Information structuring in Akan question-word fronting and focus constructions

Wh-question fronting and focus constructions in Akan have three structural characteristics in common: constituent fronting, introduction of a clitic morpheme after the fronted constituent, and pronoun resumption in a canonical clause position. In comparing these constructions to each other and to related canonical constructions, one is confronted with the question whether the same discourse-contextual information is consistently expressed in both constructions. Using the framework of Lexical-Functional Grammar, we show that both whquestion fronting and focus constructions share representations in the constituent and functional structure. Considering the individual discourse-contextual information expressed in wh-question fronting and focus constructions, as compared to the discourse-contextual information expressed in the respective in situ and canonical clause counterparts, however, we show that a variance is drawn between them in the information structure. In a further constraint-based analysis, Optimality-Theoretic LFG is used to clarify the proposals made.

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Gapping: A New LFG Approach

International Journal of English Linguistics ◽

10.5539/ijel.v7n6p188 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 7 (6) ◽

pp. 188

Author(s):

Yasir Hameed Alotaibi

Keyword(s):

Functional Structure ◽

Functional Grammar ◽

Modern Standard Arabic ◽

Lexical Functional Grammar ◽

Standard Arabic ◽

Modern Standard

This paper discusses gapping in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and analyzes this phenomenon through the lexical-functional grammar (LFG) framework. It argues against previous analyses of nonconstituent coordination in LFG, including those proposed by Maxwell & Manning (1996) and Frank (2002) and her followers. The main problem with those analyses is that they violate one of the well-formedness conditions in LFG, which requires the functional structure (f-structure) to be coherent. Therefore, the paper provides a new analysis of gapping in LFG, in which the deleted verb in the second conjunct is analyzed as a null verb that has a PRED value and that indicates the tense in its local clause.

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Systematic mismatches: Coordination and subordination at three levels of grammar

Journal of Linguistics ◽

10.1017/s0022226714000450 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 51 (2) ◽

pp. 267-326 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

OLEG BELYAEV

Keyword(s):

Speech Acts ◽

Speech Act ◽

Functional Structure ◽

Functional Grammar ◽

Constituent Structure ◽

Lexical Functional Grammar ◽

Semantic Difference ◽

Discourse Relations ◽

Clause Combining

In this paper, I analyze two clause combining strategies in Ossetic that exhibit mixed properties between coordination and subordination. I argue that the ‘mismatch approach’ proposed by Culicover & Jackendoff (1997) and Yuasa & Sadock (2002) is best suited to account for their properties. However, in order to adequately describe the behavior of these constructions in terms of the mismatch approach, appealing to three levels of grammar is required instead of two levels (syntax and semantics) discussed in previous works. This provides a clear argument in favor of models of grammar such as Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG), where the syntactic level is split between constituent structure (c-structure) and functional structure (f-structure). The properties of semantic coordination and subordination that have been proposed in earlier work mostly belong to the level of f-structure, and not semantics proper. I argue that the only substantial semantic difference between coordination and adverbial subordination is that the former introduces discourse relations between speech acts, while the latter introduces asserted predicates that link two propositions within the same speech act. I provide definitions of coordination and subordination at all the three levels of grammar formalized in terms of the LFG framework, and discuss the tests that can be used for each of these levels.

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A typology of non-local reflexives in the Scandinavian languages

Nordic Journal of Linguistics ◽

10.1017/s0332586511000151 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

pp. 157-178 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tania E. Strahan

Keyword(s):

Relative Clause ◽

Functional Structure ◽

Functional Grammar ◽

Long Distance ◽

Second Person ◽

Lexical Functional Grammar ◽

Person Pronoun ◽

Path Constraints ◽

Non Local ◽

Inside Out

The Scandinavian languages are very closely related but also vary syntactically in interesting ways, making this family useful in the study of typology variation. In this paper the issue of non-local reflexives, or ‘long-distance reflexives’ (LDR) is investigated. New LDR data from the Scandinavian languages is presented to show that the Binding Conditions cannot account for the variation in LDR in these languages, since the range of domains that LDR may or may not occur in in each variety varies non-hierarchically. For instance, LDR in Icelandic may be bound out of a finite complement clause but not out of a relative clause, while the reverse is true in most Norwegian dialects. Faroese allows LDR out of both clause types, but many dialects do not allow a second person pronoun to co-occur in a sentence containing LDR, which does not generally affect Icelandic or Norwegian LDR. An extension of Dalrymple's (1993) typology of anaphora, which is set within the framework of Lexical-Functional Grammar, can account for this data, using a combination of inside-out and outside-in functional uncertainty equations, on- and off-path constraints and positive and negative constraints, all of which refer to elements (potentially) found in functional-structure.

