Regine Eckardt
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199262601
- eISBN:
- 9780191718939
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199262601.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics
This book investigates meaning change in grammaticalization in terms of truth conditional semantics and a well-explicated syntax-semantics interface. Following a survey of earlier theories of ...
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This book investigates meaning change in grammaticalization in terms of truth conditional semantics and a well-explicated syntax-semantics interface. Following a survey of earlier theories of grammaticalization, particularly those that focus on the meaning side, four major case studies of meaning change in grammaticalization probe the hypothesis that this type of change is best viewed as a restructuring at the syntax-semantics interface. The case studies cover the emergence of going to future in English, the negation particles in French, the emergence of the scalar particle selbst (even) in German as well as the quasi determiner lauter (many/only) in German. Each study starts with a presentation of data that illustrates the change in question, and lists open issues about these data that could not be answered (or even formulated) in earlier theoretical frameworks. A careful investigation of the neat interplay of syntax and semantics in the phase of change demonstrates that speakers ingenuously exploit the structures of language in order to adjust it to new needs, while at the same time keeping it a well-defined tool of communication.Less
This book investigates meaning change in grammaticalization in terms of truth conditional semantics and a well-explicated syntax-semantics interface. Following a survey of earlier theories of grammaticalization, particularly those that focus on the meaning side, four major case studies of meaning change in grammaticalization probe the hypothesis that this type of change is best viewed as a restructuring at the syntax-semantics interface. The case studies cover the emergence of going to future in English, the negation particles in French, the emergence of the scalar particle selbst (even) in German as well as the quasi determiner lauter (many/only) in German. Each study starts with a presentation of data that illustrates the change in question, and lists open issues about these data that could not be answered (or even formulated) in earlier theoretical frameworks. A careful investigation of the neat interplay of syntax and semantics in the phase of change demonstrates that speakers ingenuously exploit the structures of language in order to adjust it to new needs, while at the same time keeping it a well-defined tool of communication.
Peter W. Culicover and Ray Jackendoff
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199271092
- eISBN:
- 9780191709418
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199271092.003.0005
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter develops a competence theory of the syntax-semantics interface. The interface is described in terms of how semantics is mapped to syntax. Thus, the problem to be addressed is: given a ...
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This chapter develops a competence theory of the syntax-semantics interface. The interface is described in terms of how semantics is mapped to syntax. Thus, the problem to be addressed is: given a conceptual structure CS that needs to be expressed linguistically, how do the interface and the autonomous principles of syntax construct a syntactic structure SS in correspondence with CS? The opposite direction, mapping from syntax to semantics, will be shown to follow unproblematically from eventual formulation of the principles.Less
This chapter develops a competence theory of the syntax-semantics interface. The interface is described in terms of how semantics is mapped to syntax. Thus, the problem to be addressed is: given a conceptual structure CS that needs to be expressed linguistically, how do the interface and the autonomous principles of syntax construct a syntactic structure SS in correspondence with CS? The opposite direction, mapping from syntax to semantics, will be shown to follow unproblematically from eventual formulation of the principles.
Peter W. Culicover and Ray Jackendoff
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199271092
- eISBN:
- 9780191709418
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199271092.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter begins with a discussion of the simpler syntax hypothesis (SSH). It argues that given some phenomenon that has provided putative evidence for elaborate syntactic structure, there exists ...
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This chapter begins with a discussion of the simpler syntax hypothesis (SSH). It argues that given some phenomenon that has provided putative evidence for elaborate syntactic structure, there exists numerous examples which involve semantic or pragmatic factors, and such factors are either impossible to code uniformly into a reasonable syntactic level, or impossible to convert into surface structure by suitably general syntactic derivation. The Bare Argument Ellipsis, goals of linguistic theory, the architecture of grammar, and core grammar and its relation to universal grammar, are discussed.Less
This chapter begins with a discussion of the simpler syntax hypothesis (SSH). It argues that given some phenomenon that has provided putative evidence for elaborate syntactic structure, there exists numerous examples which involve semantic or pragmatic factors, and such factors are either impossible to code uniformly into a reasonable syntactic level, or impossible to convert into surface structure by suitably general syntactic derivation. The Bare Argument Ellipsis, goals of linguistic theory, the architecture of grammar, and core grammar and its relation to universal grammar, are discussed.
