Acceptability judgments and linguistic competence

Acceptability judgments are the primary source of data for linguistic theory, based on the assumption that they reliably reflect linguistic competence. However, this assumption has always been challenged by studies showing the influence of extralinguistic factors on the judgment process, leading to recent linguistic research employing better experimental methodology. This paper discusses the most significant finding of this research, the existence of gradient judgments, and how they have been accommodated within linguistic theories. The implications of the judgment-competence relation beyond theoretical linguistics (e.g., first and second language acquisition and psycholinguistics) are also discussed

Crossing and nested paths--NP movement in accusative and ergative languages

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy, 1992.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 208-222).by Kumiko Murasugi.Ph.D

Linguistics

Contains table of contents for Section 4, an introduction and abstracts of nine doctoral dissertations

Antipassives

This chapter begins with a description of the structural properties of the antipassive, including case, agreement, verb transitivity, and the antipassive morpheme, focusing on languages of the Americas. Given that the antipassive is an alternate form for a transitive ergative sentence describing the same event, a key question is: What determines the choice of one structure over the other? The answer to this question is explored from two perspectives: functional and theoretical. A brief discussion of the antipassive in non-ergative languages follows

Documenting Linguistic Knowledge in an Inuit Language Atlas

The traditional method of orally transmitting language is weakening with the passing of fluent Elders and language erosion in contemporary Inuit society. Language documentation is a vital component of language maintenance and revitalization. In this paper we present a pilot online, multimedia cybercartographic Atlas of the Inuit Language in Canada, the goal of which is to help protect and strengthen the vitality of Inuit dialects through the documentation of their words. The main component of the atlas is a multidialectal database of written and spoken words. We discuss the role of dictionaries in language documentation, introduce the features of the atlas, explore the appeal of the atlas to different types of users (in particular, language learners), and present future directions for the atlas project.Dans la société inuit actuelle, la forme traditionnelle de transmission orale de la langue s’affaiblit avec la disparition des locuteurs âgés et l’érosion du langage. La documentation de la langue est une composante essentielle de sa conservation et de sa revitalisation. Dans cet article, nous présentons « l’Atlas de la langue inuit au Canada » (Atlas of the Inuit Language in Canada), projet pilote multimédia cartographique en ligne, dont l’objectif est de contribuer à protéger et à renforcer la vitalité des dialectes inuit par la documentation de leur vocabulaire. La principale composante de l’Atlas est une base de données multi-dialectale de mots écrits et parlés. Nous discutons du rôle des dictionnaires dans la documentation de la langue, exposons les caractéristiques de l’Atlas, explorons l’intérêt qu’il pourrait présenter pour les différents types d’usagers, en particulier ceux qui apprennent la langue, et indiquons les directions que pourra prendre ce projet d’Atlas à l’avenir