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SERIAL VERB CONSTRUCTIONS IN SASAK LANGUAGE OF MENO-MENE DIALECT: A TYPOLOGY AND LFG APPROACH

SOLID ◽

10.35200/solid.v8i2.193 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 54

Author(s):

Sartika Hijriati

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Research ◽

Functional Structure ◽

Functional Grammar ◽

Motion Direction ◽

Constituent Structure ◽

Serial Verb Constructions ◽

Lexical Functional Grammar ◽

Verb Constructions ◽

Serial Verb ◽

Semantic Types

ABSTRACTThis paper aims to analyze the semantic types, the characteristics, and the constituent structure and functional structure of Sasak serial verb constructions. The theory of Typology and Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG) were used to analyze the data. The data in this research were taken from the uttarances of speakers of meno-mene dialect of Sasak. This study is designed as a descriptive qualitative research. The data were collected through observation, interview, and reflective-introspective methods with recording and elicitation techniques. The results show that Sasak serial verb constructions have ten semantic types, which are motion, direction, instrument, comitative, manner, aspect and mood, benefactive, causative, cause-effect, and synonym. Based on the phonological, morphological and syntactical characteristics, Sasak serial verb constructions have the following characteristics: (1) They fall under one intonation contour, 2) They form mono-clause as a single predicate, 3) They have verb markers that occur only on one verb or each verb obtains the same marker, 4) They share aspect, mood, negation, and 5) They share the same arguments. The analysis of constituent structure and functional structure shows that Sasak serial verb constructions have V-V stucture, and X-COMP or X-ADJ structure.Penelitian ini bertujuan menganalisis tipe-tipe semantik, ciri-ciri, dan struktur konstituen dan struktur fungsional pada konstruksi verba serial Bahasa Sasak. Teori yang digunakan untuk menganalisis data adalah teori tipologi dan tata bahasa leksikal fungsional. Penelitian ini dirancang sebagai penelitian deskriptif kualitatif. Pengumpulan data pada penelitian ini menggunakan metode observasi, wawancara dan introspektif-reflektif dengan teknik rekam dan pancing. Hasil analisis menunjukkan konstruksi verba serial bahasa Sasak memiliki sepuluh tipe semantik untuk menunjukkan gerakan, arah, instrumen, komitatif, kecaraan, aspek dan modal, benefaktif, kausatif, sebab-akibat, dan sinonim. Berdasarkan ciri-ciri fonologis, morfologis dan sintaksis, verba serial Bahasa Sasak memiliki ciri: 1) konstruksi verba serial Bahasa Sasak dilafalkan dalam satu intonasi, 2) konstruksi verba serial Bahasa Sasak ialah monoklausa dan berperilaku sebagai predikat tunggal, 3) pemarkah verba serial Bahasa Sasak pada salah satu atau tiap-tiap verba dengan pemarkah yang sama, 4) verba serial Bahasa Sasak berbagi aspek, modal dan negasi, dan 5) verba serial Bahasa Sasak berbagi argumen dalam konstruksinya. Analisis terhadap struktur konstituen dan struktur fungsional menunjukkan verba serial bahasa Sasak memiliki stuktur V-V dan struktur X-KOMP atau X-ADJ.Keywords: serial verb constructions, Sasak, typology, Lexical Functional Grammar

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Locative Inversion as an Alternation Phenomenon in Setswana: The Case of Lexical Functional Grammar Theory

Journal of Law and Social Sciences ◽

10.53974/unza.jlss.4.2.467 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Setumile Morapedi

Keyword(s):

Noun Phrase ◽

Information Structure ◽

Initial Position ◽

Functional Grammar ◽

Structure Approach ◽

Syntactic Structures ◽

Lexical Functional Grammar ◽

New Information ◽

The Subject ◽

Locative Inversion

The paper has examined locative inversion constructions in Setswana, showing that the pre-posed locative phrase in these constructions is not the subject as it is viewed by other linguists in the literature. It has been argued, in this paper, that locative phrase occurs in the sentence initial position to perform the topic function which sets the scene for the focused noun phrase that alternates with it (locative phrase). The analysis has been achieved through information structure approach, showing the locative phrase that occurs in sentence initial position is a discourse phenomenon showing given information, and that the focused post-verbal noun phrase is new information that is emphasised on. Also, an appeal is made to Lexical Functional Grammar Approach to explain different ways of representing syntactic structures such as constituent structure and the functional structure.

