The disunity of Principle B Effects

It is a typologically well-attested generalization that simple personal pronouns are avoided when the purpose is to signal semantic identity between coarguments of a predicate (Faltz, 1985; Comrie, 1999; Levinson, 2000; Haspelmath, 2008, forthcoming; Volkova & Reuland, 2014). Many linguists assume what I call the Unified View, where these pronoun disjointness effects come out as a byproduct of a single syntactic constraint, generally known as Principle B of the Binding Theory (Chomsky, 1981, 1986; Pollard & Sag, 1994; Manning & Sag, 1998; Pollard, 2005; Müller, 2021). This paper argues that the Unified View is mistaken because it is both too weak and too strong. As an alternative, I propose that pronoun disjointness effects stem from a conspiracy of three distinct factors – none of which is a syntactic universal: (i) a preference for expressing identity with coindexation rather than anchoring distinct indices to the same referent (Reinhart, 1983); (ii) a language-specific variant of HPSG’s Principle B; and (iii) a constraint on the morphosyntactic encoding of reflexive relations (Faltz, 1985; Reinhart & Reuland, 1993; König & Siemund, 2000).

КОНЦЕПЦИЯ ЗА ЛЕКСИКОН НА СЕМАНТИЧНО СЪОТНОСИМИ И СТРУКТУРНО СЪПРИНАДЛЕЖНИ ФАМИЛНИ ИМЕНА / A CONCEPT FOR A LEXICON OF SEMANTICS- AND STRUCTURE-RELATED SURNAMES

The article presents a project dealing with surnames in Bulgarian. The aim is to compile a lexicon encoding the existing semantic and structural relations among names. Family names are presented in nests based on certain semantic and structural criteria, in particular semantic identity, associative reference and thematic or typological relation-ship. The attested word-formative paradigm is supplied for each name, including short forms, diminutives and derivatives. The lexicon will offer an opportunity for further semantic, etymological, stylistic and word-formation research into Bulgarian family names.

Ellipsis requires syntactic and semantic identity. Evidence from Fragment Questions in Spanish

Based on novel data from an understudied type of ellipsis in Spanish-which I refer to as Fragment Questions-I argue for the need of both semantic and syntactic identity conditions to license ellipsis. In particular the TP is subject to syntactic identity, and the domain above that is subject to semantic identity. Fragment Questions are elliptical sentences interpreted as wh-questions. They have a follow-up meaning and, unlike other types of sentential ellipsis, they require a wh-phrase to go unpronounced, although there's no explicit wh-question or wh-phrase in the antecedent. In this paper, I analyze Fragment Questions as the result of ellipsis of a wh-question from which a Contrastive Topic has moved.

“Parallel” Phraseological Images Referring to the Bible in Spanish and Russian Languages: Illusion of Universality

In this article, we consider the well-known intertextual Russian and Spanish biblical phrases, which are considered universal and exist in two languages as correspondences. We believe that their interlingual semantic identity is not confirmed by discursive practice and that there are significant cognitive differences in their semantics and pragmatics. Some differences are recorded in dictionaries, some are more convincingly revealed when analysing the texts and phraseological picture of the world of Russian and Spanish linguistic cultures. Two images are analysed in particular detail — the New Testament “Mary Magdalene” and the Old Testament “Balaam’s donkey”. Works of fiction, Internet discussions and articles of the central press were used as illustrative material.

NOUNS, ADJECTIVES, AND VERBS AS COMPONENTS OF GERMAN COMPOUND WORDS: РECULIARITIES OF SEMANTICS AND COMBINATION

In the article semantic features of nouns, adjectives, and verbs as components of German determinative compound words with the models “noun + noun”, “adjective + noun”, “verb + noun” are investigated using three functional styles (belletristic, publicistic and scientific). Their lexico-semantic subclasses (34 subclasses of nouns, 14 of adjectives and 19 of verbs) were singled out and taken for the further analysis of combination of components in compound words. Using traditional methods (analysis by direct components, transformation analysis, modelling method and analysis of components or sems), as well as quantitative (chi-square criterion and coefficient K) some features of compatibility have been analyzed and its main characteristics have been identified. In this respect, the compatibility ratio of the registered models to the theoretically expected ones has been elucidated. Its intensity has been proved to be determined by the coefficient K and shows the strength of the connection between the components, as well as the number of stable connections. It was established that the model "noun + noun" is characterized by the broadest combinatory range (0.8), thus demonstrating the high activity and popularity of compound nouns of this type in the most lexico-semantic subclasses. Stable connections between components are fixed in all of the models under study, however their quantity and intensity differ. Thus, most stable connections are in a model "noun + noun" (14% of total number of the fixed models), the most powerful connection (K = 0.27) in LSS of nouns “Plants” + LSS of nouns “Plants” and LSS of adjectives “Belonging” + LSS of nouns “State, its attributes”. The research has also proved that semantic identity or congruence of components, when units of the same LSS are combined in one model or consistency is observed between them.

Onomasiological models typology of Russian adjective composites

The subject matter of this article relates to the complex description of adjectives-composites of the Russian language within the onomasiological class “person’s social feature”. There have been analysed organization features of composites formation and ways of onomasiological structure definition as to composite adjectives within the onomasiological class. All adjective-composites of modern Russian are considered as univerbalisation composites, derivation composites and units of quasi-composition. Univerbalisation composites demonstrate a complete semantic identity with a producing word-combination. Derivation composites have shown the relations of external motivation between a basic word-combination and a new composite. Units of quasi-composition are formed on the basis of structural models of univerbalisation and derivation. The analysis of these linguistic units is carried out according to their belonging to a certain onomasiological model consisting of an onomasiological basis and an onomasiological feature that allows to distinguish 17 models of adjective composites. The author comes to the conclusion that the onomasiological class should be understood as a set of nominathems, in which the feature description is realized in one corresponding grammatical class of units (adjectives) with the help of the same structural method, mostly with the help of all kinds of composites. This research has developed the modern nomination theory and provides a basis for complex description of language units.

