Модели осложненных предложений с сопоставительными оборотами в хакасском языке

Introduction. This article, based on the material of the Khakass language, describes models of complicated sentences with comparative constructions. Notably, many issues related to the description of complicated sentences in Khakass have not received proper coverage yet, which determines the relevance of this study. The article aims to identify and analyze the structural-semantic types, as well as ways of expressing complicated sentences with comparative constructions in the Khakass language. The research is based on a solid sample of examples from the texts of fiction of various genres, folklore, and journalistic texts, as well as recordings of oral speech. Results. The research shows that there are three types of complicated sentences in Khakass, including a comparative model based on the equality of compared features, a comparative-gradation model, and a substitution model. Each model is described in terms of its basic semantics and ways of formalizing the relationship between dependent and main parts, with specific examples illustrating their use. Each model varies in semantic and structural terms. The comparative model of equal features and the comparative-gradation model have two variants, the substitution model has five. In a comparative model based on equality of features, equal relations between two given events are expressed, while the comparison-gradation model compares the degree of significance of given events, with the action in the main part becoming significant. The substitution model may be of two types: substitutive per se and substitutive-preferential. In substitutive models proper, the actions of the main part do not meet the speaker’s expectation, while in the other model, preference is given to the main event.

LOCATIVE CONSTRUCTIONS IN MODERN UKRAINIAN AND RUSSIAN LANGUAGES: FACTS OF CONTRASTIVE ASYMMETRY

Closely related Ukrainian and Russian languages show similarities and differences that permeate different language levels. This problem, despite its long existence, is still relevant. Among the differences that relate to the compared languages, there are inconspicuous and contrasting. The object of the proposed study was the facts of contrastive asymmetry at the level of structures with a locative type of determination. Using the methods of synchronous descriptive, comparative-historical, comparative methods, as well as the method of complex analysis of semantic- syntactic structures, we stated the facts of contrastive asymmetry between Ukrainian and Russian syntactic structures with spatial meaning in four levels: 1) formal-grammatical, 2) semantic, 3) syntactic and 4) synonymous. The proposed division is somewhat conditional because semantics organically interacts with syntagmatics it is closely related to synonymy. The formal-grammatical contrastive asymmetry includes the same values of the construction V + PO + Nloc (Ukrainian language) and V + PO + Ndat (Russian language). Their functional possibilities, the lexical-semantic spectrum of verb, and adverbial placeholders are clarified. It is emphasized that the constructions V + PO + Nloc (Russian Ndat) enter into intra-singular synonymy in the Ukrainian language and inter-singular synonymy in the Russian language. It is proved that at the level of distributive possibilities contrastive asymmetry covers first of all the instrumental prepositional case as a representative of locativity. The differences also apply to the main carriers of valence (a specific feature of the Ukrainian language is that this function, along with verbs of purposeful, sometimes unfocused movement perform verbatives of specific semantics of physical and sound action), lexical and semantic composition of adverbial nouns (in Ukrainian, it is much wider), which is extrapolated to such semantic types as proper and common names of land routes, names of types of cover, areas covered with low vegetation, continents, states, geographical and administrative areas, devices and mechanisms that serve to transport something. It is established that the semantic asymmetry is manifested by the constructions V + Z-POZA + Ngen, V + Z-POPID + Ngen, V + Z-PONAD + Ngen, V + Z_POSERD + Ngen, V + Z_POMIZH + Ngen, V + POPID + Nасс, V + POPID + Ninst, V + POPERED + Ninst, V + POMIZH + Ninst, which actualize the shade of distributivity with the participation of the preposition component. Constructions with a specific semantic description are also recorded, which function in the Ukrainian language and are absent in the Russian language (V + POVZ + Nass, V + PERED + Nass, V + NAD + Nass, V + MIZH + Nass).

Caregiver linguistic alignment to autistic and typically developing children

Background: Language development is a highly interactive activity. However, most research on linguistic environment has focused on quantity and complexity of linguistic input to children, with current models showing that complexity facilitates language in both TD children and autistic children.Aims: We investigate the presence and sensitivity of caregivers’ active reuse of their children’s language (linguistic alignment), and how well it predicts language development beyond other measures of linguistic input, taking also into account the child’s cognitive, social and linguistic abilities.Methods: We measure lexical, syntactic and semantic types of caregiver alignment in a longitudinal corpus involving 32 adult-autistic child and 35 adult-TD child dyads, with children between 2 and 5 years of age. We assess the extent to which caregivers repeat their children’s word, syntax and semantics, and whether this predicts language development beyond more standard predictors. Results: Caregivers tend to re-use their child’s language in a way that is related to the child’s individual, primarily linguistic differences. Caregivers’ alignment provides unique information improving our ability to predict future language development in both typical and autistic children. Conclusions: We provide evidence that language acquisition also relies on interactive conversational processes, previously understudied. We share open-source scripts to systematically extend our approach to new contexts and languages.