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HeartBit

Research Anthology on Developing Critical Thinking Skills in Students ◽

10.4018/978-1-7998-3022-1.ch024 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 475-487

Author(s):

Rojin Vishkaie

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Critical Thinking ◽

System Design ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Contextual Information ◽

Physiological Responses ◽

Learning Objectives ◽

Single Session ◽

The Individual

Biometric heart-rate information is increasingly proliferating through simple wearable technology. However, this technology presents a need for contextual information to guide interpreting physiological responses in lower and higher levels of cognitive abilities. In this paper, the author introduces HeartBit, a sensor-based intervention used for non-obtrusive heart-rate observation of elementary age children within the creative and critical thinking contexts. The author describes the Sandbox as single-session workshop with individual children, the development of HeartBit, and results from Sandboxes with 35 K-1 students (ages 6 and 7). Findings reveal how children's in-situ levels of creativity and critical thinking were observed through an interplay of system design, heart-rate monitoring, and Bloom's Taxonomy educational learning objectives, and how this differed between the individual children.

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Introduction

10.1093/oso/9780192844842.003.0001 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Ronald M. Kaplan ◽

Joan Bresnan

Keyword(s):

Argument Structure ◽

Modular Design ◽

Cutting Edge ◽

Functional Structure ◽

Semantic Structure ◽

Prosodic Structure ◽

Functional Grammar ◽

Constituent Structure ◽

Lexical Functional Grammar ◽

Linguistic System

Modular design of grammar: Linguistics on the edge presents the cutting edge of research on linguistic modules and interfaces in Lexical-Functional Grammar (LFG). LFG has a highly modular design that models the linguistic system as a set of discreet submodules that include, among others, constituent structure, functional structure, argument structure, semantic structure, and prosodic structure, with each module having its coherent properties and being related to each other by correspondence functions. The contributions in this volume represent the broad range and interconnection of theoretical, formal, and descriptive considerations that continues to be the hallmark of LFG.

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Perfectivity, telicity and Estonian verbs

Nordic Journal of Linguistics ◽

10.1017/s0332586507001746 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 229-255 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Anne Tamm

Keyword(s):

Functional Structure ◽

Functional Grammar ◽

Constituent Structure ◽

Case Alternation ◽

Verb Classes ◽

Lexical Functional Grammar ◽

Case Marking ◽

Case Markers

This paper discusses telicity and perfectivity in Estonian. Neither of these categories corresponds exactly to the Estonian object case alternation, which is argued to reflect predicate or clause aspectual properties and not the NP-related properties of objects. The aim of this account is to accommodate the systematic compatibility of verb classes with certain clausal aspectual object case marking patterns. The paper proposes a way of understanding the interaction between verbal and clausal aspect in terms of boundedness and formalizes it in the framework of Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG). The features of verbs and case markers determine the clausal aspect from different constituents at the syntactic level of constituent structure. The information is unified at another syntactic level, functional structure.

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HeartBit

International Journal of Digital Literacy and Digital Competence ◽

10.4018/ijdldc.2019010104 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 43-54

Author(s):

Rojin Vishkaie

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Critical Thinking ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Contextual Information ◽

Learning Objectives ◽

Heart Rate Monitoring ◽

Single Session ◽

Rate Information ◽

The Individual

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Meaning in LFG

10.1093/oso/9780192844842.003.0020 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 340-374

Author(s):

Jamie Y. Findlay

Keyword(s):

Functional Annotation ◽

Information Structure ◽

Linear Logic ◽

Historical Overview ◽

Description Language ◽

Functional Grammar ◽

Modern Approach ◽

Lexical Functional Grammar ◽

Semantic Component ◽

Glue Semantics

This chapter discusses how meaning has been handled in Lexical-Functional Grammar. As well as giving a historical overview, it also argues that the modern approach, using Glue Semantics, has a number of undesirable properties: meanings do not figure at all in the architecture of the grammar, merely standing in an unspecified correspondence with semantic structures; s-structures themselves have become an enfeebled and unimportant part of the projection architecture; and meaning constructors, when written in the ‘new glue’ format, give the impression of being quite distinct from other kinds of functional annotation, making the semantic component seem out of sync with the rest of the formalism. To remedy these issues, Findlay suggests a mechanism for representing meanings explicitly in s-structures, and for integrating linear logic into the description language of LFG more generally. This has immediate benefits for the analysis of idioms and for the theory of the semantics-information structure interface.

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