Further investigations into the nature of phrasal compounding

This collection of papers on phrasal compounding is part of a bigger project whose aims are twofold: First, it seeks to broaden the typological perspective by providing data for as many different languages as possible to gain a better understanding of the phenomenon itself. Second, based on these data which clearly show interaction between syntax and morphology it aims to discuss theoretical models which deal with this kind of interaction in different ways. Models like Generative Grammar assume components of grammar and a clear-cut distinction between the lexicon (often including morphology) and grammar. Other models, like construction grammar, do not assume such components and are rather based on a lexicon including constructs. A comparison of these models on the basis of this phenomenon on the morphology-syntax interface makes it possible to assess their descriptive and explanatory power

Dutch A-Scrambling Is Not Movement: Evidence from Antecedent Priming

The present study focuses on A-scrambling in Dutch, a local word-order alternation that typically signals the discourse-anaphoric status of the scrambled constituent. We use cross-modal priming to investigate whether an A-scrambled direct object gives rise to antecedent reactivation effects in the position where a movement theory would postulate a trace. Our results indicate that this is not the case, suggesting that A-scrambling in Dutch results from variation in base-generated order

Further investigations into the nature of phrasal compounding

This collection of papers on phrasal compounding is part of a bigger project whose aims are twofold: First, it seeks to broaden the typological perspective by providing data for as many different languages as possible to gain a better understanding of the phenomenon itself. Second, based on these data which clearly show interaction between syntax and morphology it aims to discuss theoretical models which deal with this kind of interaction in different ways. Models like Generative Grammar assume components of grammar and a clear-cut distinction between the lexicon (often including morphology) and grammar. Other models, like construction grammar, do not assume such components and are rather based on a lexicon including constructs. A comparison of these models on the basis of this phenomenon on the morphology-syntax interface makes it possible to assess their descriptive and explanatory power

Catalan Morphology and Low-level Patterns in a Network Model

The fact that more specific or low-level morphological patterns may coexist with the most general or abstract ones is a characteristic insight of Cognitive Morphology. According to the bottom- up approach of the model, it is even to be expected that low-level patterns may have a more relevant role than the most inclusive and abstract ones. On the basis of the analysis of an aspect of Catalan inflection (velar verbs of the second conjugation) and one aspect of Catalan wordformation (complex words with the prefixoid radio-), we will show the advantages of incorporating to the model salient low-level patterns and the local paradigmatic relations in which they are based

Further investigations into the nature of phrasal compounding

This collection of papers on phrasal compounding is part of a bigger project whose aims are twofold: First, it seeks to broaden the typological perspective by providing data for as many different languages as possible to gain a better understanding of the phenomenon itself. Second, based on these data which clearly show interaction between syntax and morphology it aims to discuss theoretical models which deal with this kind of interaction in different ways. Models like Generative Grammar assume components of grammar and a clear-cut distinction between the lexicon (often including morphology) and grammar. Other models, like construction grammar, do not assume such components and are rather based on a lexicon including constructs. A comparison of these models on the basis of this phenomenon on the morphology- syntax interface makes it possible to assess their descriptive and explanatory power

From Body to Web. An Introduction to the Web as Corpus

In this book the web’s controversial status as a corpus is investigated on both theoretical and applicative grounds. While the notion of a linguistic corpus as a body of texts rests on some related issues such as finite size, balance, permanence, the very idea of a web of texts brings about notions of non-finiteness, flexibility, provisionality. It is against this background that the book revisits key issues in corpus linguistics from the perspective of the web and explores the new issues that the emerging notion of the web as corpus possibly raises

The Paradox of Nature: Merleau-Ponty\u27s Semi-Naturalistic Critique of Husserlian Phenomenology