Regine Eckardt
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199262601
- eISBN:
- 9780191718939
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199262601.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics
This chapter formulates the main hypothesis of the book: meaning change in grammaticalization needs to be investigated in terms of an explicit theory of the syntax-semantics interface. Specifically, ...
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This chapter formulates the main hypothesis of the book: meaning change in grammaticalization needs to be investigated in terms of an explicit theory of the syntax-semantics interface. Specifically, the semantic representation needs to allow for content words as well as functional words and modes of semantic composition. It is argued that truth conditional semantics is presently the most promising theory for this task.Less
This chapter formulates the main hypothesis of the book: meaning change in grammaticalization needs to be investigated in terms of an explicit theory of the syntax-semantics interface. Specifically, the semantic representation needs to allow for content words as well as functional words and modes of semantic composition. It is argued that truth conditional semantics is presently the most promising theory for this task.
Ash Asudeh
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199206421
- eISBN:
- 9780191738081
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199206421.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics, Syntax and Morphology
This book is a cross-linguistic investigation of resumptive pronouns and related phenomena. Pronominal resumption is the realization of the base of a syntactic dependency as a bound pronoun. ...
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This book is a cross-linguistic investigation of resumptive pronouns and related phenomena. Pronominal resumption is the realization of the base of a syntactic dependency as a bound pronoun. Resumption occurs in unbounded dependencies, such as relative clauses and questions, and in the variety of raising known as copy raising. Processing factors may also give rise to resumption, even in environments where it does not normally occur in a given language. A new theory of resumption is proposed that is based on two key assumptions, one theoretical and one empirical/typological. The first assumption is that natural language is resource-sensitive (the Resource Sensitivity Hypothesis); this is captured through the use of a resource logic for semantic composition. The second assumption is that resumptive pronouns are ordinary pronouns in their morphological and lexical properties, based on typologically robust observations (McCloskey's Generalization). The theory is formalized in terms of Glue Semantics for semantic composition, with a Lexical-Functional Grammar syntax. The theory achieves a novel unification of hitherto heterogeneous resumption phenomena. It unifies two kinds of resumptive pronouns that are found in unbounded dependencies --- one kind behaves syntactically like a gap, whereas the other kind does not. It also unifies resumptive pronouns in unbounded dependencies with the obligatory pronouns in copy raising. The theory also provides the basis for a new understanding of processing-based resumption, both in production and in parsing and interpretation.Less
This book is a cross-linguistic investigation of resumptive pronouns and related phenomena. Pronominal resumption is the realization of the base of a syntactic dependency as a bound pronoun. Resumption occurs in unbounded dependencies, such as relative clauses and questions, and in the variety of raising known as copy raising. Processing factors may also give rise to resumption, even in environments where it does not normally occur in a given language. A new theory of resumption is proposed that is based on two key assumptions, one theoretical and one empirical/typological. The first assumption is that natural language is resource-sensitive (the Resource Sensitivity Hypothesis); this is captured through the use of a resource logic for semantic composition. The second assumption is that resumptive pronouns are ordinary pronouns in their morphological and lexical properties, based on typologically robust observations (McCloskey's Generalization). The theory is formalized in terms of Glue Semantics for semantic composition, with a Lexical-Functional Grammar syntax. The theory achieves a novel unification of hitherto heterogeneous resumption phenomena. It unifies two kinds of resumptive pronouns that are found in unbounded dependencies --- one kind behaves syntactically like a gap, whereas the other kind does not. It also unifies resumptive pronouns in unbounded dependencies with the obligatory pronouns in copy raising. The theory also provides the basis for a new understanding of processing-based resumption, both in production and in parsing and interpretation.
Montserrat Sanz
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199677139
- eISBN:
- 9780191756368
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199677139.003.0013
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Psycholinguistics / Neurolinguistics / Cognitive Linguistics, Theoretical Linguistics
This chapter reviews the 1990s debate within linguistics about the gradient difficulty of garden path phenomena, with some sentences being almost unprocessable and others quite natural structures. ...
