Search Results

Syntactic Categories and Semantic Relativity

William Croft

in Radical Construction Grammar: Syntactic Theory in Typological Perspective

Radical Construction Grammar, like other construction grammars, treats constructions as pairings of form and meaning, and like typology, uses meaning as the basis for crosslinguistic comparison. ... More

Radical Construction Grammar, like other construction grammars, treats constructions as pairings of form and meaning, and like typology, uses meaning as the basis for crosslinguistic comparison. Semantic or linguistic relativity poses a potential problem for Radical Construction Grammar, because it hypothesizes that meaning varies depending on the formal constructions used. This chapter argues that arguments for semantic relativity contain several hidden assumptions which are implausible: contrast across languages implies contrast within a language; semantic analyses always involve monosemy, not polysemy; linguistic analyses must avoid syntagmatic semantic redundancy; and one can only posit a relativistic analysis of one part of a construction by assuming a universal analysis of another part of the construction (the Semantic Uncertainty Principle). Instead, grammatical differences are the result of different patterns of semantic extension and grammaticalization, and semantic change eventually reasserts the universal semantics of particular situation types.Less

Modality and Semantic Change

Heiko Narrog

in Modality, Subjectivity, and Semantic Change: A Cross-Linguistic Perspective

After clarifying basic terms and concepts in the area of semantic change in section 1, extant hypotheses on semantic change in modality are discussed in section 2. Section 3 presents a personal view ... More

After clarifying basic terms and concepts in the area of semantic change in section 1, extant hypotheses on semantic change in modality are discussed in section 2. Section 3 presents a personal view of semantic change in modality, which is defined by the following overall tendencies: first, semantic change as category climbing, that is, change from lower to higher categories in semantic and syntactic hierarchical clause structures, and second, increase in speech‐act‐orientation, including speaker‐orientation (subjectivity), hearer‐orientation (intersubjectivity), and discourse‐orientation.Less

Conclusions

Heiko Narrog

in Modality, Subjectivity, and Semantic Change: A Cross-Linguistic Perspective

This chapter summarizes the preceding discussions and presents some concluding thoughts. It was the goal of this study to provide a new overall model for modal meanings and semantic change in the ... More

This chapter summarizes the preceding discussions and presents some concluding thoughts. It was the goal of this study to provide a new overall model for modal meanings and semantic change in the area of verbal categories in general. In a limited space, only a limited amount of topics and data could be discussed. Language change takes place within specific discourse and social contexts. The cross-linguistic approach of this study can only complement but not take the place of detailed corpus-based studies on specific forms and constructions in specific languages. Nevertheless, it is hoped that the framework espoused here is compatible with a wider range of language data than are previous models and hypotheses, and that it should be useful for the analysis of semantic change in modality and other verbal categories on a micro-level as well.Less

Introduction

Heiko Narrog

in Modality, Subjectivity, and Semantic Change: A Cross-Linguistic Perspective

Goals of this book — theoretical orientation/principles of the approach

Lecture II, 26

David Langslow

in Jacob Wackernagel, Lectures on Syntax: With Special Reference to Greek, Latin, and Germanic

Lectures 22–5 are devoted to the use of prepositions in combination with case-forms. Lecture 22 addresses their placement before or (in anastrophe) after the noun, in a noun phrase, in a string of ... More

Lectures 22–5 are devoted to the use of prepositions in combination with case-forms. Lecture 22 addresses their placement before or (in anastrophe) after the noun, in a noun phrase, in a string of nouns in coordination, or fixed in old combinations. There follow (Lecture 23) some general remarks on the cases governed by prepositions,with special attention to the genitive in Greek, the ablative in Latin, and the accusative in both. Lecture 24 covers the general tendency towards increased use of prepositional expressions, and, on the other hand, the use of certain case-forms without prepositions. Combinations of preposition + adverb, and the occurrence and ordering of strings of more than one preposition/preverb are treated in Lecture 25. The last lecture in this chapter (Lecture 26) is on the meaning — and change of meaning — of individual prepositions. Some general remarks on semantic change are followed by two case-studies (Gk πρό and μετά).Less

