являлись анализ текста с точки зрения прагматики, анализ местоименного дейксиса в тексте произведения, а также определение основных коммуникативных тактик и стратегий взаимодействия автора с адресатом. Результаты. В ходе работы была выявлена дуальная природа адресата, актуализируемая через личные местоимения. Адресат фигурирует в тексте в двух образах: в качестве представителя либо родной культуры автора, либо другой культуры. В одной части повествования автор, обращаясь к соотечественникам, объединяет себя с адресатом при помощи местоимения «мы», в то время как в другой прибегает к использованию местоимений третьего лица, занимая позицию нейтрального наблюдателя рядом с читателем-иностранцем. Автор также применяет указательное местоимение that как способ усиления оценочного значения в тексте, в то время как this функционирует в соответствии с теми же принципами, что и местоимения первого лица. Выводы. По результатам исследования был сделан вывод о том, что для предоставления своей позиции автор пользуется разнообразными приемами, достигая таким образом максимальной включенности адресата в повествование. Problem statement. The paper considers person deixis as linguistic means of modelling the addressee in Kate Fox’s book “Watching the English. The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour”. It tackles particular characteristics of linguistic and cultural situation that define the type of addressee. The paper features examples of person deixis and the author’s use of these linguistic means. It describes the semantic features and the ability of the pronouns to function as deictic markers which provide cohesion of the components in the speech act. The main objective in the study was to analyze the text from the pragmatic point of view, particularly the pronoun deixis and communicative tactics applied by the author. Results. The study revealed the dual nature of the addressee communicated by means of personal pronouns. In the text, the addressee is portrayed as a representative of either the author’s native culture or another culture. When talking to her compatriots, the author unites herself with the addressee by using the pronoun “we”. In other contexts, she takes the position of an observer by the foreign reader’s side and uses third-person pronouns. The study has also revealed that the author uses the indicative pronoun “that” as a way of enhancing the evaluativity in the text, while “this” has the same function in the text as the first-person pronouns. Conclusion. The results of the study suggest that the author uses a variety of deictic techniques to present her position, thus achieving the maximum involvement of the addressee in the narrative.


1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 211-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Vallée

Personal and demonstrative pronouns ('I,’ ‘you,’ ‘s/he,’ ‘we,’ the plural 'you,’ ‘they,’ ‘this’ and ‘these’) are notorious for challenging any theory of natural language. Singular pronouns have received much attention from linguists and philosophers alike during the last three decades. Plural pronouns, on the other hand, have been neglected, especially by philosophers. I want to fill this gap and suggest accounts of ‘we,’ the plural ‘you,’ and ‘they.'Intuitively, singular and plural personal pronouns are ‘counterparts.' Any account of personal pronouns should make sense of this intuition. However, the latter is not very sophisticated and, as we move along, it will be reexamined and relativized. As we shall see, plural pronouns are much more than mere counterparts of the familiar singular ones. It is well known that third person singular pronouns have puzzling behaviors, acting as co-referential terms, bound variables, or unbound anaphora. But co-reference, binding, and unbound anaphora are not confined to the usual examples and extend, in a way, to plural pronouns. My discussion of the latter is partly motivated by this particular behavior.


Virittäjä ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (2) ◽  
pp. 162
Author(s):  
Auli Hakulinen ◽  
Lea Laitinen