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This chapter reviews the 1990s debate within linguistics about the gradient difficulty of garden path phenomena, with some sentences being almost unprocessable and others quite natural structures. The framing of the question―whether the gradient difficulty was due to thematic properties of the constituents or the syntactic properties of verbs―reflected the conception of the syntax–semantics interface at the time (a mapping between thematic roles and argument positions); but subsequent accounts of the interface, based on semantic features embedded in functional categories, allow an analysis in which event properties lie at the root of garden path phenomena. This raises the issue of the boundaries between syntactic and semantic constructs. Under the present linguistic framework, it is impossible to define pre-theoretically what a semantic, syntactic or lexical construct is. This has distanced linguistics from psycholinguistics, which uses constructs notions like thematic roles, which are processing, not linguistic, necessities.Less
This chapter reviews the 1990s debate within linguistics about the gradient difficulty of garden path phenomena, with some sentences being almost unprocessable and others quite natural structures. The framing of the question―whether the gradient difficulty was due to thematic properties of the constituents or the syntactic properties of verbs―reflected the conception of the syntax–semantics interface at the time (a mapping between thematic roles and argument positions); but subsequent accounts of the interface, based on semantic features embedded in functional categories, allow an analysis in which event properties lie at the root of garden path phenomena. This raises the issue of the boundaries between syntactic and semantic constructs. Under the present linguistic framework, it is impossible to define pre-theoretically what a semantic, syntactic or lexical construct is. This has distanced linguistics from psycholinguistics, which uses constructs notions like thematic roles, which are processing, not linguistic, necessities.
Ash Asudeh
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199206421
- eISBN:
- 9780191738081
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199206421.003.0005
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter is a detailed investigation of the resource logical basis of the Resource Sensitivity Hypothesis (RSH). I consider various theoretical proposals in linguistic theory which can either be ...
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This chapter is a detailed investigation of the resource logical basis of the Resource Sensitivity Hypothesis (RSH). I consider various theoretical proposals in linguistic theory which can either be reduced to resource sensitivity or can at least be understood in new terms based on RSH. I present a hierarchy of substructural logics and illustrate their linguistic relevance with respect to the combinatorics of three principal grammatical subsystems: phonology, syntax, and semantics. I motivate linear logic as the appropriate logic for the syntax–semantics interface and semantic composition. I discuss the consequences of its adoption for grammatical architecture. I consider how the choice of logic affects the relationship between Logical and Linguistic Resource Sensitivity. Despite initial appearances, Logical Resource Sensitivity is generally insufficient on its own to guarantee a useful notion of Linguistic Resource Sensitivity, which requires coupling of Logical Resource Sensitivity to a theory of natural language.Less
This chapter is a detailed investigation of the resource logical basis of the Resource Sensitivity Hypothesis (RSH). I consider various theoretical proposals in linguistic theory which can either be reduced to resource sensitivity or can at least be understood in new terms based on RSH. I present a hierarchy of substructural logics and illustrate their linguistic relevance with respect to the combinatorics of three principal grammatical subsystems: phonology, syntax, and semantics. I motivate linear logic as the appropriate logic for the syntax–semantics interface and semantic composition. I discuss the consequences of its adoption for grammatical architecture. I consider how the choice of logic affects the relationship between Logical and Linguistic Resource Sensitivity. Despite initial appearances, Logical Resource Sensitivity is generally insufficient on its own to guarantee a useful notion of Linguistic Resource Sensitivity, which requires coupling of Logical Resource Sensitivity to a theory of natural language.
Martin Everaert, Marijana Marelj, and Tal Siloni (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199602513
- eISBN:
- 9780191739200
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199602513.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology, Semantics and Pragmatics
Taking the unique perspective of Reinhart's Theta system (Reinhart 1991, 1996, 2000, 2002 et seq.) as its anchor, this book contributes to the understanding of the interface between the system of ...
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Taking the unique perspective of Reinhart's Theta system (Reinhart 1991, 1996, 2000, 2002 et seq.) as its anchor, this book contributes to the understanding of the interface between the system of concepts and the computational system directly, and the inference systems, indirectly. The volume presents the Theta system, evaluates its merits and shortcomings, and introduces proposals for its refinement, from both a theoretical and an experimental perspective. The fact that it nurtures an active dialogue between the competing lexicalist and syntactic approaches on a broad array of lexico-semantic issues gives this book an extra dimension. The authors are not only researchers adhering to different frameworks, but also researchers working in different fields (be it semantics, syntax, morphology, or language acquisition). In empirical terms, the volume not only examines some of the notorious puzzles from a new theoretical perspective, but also brings new data and findings to light.Less
Taking the unique perspective of Reinhart's Theta system (Reinhart 1991, 1996, 2000, 2002 et seq.) as its anchor, this book contributes to the understanding of the interface between the system of concepts and the computational system directly, and the inference systems, indirectly. The volume presents the Theta system, evaluates its merits and shortcomings, and introduces proposals for its refinement, from both a theoretical and an experimental perspective. The fact that it nurtures an active dialogue between the competing lexicalist and syntactic approaches on a broad array of lexico-semantic issues gives this book an extra dimension. The authors are not only researchers adhering to different frameworks, but also researchers working in different fields (be it semantics, syntax, morphology, or language acquisition). In empirical terms, the volume not only examines some of the notorious puzzles from a new theoretical perspective, but also brings new data and findings to light.