Lecture II, 23

David Langslow

in Jacob Wackernagel, Lectures on Syntax: With Special Reference to Greek, Latin, and Germanic

Lectures 22–5 are devoted to the use of prepositions in combination with case-forms. Lecture 22 addresses their placement before or (in anastrophe) after the noun,in a noun phrase, in a string of ... More

Lectures 22–5 are devoted to the use of prepositions in combination with case-forms. Lecture 22 addresses their placement before or (in anastrophe) after the noun,in a noun phrase, in a string of nouns in coordination, or fixed in old combinations. There follow (Lecture 23) some general remarks on the cases governed by prepositions, with special attention to the genitive in Greek, the ablative in Latin, and the accusative in both. Lecture 24 covers the general tendency towards increased use of prepositional expressions, and, on the other hand, the use of certain case-forms without prepositions. Combinations of preposition + adverb, and the occurrence and ordering of strings of more than one preposition/preverb are treated in Lecture 25. The last lecture in this chapter (Lecture 26) is on the meaning — and change of meaning — of individual prepositions. Some general remarks on semantic change are followed by two case-studies (Gk πρό and μετά).Less

Illustrating the Model: Some Case Studies

Heiko Narrog

in Modality, Subjectivity, and Semantic Change: A Cross-Linguistic Perspective

This chapter illustrates the model of semantic change in modality as proposed in the previous chapter with a number of case studies, including English can, Spanish capaz, and a fair number of ... More

This chapter illustrates the model of semantic change in modality as proposed in the previous chapter with a number of case studies, including English can, Spanish capaz, and a fair number of Japanese modal markers. It is demonstrated that in each of the cases presented the model proposed here captures the documented changes well, while previous models would fail to do so.Less

Schematic Structure, Hebbian Learning, and Semantic Change

Vsevolod Kapatsinski

in Changing Minds Changing Tools: From Learning Theory to Language Acquisition to Language Change

This chapter aims to explain some trends in semantic change with Hebbian learning. Semantic broadening observed in grammaticalization is argued to be seeded by speakers when they select frequent ... More

This chapter aims to explain some trends in semantic change with Hebbian learning. Semantic broadening observed in grammaticalization is argued to be seeded by speakers when they select frequent forms for production over less accessible competitors, even though the meaning they are trying to express is merely similar to the meanings the frequent form was experienced in. Extension of frequent forms in production co-exists with entrenchment (the suspicious coincidence effect) in comprehension. The entrenchment effect in comprehension rules out a habituation account of the semantic change. The form a speaker is most likely to extend to a new meaning in production is often the form they are least likely to map onto that meaning in comprehension. A range of Hebbian models of these processes is developed. All such models are shown to predict the comprehension-production dissociation under default assumptions regarding salience differences between absent and present cues. Certain aspects of the results are shown to be problematic for error-driven models (Rescorla-Wagner), at least if learning rate is fast enough to give rise to their signature blocking effect. Finally, an account of accessibility in an associative framework is developed.Less

Lecture II, 22

David Langslow

in Jacob Wackernagel, Lectures on Syntax: With Special Reference to Greek, Latin, and Germanic

Lectures 22–5 are devoted to the use of prepositions in combination with case-forms. Lecture 22 addresses their placement before or (in anastrophe) after the noun, in a noun phrase, in a string of ... More

Lectures 22–5 are devoted to the use of prepositions in combination with case-forms. Lecture 22 addresses their placement before or (in anastrophe) after the noun, in a noun phrase, in a string of nouns in coordination, or fixed in old combinations. There follow (Lecture 23) some general remarks on the cases governed by prepositions, with special attention to the genitive in Greek, the ablative in Latin, and the accusative in both. Lecture 24 covers the general tendency towards increased use of prepositional expressions, and, on the other hand, the use of certain case-forms without prepositions. Combinations of preposition + adverb, and the occurrence and ordering of strings of more than one preposition/preverb are treated in Lecture 25. The last lecture in this chapter (Lecture 26) is on the meaning — and change of meaning — of individual prepositions. Some general remarks on semantic change are followed by two case-studies (Gk πρό and μετά).Less