Asindetske rečenice kao jezičko-stilska dominanta pripovijedaka Jovana Radulovića

The paper pinpoints and describes asyndetic sentences as the linguistic and stylistic dominant of Jovan Radulović’s short stories. The analysis was primarily syntac- tic-semantic, because its goal was to single out and describe the basic structural-semantic models of asyndetic sentences in Radulović’s literary work. The method of analysis was analytical-synthetic. The analysis of asyndetic sentences in Jovan Radulović’s short stories greatly chang- es the view on the syntactic-semantic and stylistic status of these sentences in the language in general, and in the literary-artistic style in particular. Namely, Jovan Radulović shows originality and innovation by creating as many as five structural-semantic types of asyndetic sentences. Thus Radulović forms asyndetic sentences: 1) whose clauses combine narrative and direct speech as the speech of literary characters, 2) whose clauses combine narrative and free indirect speech, 3) whose clauses represent sentences of different functional goal or purpose, 4) which combine clauses expressed by predicate and non-verbal statements, and 5) whose asyndetic clauses allow“insertion” into the structure of another asyndetic clause. And it is exactly these types that represent the main argument that asyndetic sentences are structured according to the principles of the (bound) text, and not according to the princi- ples of a complex sentence. The analysis also showed that Jovan Radulović often includes a syndetic clause in the structure of polyclause asyndetic sentences in the mesophoric or epiphoric position for semantic and / or stylistic reasons, thus forming an asyndetic-syndetic sentence, which represents a comparative basis for declaring asyndetic sentences as a stylistic device. The analysis also showed that Jovan Radulović uses three orthographic signs for syntactic delimitation of clauses without conjuntions in the asyndetic sentence, namely commas, dashes and semicolons, where the comma is the most common and structurally- stylistically unmarked sign, while dash and semicolon are always used intentionally: for a special or structural or semantic, or stylistic emphasis on the role of one of the clauses within the whole asyndetic sentence.

PECULIARITIES OF NATURAL TOPOGRAPHIC NAMES FUNCTIONING IN UKRAINIAN SPELLS

The article proposes a comprehensive approach to the analysis of the topographic repertoire of Ukrainian spells. Peculiarities of topographical and toponymic vocabulary functioning in the most ancient texts of ritual folklore are deduced. It has been determined that the spells reflect different geographical areas with the help of 7 structural-and-semantic types of topolexes; their artistic-and-aesthetic focus has been identified. Geographical names as culturally loaded onyms in folklore texts carry a huge layer of culturally significant information in their semantics. In this case the name is an abridged history of the inner life and spirit of the people. The cultural component of the language at the vocabulary level (hence the proper names) to some extent fixes the culture of the people - the native speakers, reflects the inherent worldview of the people. It has been proved that the disclosure of the functional load and mechanisms of onomastic vocabulary in folklore texts will contribute to the clarification and deepening of the theoretical foundations of onomastics as a linguistic science. Each geographical name, entering folklore texts, is combined with a complex range of relations that can be restored only on the basis of a comprehensive systematic analysis of all manifestations of spiritual and material culture of the people, taking into account regional data distribution and knowledge of typologically related cultures. One of the toponyms’ functions in the texts of the spells is a targeted one, but this category of proper names in folklore texts performs not only a nominative function, but often acquires a generalized abstract meaning, adds other semes to their lexicographically fixed meaning, which implicitly contain people's attitudes to the world. It has been proved that geographical names appear in folklore genres as peculiar concepts of the linguistic-and-figurative sphere of the Slavic mentality.