Robert Truswell
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199577774
- eISBN:
- 9780191725319
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577774.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology, Semantics and Pragmatics
This book proposes a novel, interface-based analysis of patterns of wh-movement in English in which constraints are stated over both syntactic and semantic representations. Firstly, a theory is ...
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This book proposes a novel, interface-based analysis of patterns of wh-movement in English in which constraints are stated over both syntactic and semantic representations. Firstly, a theory is presented of the internal structure of events as perceptual and cognitive units. The key question concerns the circumstances in which multiple smaller events, or subevents, can be perceived as jointly forming a single macroevent. Macroevent formation is possible if the subevents in question are perceived as related by one of two contingent relations, namely direct causation and enablement, where the latter is a relation holding among events that form part of an agent's plan. There is no single phrase-structural configuration which corresponds to enablement, so cognitive and semantic representations of event structure differ from syntactic representations of phrase structure in nontrivial ways. Certain patterns of extraction from adjuncts in English are amenable to simple descriptions stated over event-structural units and relations, but exhibit substantial differences from the patterns typically described by syntactic theories of locality. However, syntactic locality theories, as elaborated over the past 50 years, remain essential to an accurate description of the distribution of movement relations. The central challenge addressed by this work is therefore to allow syntactic and nonsyntactic factors to act jointly to constrain the syntactic operation of wh-movement without vitiating necessary assumptions about the modularity of the language faculty.Less
This book proposes a novel, interface-based analysis of patterns of wh-movement in English in which constraints are stated over both syntactic and semantic representations. Firstly, a theory is presented of the internal structure of events as perceptual and cognitive units. The key question concerns the circumstances in which multiple smaller events, or subevents, can be perceived as jointly forming a single macroevent. Macroevent formation is possible if the subevents in question are perceived as related by one of two contingent relations, namely direct causation and enablement, where the latter is a relation holding among events that form part of an agent's plan. There is no single phrase-structural configuration which corresponds to enablement, so cognitive and semantic representations of event structure differ from syntactic representations of phrase structure in nontrivial ways. Certain patterns of extraction from adjuncts in English are amenable to simple descriptions stated over event-structural units and relations, but exhibit substantial differences from the patterns typically described by syntactic theories of locality. However, syntactic locality theories, as elaborated over the past 50 years, remain essential to an accurate description of the distribution of movement relations. The central challenge addressed by this work is therefore to allow syntactic and nonsyntactic factors to act jointly to constrain the syntactic operation of wh-movement without vitiating necessary assumptions about the modularity of the language faculty.
Bridget Copley and Fabienne Martin
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- March 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199672073
- eISBN:
- 9780191751240
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199672073.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Psycholinguistics / Neurolinguistics / Cognitive Linguistics, Theoretical Linguistics
This chapter provides an introduction to the volume and to the topics discussed in later chapters. These topics include, in the first part of the book, theories of causation, formal semantics for ...
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This chapter provides an introduction to the volume and to the topics discussed in later chapters. These topics include, in the first part of the book, theories of causation, formal semantics for causal constructions, force dynamics, and modality and causation. The second half of the book looks at issues such as the syntax–semantics interface, causativization and event structure, inadvertent cause, and event-structural prominence and forces in verb meaning shifts. Data are drawn from a range of languages including Vietnamese, Hindi, and Tohono O’odham.Less
This chapter provides an introduction to the volume and to the topics discussed in later chapters. These topics include, in the first part of the book, theories of causation, formal semantics for causal constructions, force dynamics, and modality and causation. The second half of the book looks at issues such as the syntax–semantics interface, causativization and event structure, inadvertent cause, and event-structural prominence and forces in verb meaning shifts. Data are drawn from a range of languages including Vietnamese, Hindi, and Tohono O’odham.