Lecture II, 24

David Langslow

in Jacob Wackernagel, Lectures on Syntax: With Special Reference to Greek, Latin, and Germanic

Lectures 22–5 are devoted to the use of prepositions in combination with case-forms. Lecture 22 addresses their placement before or (in anastrophe) after the noun, in a noun phrase,in a string of ... More

Lectures 22–5 are devoted to the use of prepositions in combination with case-forms. Lecture 22 addresses their placement before or (in anastrophe) after the noun, in a noun phrase,in a string of nouns in coordination, or fixed in old combinations. There follow (Lecture 23) some general remarks on the cases governed by prepositions, with special attention to the genitive in Greek, the ablative in Latin, and the accusative in both. Lecture 24 covers the general tendency towards increased use of prepositional expressions, and, on the other hand, the use of certain case-forms without prepositions. Combinations of preposition + adverb, and the occurrence and ordering of strings of more than one preposition/preverb are treated in Lecture 25. The last lecture in this chapter (Lecture 26) is on the meaning — and change of meaning — of individual prepositions. Some general remarks on semantic change are followed by two case-studies (Gk πρό and μετά).Less

Lecture II, 25

David Langslow

in Jacob Wackernagel, Lectures on Syntax: With Special Reference to Greek, Latin, and Germanic

Lectures 22–5 are devoted to the use of prepositions in combination with case-forms. Lecture 22 addresses their placement before or (in anastrophe) after the noun, in a noun phrase, in a string of ... More

Lectures 22–5 are devoted to the use of prepositions in combination with case-forms. Lecture 22 addresses their placement before or (in anastrophe) after the noun, in a noun phrase, in a string of nouns in coordination,or fixed in old combinations. There follow (Lecture 23) some general remarks on the cases governed by prepositions, with special attention to the genitive in Greek, the ablative in Latin, and the accusative in both. Lecture 24 covers the general tendency towards increased use of prepositional expressions, and, on the other hand, the use of certain case-forms without prepositions. Combinations of preposition + adverb, and the occurrence and ordering of strings of more than one preposition/preverb are treated in Lecture 25. The last lecture in this chapter (Lecture 26) is on the meaning — and change of meaning — of individual prepositions. Some general remarks on semantic change are followed by two case-studies (Gk πρό and μετά).Less

Historical development of pragmatic scalar modifiers

Osamu Sawada

in Pragmatic Aspects of Scalar Modifiers: The Semantics-Pragmatics Interface

Chapter 9 considers the development of pragmatic scalar modifiers from a historical point of view. The main point is that although the directionality of the semantic change of scalar modifiers can be ... More

Chapter 9 considers the development of pragmatic scalar modifiers from a historical point of view. The main point is that although the directionality of the semantic change of scalar modifiers can be captured under a general path of semantic change or grammaticalization (i.e. propositional $>$ (textual) $>$ expressive; Traugott 1982), the semantic shift of scalar modifiers is not lexically at random. The chapter argues that semantic change in scalar modifiers is constrained or regulated by their lexical and morphosyntactic properties. At the lexical level, this constraint means that semantic change does not occur if the source meaning does not fit with an expressive mode. At the morphosyntactic level, there is a general constraint that the elements used for expressing a particular CI meaning must form a constituent. Finally, the relationship between syntactic change and semantic change is also discussed.Less

Vocabulary and discourse features

Sandra Clarke and Andrew Erskine

in Newfoundland and Labrador English

Despite some lexical similarities with the neighbouring Maritime Provinces of Canada, Newfoundland English has a sufficiently distinctive lexicon to have merited its own dictionary. Chapter 4 ... More

Despite some lexical similarities with the neighbouring Maritime Provinces of Canada, Newfoundland English has a sufficiently distinctive lexicon to have merited its own dictionary. Chapter 4 documents and illustrates the main sources of this distinctiveness. These include retention of lexical items that represent archaisms elsewhere; preservation of much West Country English regional vocabulary; lexical borrowing from Irish Gaelic; and borrowing (of place names in particular) from French, as well as from the province’s aboriginal languages (Mi’kmaq, Innu-aimun, Inuktitut). The chapter also discusses neologisms and lexical loss, as well as regional variation. In addition, it outlines the chief processes underlying semantic change in Newfoundland English, much of which involves maritime-related vocabulary. Discourse features covered include terms of address and discourse particles.Less