FIGURES OF SPEECH REFLECTING LOATHING

This descriptive qualitative research identified briefly the figurative expressions on Donald Trump’s tweeter post. It used Abrams and Harpham’s theory. This research applied observational method and non-participation technique in collecting the data. Then, this research applied semantic identity method and semantic-competence in equalizing to analyze the data. The figure of similarity found mostly in the comments or responses. There were expressions of simile, metaphor, allusion, and personification. The comments or responses mostly compared the one to the other living or non-living things to express how loathe the writers of comments. The figures of speech criticized the one’s works and acts. On the other hand, the expressions attacked the face (FTA). Previously, the figures of speech were used in the literary works to show the expression aesthetically. But now, the freedom to express the ideas makes the figures of speech not only to show the ‘sweet and smooth’ language but also ‘rude’ language.

„Pal/ palid” ca epitet metaforic în poezia lui Eminescu / „Pale/ pallid” as metaphorical epithet in Eminescu’s poetry

The epithets pal “pale” and palid “pallid” could have been linked here by a conjunction. Instead, they are placed at the same level (pal/ palid) because of their semantic identity in Eminescu’s lyrics. Their importance has been already highlighted by several critics, and especially by I. Negoițescu, who referred to the epithets of pallor as a symbol, and systematically returned to them. By simply identifying these epithets with death or the myth of death, with the angelic purity, but also with the purity of the demon, within expressions such as androginie difuză a morții “diffuse androgyny of death” and demonul palorii “the demon of pallor”, there is no poetic symbol, but only a vague image. Associating these adjectives with characters such as the Poet, the Monarch, the Sleep and the Demiurge, usually at an intuitive level, does not reveal the intended meaning. These epithets appear in Eminescu’s poetry with non-metaphorical meaning as well, that is with denotative or connotative meaning. Instead, the metaphorical meaning belongs to the extra-existential world. The strong occurrence of these adjectives in Mortua est! and the debates around them within this poem since its first publication focused the attention not only to the final version of the text but also to its variants. Pal/ palid does not have a unique meaning in this poem, but we may assume that the connotative meaning is not transcended in any of its versions, including the last one. As a metaphorical epithet, pal/ palid is associated with the lyrical creation as act and as purpose, as well as with the pure ideal which is situated outside the dichotomy of life–death (being–non-being), either as a reality of the poetic thought or as a mythical reality. The poems in which pal/ palid carries this metaphorical meaning are: Venere și Madonă/ Venus and Madonna, Epigonii/ The Epigons, Luceafărul/ The evening star, Povestea magului călător în stele/ The story of the magician who travels to the stars, Mureșanu. Tablou dramatic/ Mureșanu. Dramatic tableau and Memento mori. The metaphorical ʻextra-existential’ meaning differs from any concept of overcoming the antagonism being–non-being which is highly represented in Eminescu’s poetry. It supposes placement outside this antagonism.

Semantics of Adjectives in the Story «Wooden Horses» by F. A. Abramov (To the 100th Anniversary of the Birth)

The article investigates the semantic identity and intertextual correlation of adjectives used by F. A. Abramov in his story «Wooden horses». The study focuses on the conceptual significance of adjectives in a literary text. The aim of the research was to discover the role of quality-denoting lexemes (qualitative concepts) in the formation of artistic images and expression of the author’s intention on the basis of a linguistic analysis of adjectives. The most active lexico-semantic groups of adjectives are described: time, human character, material, appearance of objects, human physical appearance, colour and light, intellectual assessment, mirative assessment; and proves the role of adjectives in the conceptualization of literaty images. On the basis of quantitative and semantic analysis and also taking into the account the syntagmatic features of adjectives, the important conceptual semantic fields – «Time» and «Man» – are defined. A detailed analysis of the semantics of adjectives helps to ascertain the correlation of conceptually relevant meanings in the text, as well as to bring the reader’s interpretation closer to understanding the author’s intention.

The Relative Contribution of High-Level (Semantic) and Low-Level (Boundary) Information to Object-Based Attentional Guidance

Attentional selection is constrained by object representations (object-based attention) that consist of low-level (e.g., boundaries signaled by closure) and high-level (e.g., semantic category) properties. Whereas low-level information has repeatedly been shown to constrain object-based attention with the use of simple geometric figures, high-level information (such as meaning) has only recently been shown to be an important factor in object-based guidance of attention. Here, we characterize the relative contributions of object boundaries (low-level) and object semantic identity (high-level) to attentional allocation by systematically reducing the contribution from both levels of description. We directly measure the degree to which attentional allocation is flexibly influenced by a combination of these factors. Object-based attentional guidance was observed only when either boundaries or semantic category was preserved, with a larger contribution for preserved semantic category. When both boundary and semantic category were disturbed, object-based influence was reduced. Object-based attentional guidance was therefore more reliant on high-level than low-level properties, suggesting that object-based attention efficiently guides behavior even in naturalistic conditions with real-world objects and environmental fluctuations (e.g., dim lighting, fog, blurry vision).