Robert Truswell
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199577774
- eISBN:
- 9780191725319
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577774.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology, Semantics and Pragmatics
This chapter introduces the reader to the semantic and syntactic structures to be elaborated in subsequent chapters. It describes the basic problem of recognizing perceptual and cognitive units, and ...
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This chapter introduces the reader to the semantic and syntactic structures to be elaborated in subsequent chapters. It describes the basic problem of recognizing perceptual and cognitive units, and the relations among them. It then gives a brief history of the development of syntactic locality theory, with particular reference to constraints restricting extraction from adjuncts. The two major current positions, that adjuncts are strong islands or weak islands, are shown to be too restrictive and too permissive, respectively. Furthermore, four puzzles are introduced which suggest that patterns of extraction from adjuncts are at odds with the patterns described by typical locality constraints. The chapter ends by suggesting that the Single Event Condition, a constraint stated over events as perceptual and linguistic units, may usefully supplement locality theory in this area.Less
This chapter introduces the reader to the semantic and syntactic structures to be elaborated in subsequent chapters. It describes the basic problem of recognizing perceptual and cognitive units, and the relations among them. It then gives a brief history of the development of syntactic locality theory, with particular reference to constraints restricting extraction from adjuncts. The two major current positions, that adjuncts are strong islands or weak islands, are shown to be too restrictive and too permissive, respectively. Furthermore, four puzzles are introduced which suggest that patterns of extraction from adjuncts are at odds with the patterns described by typical locality constraints. The chapter ends by suggesting that the Single Event Condition, a constraint stated over events as perceptual and linguistic units, may usefully supplement locality theory in this area.
Antje Roßdeutscher
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- January 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199665266
- eISBN:
- 9780191748554
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199665266.003.0013
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology, Psycholinguistics / Neurolinguistics / Cognitive Linguistics
This chapter investigates the contribution of roots to the syntactic and semantic properties of verbs. The principal question is: how can the semantics of verbs be constructed from their roots? The ...
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This chapter investigates the contribution of roots to the syntactic and semantic properties of verbs. The principal question is: how can the semantics of verbs be constructed from their roots? The chapter constructs Discourse Representation Structures (DRS) from word-syntactic representation in the spirit of Distributed Morphology (DM). Roots can be considered to be events, stative properties, or entities: subtle differences show up when it comes to deciding how to implement the consequences of these three categories in a syntax-semantics interface.Less
This chapter investigates the contribution of roots to the syntactic and semantic properties of verbs. The principal question is: how can the semantics of verbs be constructed from their roots? The chapter constructs Discourse Representation Structures (DRS) from word-syntactic representation in the spirit of Distributed Morphology (DM). Roots can be considered to be events, stative properties, or entities: subtle differences show up when it comes to deciding how to implement the consequences of these three categories in a syntax-semantics interface.
Kook‐Hee Gil and George Tsoulas
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199692439
- eISBN:
- 9780191744891
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199692439.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics, Psycholinguistics / Neurolinguistics / Cognitive Linguistics
This chapter paints a general picture of the specific research background against which the papers in this volume were developed. Rather than focusing on specific issues relating to the chapters ...
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This chapter paints a general picture of the specific research background against which the papers in this volume were developed. Rather than focusing on specific issues relating to the chapters themselves we address some general issues in semantics, syntax, and morphology and summarize some general ideas in these areas, such as the structure of the clausal periphery and scope assignment, semantic parametrization and cross‐linguistic issues in semantics, etc. These are aspects of the research context instrumental, to varying degrees, in the development of the following chapters.Less
This chapter paints a general picture of the specific research background against which the papers in this volume were developed. Rather than focusing on specific issues relating to the chapters themselves we address some general issues in semantics, syntax, and morphology and summarize some general ideas in these areas, such as the structure of the clausal periphery and scope assignment, semantic parametrization and cross‐linguistic issues in semantics, etc. These are aspects of the research context instrumental, to varying degrees, in the development of the following chapters.
Daniel Gutzmann
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- March 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780198812128
- eISBN:
- 9780191850110
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198812128.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics, Syntax and Morphology
While the expressive function of natural language has received much attention in recent years, the role grammar plays in the interpretation of expressive items has mainly been neglected in the ...