Anaphoric zero: Grammar and affect [myös suomeksi] (englanti)2/2008 (112)Anaphoric zero: Grammar and affectThe article examines the syntactic and semantic properties of the anaphoric zero in spoken and written Finnish. Referentially, the zero is equivalent to the third person pronoun hn he/she or he they. However, the writers started out with the hypothesis that this does not necessarily hold for other possible kinds of meaning conveyed by the two different devices, the anaphoric zero and anaphoric pronouns. In standardised written language the conditions for use of the zero are fairly clear cut: within a sentence it is mainly used as an anaphoric device, but in a subordinate clause that precedes the main clause it is also used as a forward-looking, anticipatory anaphor. In spoken language as well as in literary prose the syntactic conditions are more flexible. During the course of the research, it was the literary texts that proved especially fruitful for understanding the implications involved in the use of the anaphoric zero.In earlier work (e.g. Kalliokoski 1990; Heinonen 1995), it has been pointed out that the anaphoric zero typically ties two successive clauses together more tightly than a pronoun would. The writers are able to show that it does something else as well. In talk-in-interaction, it conveys the speakers commitment to and often affiliation with the previous speakers perspective and stance. In reported speech - both in spoken language and in literary dialogue - the zero can convey the speakers attitude concerning the thoughts of the person being referred to, for example irony and empathy.The writers argue that when the zero represents one alternative in a paradigm it is empty only in (morpho)syntactical terms, not in terms of meaning. Whether the speaker chooses a pronoun (hn or he) or a zero, he/she makes a rhetorical choice. The zero alternative creates implications, expressing the speakers affective stance and attitude in relation to the characters in the story, or his/her interpretation of the speech, thought or behaviour of the co-participant or the story character that he/she is quoting.It is striking that in more than 90 per cent of the 150 examples used, the verb is at the beginning of the utterance or turn. In the rest of the cases, the verb is often preceded by an epistemic adverb (varmaan definitely, tuskin hardly), or the utterance is formed as a fixed construction. The writers hypothesise that the grammar of the anaphoric zero should include verb initial position as one of its constitutive factors. This factor is typical both for co-ordinated and subordinated sentences of the standard written language that are governed by syntactic rules, and for the turn-initial expressions that arise from the speakers or narrators affective stance towards the matter at hand.Auli Hakulinen Lea Laitinen- - - - - - - - - - - -Anaforinen nolla: Kielioppia ja affektejaArtikkeli käsittelee anaforisen nollan syntaktisia ja semanttisia ominaisuuksia puhutussa ja kirjoitetussa suomessa. Referentiaalisesti nolla vastaa kolmannen persoonan pronomineja hän, he. Lähdimme kuitenkin siitä oletuksesta, että vastaavuus ei välttämättä koske niiden muita funktioita. Normitetussa kirjakielessä nollan käytön ehdot ovat jokseenkin selvät: virkkeen rajoissa se on anaforinen mutta päälausetta edeltävässä sivulauseessa myös eteenpäin katsova, ennakoiva anafora. Puhutussa kielessä samoin kuin kaunokirjallisessa proosassa anaforisen nollan syntaktiset ehdot ovat joustavammat. Varsinkin kaunokirjalliset tekstit osoittautuivat hedelmällisiksi yrittäessmme tutkimuksen kuluessa ymmrätää nollan käyttöön liittyviä implikaatioita. Aikaisemmassa tutkimuksessa (Kalliokoski 1990, Heinonen 1995) on todettu, että anaforinen nolla sitoo kaksi perättäistä lausetta tiukemmin yhteen kuin pronomini. Omassa tutkimuksessamme voimme osoittaa sen tekevän muutakin. Keskustelupuheessa se välittää puhujan sitoutumista ja usein asettumista (affiliaatiota) edellisen puhujan perspektiiviin ja asennoitumiseen. Referoinnissa - niin vapaassa puheessa kuin kaunokirjallisessa dialogissakin - nolla voi tuoda esiin puhujan asennoitumisen puheenalaisen henkilön ajatuksiin, esimerkiksi ironisia tai empaattisia affekteja.Väitämme siis, että kun nolla on yksi paradigman vaihtoehdoista, se on tyhjä vain (morfo)syntaktisesti, ei merkitykseltään. Käyttää puhuja sitten pronominia hän, he tai nollaa, hän tekee retorisen valinnan. Nollavaihtoehto luo implikaatioita, ilmaisee puhujan affektia ja suhtautumista kertomuksen henkilöön tai tulkintaa referoimansa puhekumppanin tai kertomuksen henkilön puheesta, ajattelusta tai käyttäytymisestä.Huomiota herttää, että yli 90 %:ssa 150 esimerkistämme verbi on lausuman- tai vuoronalkuinen. Lopuissa tapauksista verbi edeltää usein episteeminen adverbi (varmaan, tuskin) tai lausumana on kiteytynyt konstruktio. Hypoteesimme on, että verbialkuisuus on anaforisen nollan kieliopin tärkeä piirre. Se on tyypillinen kirjoitetussa kielessä sekä rinnasteisille ja alisteisille virkkeille, joita säätelevät kirjakielen normit, että vuoronalkuisille ilmauksille, jotka ilmentävät puhujan tai kertojan affektista suhtautumista käsillä olevaan. Auli Hakulinen Lea Laitinen


2007 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
pp. 39-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Bosch ◽  
Carla Umbach

This paper discusses results from a corpus study of German demonstrative and personal pronouns and from a reading time experiment in which we compared the interpretation options of the two types of pronouns (Bosch et al. 2003, 2007). A careful review of exceptions to a generalisation we had been suggesting in those papers (the Subject Hypothesis: "Personal pronouns prefer subject antecedents and demonstratives prefer non-subject antecedents") shows that, although this generalisation correctly describes a tendency in the data, it is quite wrong in claiming that the grammatical role of antecedents is the relevant parameter. In the current paper we argue that the generalisation should be formulated in terms of in-formation-structural properties of referents rather than in terms of the grammatical role of antecedent expressions.  


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