This dissertation deals with Merleau-Ponty\u27s critical transformation of Husserl\u27s phenomenology through a rethinking of the concept of nature, which Husserl, Merleau-Ponty argues, fails to integrate or explain successfully in his philosophical system. The first chapter reconstructs Husserl\u27s transcendental-phenomenological project in Ideas I, while the second widens the investigation to cover the ontologically-centered Ideas II and III. In my third chapter, I chart what I call Merleau-Ponty\u27s organic appropriation of Husserl and the unique hermeneutical challenges it poses. Here the ambiguity of Ideas II, which both grounds subjectivity in the lived body and separates nature from spirit (Geist), plays a crucial role. The fourth chapter concentrates on the Merleau-Ponty\u27s later meditations on the ontology of nature and subjectivity, particularly in his recently translated Nature lectures of 1959-61. Finally, the fifth chapter compares and contrasts Husserl and Merleau-Ponty, in terms of both substance and method, through a detailed examination of their different notions of (and ways to address) paradox. I show how Merleau-Ponty\u27s paradoxical thinking stems not from chance or mere temperament but a fundamental, systematic commitment to the self-contradictory (or dialectical, but in a modified sense) nature of being and truth themselves

Modes of Truth

The aim of this volume is to open up new perspectives and to raise new research questions about a unified approach to truth, modalities, and propositional attitudes. The volume’s essays are grouped thematically around different research questions. The first theme concerns the tension between the theoretical role of the truth predicate in semantics and its expressive function in language. The second theme of the volume concerns the interaction of truth with modal and doxastic notions. The third theme covers higher-order solutions to the semantic and modal paradoxes, providing an alternative to first-order solutions embraced in the first two themes. This book will be of interest to researchers working in epistemology, logic, philosophy of logic, philosophy of language, philosophy of mathematics, and semantics

On the effects of English elements in German print advertisements

Diese Arbeit untersucht den Einfluss von englischen Elementen in deutschen Werbeanzeigen auf die Anmutung der Anzeige, die Bewertung des beworbenen Produkts sowie der beworbenen Marke und die Einschätzung der Zielgruppe. In einer quantitativen Onlinestudie wurden vier speziell entwickelte Werbeanzeigen, die sich nur hinsichtlich der Verwendung englischer Elemente unterschieden, von 297 Teilnehmern bewertet. Dabei zeigten sich nur in wenigen Fällen statistisch signifikante Unterschiede zwischen der Bewertung der deutschen Anzeigenversionen und der englisch-deutsch gemischten Anzeigenversionen. Da den Probanden jeweils nur eine Version der Anzeige gezeigt wurde und ihnen der linguistische Hintergrund der Untersuchung unbekannt war, spiegeln die Ergebnisse die Wirkung englischer Elemente in realen Kontaktsituationen wider. Dieser Werbewirkungsstudie ging eine Untersuchung der Sprachzuordung voraus, in der getestet wurde, welche Variablen einen Einfluss darauf haben, ob ein visuell präsentiertes Stimuluswort als Deutsch oder Englisch wahrgenommen wird. Als geeignete Prädiktoren erwiesen sich neben der etymologischen Herkunft des Wortes vor allem die Integration in das deutsche Lexikon (operationalisiert durch Konsultierung des Duden Universalwörterbuchs 7. Aufl.). Des Weiteren zeigte sich ein signifikanter Einfluss graphemischer Fremdheitsmarker auf die Sprachzuordnung der Lexeme. Dieser Einfluss konnte sowohl bei Wörtern englischen Ursprungs als auch bei Wörtern, die nicht-englischen Ursprungs waren (z.B. LINEAL, CREMIG), beobachtet werden und verdeutlicht die Wichtigkeit der visuellen Wortform für die Sprachzuordnung.This thesis studies the influence of English elements in German print advertisements on the emotional appeal of the advertisement, the evaluation of the advertised product and brand, and the evaluation of the implied target group. Four especially designed print advertisements, which only differed in their use of English elements, were evaluated by 297 participants in a quantitative online study. Only in a few cases statistically significant differences between the evaluation of the German advertisement versions and the English-German mixed advertisement versions were found. Since participants were only shown one version of the advertisement and because the linguistic background of the study was disguised, the results mirror the effects of English elements in actual contact situations. Prior to this research, a study on language decisions was conducted to test which variables influence whether a visually presented word is perceived as English or German. Next to the etymological origin of a word, especially the integration into the German lexicon (operationalised by consulting the Duden Universalwörterbuchs 7th ed.) proved to be a good predictor. Moreover, graphemic markers of foreignness significantly influenced to which language lexemes were assigned. This impact was witnessed for words of English origin as well as for words of non-English origin (e.g. LINEAL, CREMIG), which emphasises the importance of visual word form for language decisions