Indirect responses in natural conversation

By indirect answers we mean answers to general questions which do not correspond to “yes” and “no”, and answers to special questions which do not literally correlate with the question words who, what, where, etc. The article examines the types of indirect responses in different structural and semantic types of dialogue. The article analyzes the features of indirect answers determined by the predictive relationship of concepts: place-goal, place-time, etc. Particular attention is paid to answers containing assessment, not determineded by the content of questions, as well as question-answer turns with why and what for. The article focuses on the informative volume of indirect answers, their insufficiency and redundancy. Indirect questions are used rather frequently. It is not possible to classify all of them, but all of them are undoubtedly associated with certain types of dialogue, speech genres, speech situations and with the psychological type of communication partners. As noted earlier, the logical connection of the categories place-goal, placetime, goal-cause, etc. leads to reversibility and predictability of situations, and in certain speech genres to the interchangeability of designating categories in the form of indirect answers. A specific feature of the dialogue, observed in different speech genres, is the response containing the characteristic of the person mentioned in the question, instead of the information in which the speaker is interested. The analysis of these responses reveals the organic connection between the evaluation and the reason. The use of counter-questions, and first of all, why- and what for-remarks, is caused by the specific nature of this phenomenon, which, despite the thorough research of N. D. Arutyunova, allows to see some interesting features in it. The article uses recordings of oral speech and some works of fiction, reproducing spoken dialogue.

Semantics of Mythological Image of Yuryung Aiyy Toyon in Its Fundamental Principle (Archaic Texts of Olonkho)

The question is raised about the correlation of mythological ideas with scientific information and the corresponding object of reality. It is noted that, the cognitive potential of myths continues to remain inaccessible to the perception of a modern person due to his metaphorical language. The novelty of the research is seen in an attempt to verify the semantics of the mythological image of Yuryung Aiyy Toyon in natural science discourse. The research involves a general scientific synergetic approach, lexical-semantic, contrastive-comparative, structural-semantic types of analysis, the method of mutual interpretation. In addition, special methods of depersonification, demetaphorization, and dehyperbolization of the mythological image were applied. Particular attention is paid to isolating the initial meaning of the lexeme үрүҥ — the component that generates the semantic space of the name Yuryung Aiyy Toyon. As a result of a comparative analysis, the essential content of the mythological image of a single origin and the supreme creator Yuryung Aiyy Toyon is revealed in a new light, as a basic concept of the existence of the universe from the point of view of modern science — light, the spread of which is a key factor in determining the fundamental categories of the flow of time and the length of space.

Discourse Relations and Connectives in Higher Text Structure

The present article investigates possibilities and limits of local (shallow) analysis of discourse coherence with respect to the phenomena of global coherence and higher composition of texts. We study corpora annotated with local discourse relations in Czech and partly in English to try and find clues in the local annotation indicating a higher discourse structure. First, we classify patterns of subsequent or overlapping pairs of local relations, and hierarchies formed by nested local relations. Special attention is then given to relations crossing paragraph boundaries and their semantic types, and to paragraph-initial discourse connectives. In the third part, we examine situations in which annotators incline to marking a large argument (larger than one sentence) of a discourse relation even with a minimality principle annotation rule in place. Our analyses bring (i) new linguistic insights regarding coherence signals in local and higher contexts, e.g. detection and description of hierarchies of local discourse relations up to 5 levels in Czech and English, description of distribution differences in semantic types in cross-paragraph and other settings, identification of Czech connectives only typical for higher structures, or the detection of prevalence of large left-sided arguments in locally annotated data; (ii) as another type of contribution, some new reflections on methodologies of the approaches under scrutiny.

Contextual Acquisition of Concrete and Abstract Words: Behavioural and Electrophysiological Evidence

and concrete words differ in their cognitive and neuronal underpinnings, but the exact mechanisms underlying these distinctions are unclear. We investigated differences between these two semantic types by analysing brain responses to newly learnt words with fully controlled psycholinguistic properties. Experimental participants learned 20 novel abstract and concrete words in the context of short stories. After the learning session, event-related potentials (ERPs) to newly learned items were recorded, and acquisition outcomes were assessed behaviourally in a range of lexical and semantic tasks. Behavioural results showed better performance on newly learnt abstract words in lexical tasks, whereas semantic assessments showed a tendency for higher accuracy for concrete words. ERPs to novel abstract and concrete concepts differed early on, ~150 ms after the word onset. Moreover, differences between novel words and control untrained pseudowords were observed earlier for concrete (~150 ms) than for abstract (~200 ms) words. Distributed source analysis indicated bilateral temporo-parietal activation underpinning newly established memory traces, suggesting a crucial role of Wernicke’s area and its right-hemispheric homologue in word acquisition. In sum, we report behavioural and neurophysiological processing differences between concrete and abstract words evident immediately after their controlled acquisition, confirming distinct neurocognitive mechanisms underpinning these types of semantics.