2,432 research outputs found

    Small clause results revisited

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    The main purpose of this paper is to show that argument structure constructions like complex telic path of motion constructions (John walked to the store) or complex resultative constructions (The dog barked the chickens awake) are not to be regarded as "theoretical entities" (Jackendoff (1997b); Goldberg (1995)). As an alternative to these semanticocentric accounts, I argue that their epiphenomenal status can be shown iff we take into account some important insights from three syntactically-oriented works: (i) Hoekstra's (1988, 1992) analysis of SC R, (ii) Hale & Keyser's (1993f.) configurational theory of argument structure, and (iii) Mateu & Rigau’s (1999; i.p.) syntactic account of Talmy's (1991) typological distinction between 'satellite framed languages' (e.g., English, German, Dutch, etc.) and 'verb-framed languages' (e.g., Catalan, Spanish, French, etc.). In particular, it is argued that the formation of the abovementioned constructions involves a conflation process of two different syntactic argument structures, this process being carried out via a 'generalized transformation'. Accordingly, the so-called 'lexical subordination process' (Levin & Rapoport (1988)) is argued to involve a syntactic operation, rather than a semantic one. Due to our assuming that the parametric variation involved in the constructions under study cannot be explained in purely semantic terms (Mateu & Rigau (1999)), Talmy's (1991) typological distinction is argued to be better stated in lexical syntactic terms

    Adjectival Modification to Nouns in Mandarin Chinese: Case Studies on "chang+noun" and "adjective+tu shu guan"

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    Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studie

    Directionality in cross-categorial derivations

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    On the role of syntactic locality in morphological processes : the case of (Greek) derived nominals

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    The paper is structured as follows. In section 2, I briefly summarize the facts on English and Greek nominalizations. In section 3, I discuss English nominal derivation in some detail. In section 4, I turn to the question of licensing of AS in nominals. In section 5, I turn to the issue of the optionality of licensing of AS in the nominal system

    The Dominant Participle Construction as a Syntax-Semantics Interface Phenomenon:The Case Study of Latin

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    Treballs Finals del Màster en Ciència Cognitiva i Llenguatge, Facultat de Filosofia, Universitat de Barcelona, Curs: 2021-2022, Tutor: Jaume Mateu FontanalsThe syntactic representation of participles has remained a disputed issue at the centre of linguistic research for some time. Much of the confusion surrounding participles is the result of their categorial indeterminacy, which ranges between the category of verbs and adjectives. The blended categorial properties of participles are mirrored in their flexible syntactic distribution. For example, participles are flexible enough to fulfil prototypical adjectival functions in attributive and copular structures, e.g. ‘the sewed button’ and ‘the button is sewed’, while they may also exhibit a verbal distribution in periphrastic occurrences, e.g. ‘Duna has sewed the button’. In such a way, the categorial flexibility of participles allows for a wide spectrum of different uses

    Presenting and predicating lower events

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    The effects of different forms of predication have been insightfully (and almost exclusively) studied for 'simple' cases of predication, of which the 'presentational sentence' is maybe the paradigm instantiation. It is the aim of this paper to show that thc same kind of effects as well as in fact the same kind of structures are present at embedded levels in thematically and otherwise more complex structures. Beyond presentational sentences, 'unaccusative' experiencing constructions involving a dative subject, 'double object constructions' and - to a lesser extent - spraylload constructions are discussed. For all of these, it is argued that they comprise a predication encoding the ascription of a transient temporal property to a location. On this basis, a proposal is made as to how the scope asymmetry between the two arguments involved in the colistructions can be explained. Furthermore, a proposal is made as to how what has been called 'argument shift' is motivated

    Syntax and semantics of adjectives in portuguese analysis and modeling

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    Tese de doutoramento, Linguística (Linguística Computacional), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Letras, 2010Disponível no documentoFundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/8524/2002
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