Meanings are layered

N. J. Enfield

in The Utility of Meaning: What Words Mean and Why

This chapter introduces basic distinctions in the study of linguistic meaning, including the structure of the sign, the distinction between semantics and pragmatics, the need to distinguish between ... More

This chapter introduces basic distinctions in the study of linguistic meaning, including the structure of the sign, the distinction between semantics and pragmatics, the need to distinguish between senses of the term ‘extension’ in meaning, and the relation between synchronic and diachronic perspectives on linguistic meaning. The concept of polysemy is defined. This term refers to the situation in which a word has more than one meaning, where these two meanings are judged to be related. The chapter looks at some current ideas about polysemy, and offers a critique of certain approaches, including a confusion between linguistics and metalinguistics. Some basic concepts in the theory and description of semantic change are introduced, with special reference to the problem of multiple meanings. The concept of ‘bridging context’ is defined, and discussed with reference to grammaticalization. Some methodological issues are discussed.Less

Connectives

Patrícia Amaral and Manuel Delicado Cantero

in Noun-Based Constructions in the History of Portuguese and Spanish

This chapter investigates the role played by the nouns embargo and pena in the development of the connectives sin/sem embargo (de que) and so(b) pena de (que) in Spanish and Portuguese. This ... More

This chapter investigates the role played by the nouns embargo and pena in the development of the connectives sin/sem embargo (de que) and so(b) pena de (que) in Spanish and Portuguese. This comparison shows that a sweeping change that affected clause structure in both languages in the 15th and 16th centuries affected both the analyzed nouns and the complex constructions in which they were embedded. The development of both connectives follows the same chronology, demonstrating that the properties of the nouns involved were not entirely lost as the complex expression was created. This chapter provides evidence for a more compositional view of constructions than is often assumed in the literature, as well as for patterns of semantic change characterizing the creation of connectives in the semantic domains of concession and conditionality.Less

Conclusion

Uta Reinöhl

in Grammaticalization and the Rise of Configurationality in Indo-Aryan

The conclusion reviews the central findings of this study. First and foremost, it emphasizes that semantic changes are the ones to induce the emergence of phrase structure, as outlined in Chapter 7. ... More

The conclusion reviews the central findings of this study. First and foremost, it emphasizes that semantic changes are the ones to induce the emergence of phrase structure, as outlined in Chapter 7. The various aspects discussed in previous chapters—which had to be clarified before turning to the central transition from group to phrase—are summarized. These aspects are the lack of a connection to the local particles (Chapter 4), the identification of the source constructions (Chapter 5), and explorations regarding the roots of the postpositional syntagmatics (Chapter 6). Above and beyond these explorations into the grammaticalization of individual constructions, insights gained regarding the paradigmatization of the various elements involved into a single functional class, as outlined in Chapter 8 are added. It is concluded that all formal developments can ultimately be traced back to changes in the meaning and usage of the elements and structures studied.Less

From English to French: The Making of New Words

Valérie Saugera

in Remade in France: Anglicisms in the Lexicon and Morphology of French

The chapter presents a brief history of the contact of French with English, from 18th-century Anglomania to the global English of the turn of the 21st century, in order to contextualize the ... More

The chapter presents a brief history of the contact of French with English, from 18th-century Anglomania to the global English of the turn of the 21st century, in order to contextualize the singularity of the latest contact period. It then chronicles the changes that commonly occur as donor words become new French words. These changes, illustrated with many borrowed items from the period of virtual contact (1990–2015), can be classified as grammatical shift, semantic shift, stylistic shift, and connotative shift. Beyond demonstrating that an English etymon masks heterogeneous types of French Anglicisms, an up-to-date typology shows how English morphemes are used in novel word-formation devices, such as serial bilingual compounds. The borrowing of phrases plays a marginal yet innovative role in French, including emphasis and punning, and raises the issue of typologies for borrowed/neological phrases.Less