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While the expressive function of natural language has received much attention in recent years, the role grammar plays in the interpretation of expressive items has mainly been neglected in the semantic and pragmatic literature. On the other hand, while there have been syntactic studies of some expressive phenomena they do not explicitly connect to recent developments in semantics. This book bridges this gap, showing that semantics and pragmatics alone cannot capture all grammatical particularities of expressive items and that expressivity has strong syntactic reflexes that interact with the semantic interpretation and account for the mismatches between the syntax and semantics of these phenomena. The main thesis he argues for—the hypothesis of expressive syntax—is that expressivity is a syntactic feature, on a par with other established syntactic features like tense or gender. Evidence for this claim is drawn from three detailed case studies of expressive phenomena: expressive adjectives, expressive intensifiers, and expressive vocatives. These expressions exhibit some puzzling properties and by developing an account of them employing minimalist approaches to syntactic features and agreement, the author shows that expressivity, as a syntactic feature, can partake in agreement operations, trigger movement, and syntactically be selected for. This not only provides indirect evidence for the hypothesis of expressive syntax and extends the usefulness of operations on syntactic features operation beyond their traditional domains, but also highlights the hidden role grammar may play for phenomena that are often considered to be solely semantic in nature.Less
While the expressive function of natural language has received much attention in recent years, the role grammar plays in the interpretation of expressive items has mainly been neglected in the semantic and pragmatic literature. On the other hand, while there have been syntactic studies of some expressive phenomena they do not explicitly connect to recent developments in semantics. This book bridges this gap, showing that semantics and pragmatics alone cannot capture all grammatical particularities of expressive items and that expressivity has strong syntactic reflexes that interact with the semantic interpretation and account for the mismatches between the syntax and semantics of these phenomena. The main thesis he argues for—the hypothesis of expressive syntax—is that expressivity is a syntactic feature, on a par with other established syntactic features like tense or gender. Evidence for this claim is drawn from three detailed case studies of expressive phenomena: expressive adjectives, expressive intensifiers, and expressive vocatives. These expressions exhibit some puzzling properties and by developing an account of them employing minimalist approaches to syntactic features and agreement, the author shows that expressivity, as a syntactic feature, can partake in agreement operations, trigger movement, and syntactically be selected for. This not only provides indirect evidence for the hypothesis of expressive syntax and extends the usefulness of operations on syntactic features operation beyond their traditional domains, but also highlights the hidden role grammar may play for phenomena that are often considered to be solely semantic in nature.
María J. Arche, Antonio Fábregas, and Rafael Marín (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- March 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780198829850
- eISBN:
- 9780191868344
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198829850.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology, Semantics and Pragmatics
Copular verbs and copular sentences have been for many years a central issue in the theoretical discussions about the nature of (light) verbs and other grammatical categories, the ingredients of ...
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Copular verbs and copular sentences have been for many years a central issue in the theoretical discussions about the nature of (light) verbs and other grammatical categories, the ingredients of predication structures, the properties of nominal categories, agreement, and the interaction between syntax and semantics at the level of clause structure. The current research on copulas has gone beyond the investigation of what kind of objects they are, and has implications for the nature of agreement and other formal processes in syntax and morphology, as well as proposals about the types of structure building operations available in natural languages, the types of features that lexical selection is sensitive to, and the possibility that languages have access to semantically-empty elements required for the satisfaction of purely formal properties. The twelve works included in this volume illustrate the state of the art of these discussions through the analysis of detailed patterns of data from a variety of languages.Less
Copular verbs and copular sentences have been for many years a central issue in the theoretical discussions about the nature of (light) verbs and other grammatical categories, the ingredients of predication structures, the properties of nominal categories, agreement, and the interaction between syntax and semantics at the level of clause structure. The current research on copulas has gone beyond the investigation of what kind of objects they are, and has implications for the nature of agreement and other formal processes in syntax and morphology, as well as proposals about the types of structure building operations available in natural languages, the types of features that lexical selection is sensitive to, and the possibility that languages have access to semantically-empty elements required for the satisfaction of purely formal properties. The twelve works included in this volume illustrate the state of the art of these discussions through the analysis of detailed patterns of data from a variety of languages.
Stephen Wechsler
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- April 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199279883
- eISBN:
- 9780191757563
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279883.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology, Psycholinguistics / Neurolinguistics / Cognitive Linguistics
The interface between word meaning and syntax is among the most controversial and elusive problems in contemporary linguistics. This book approaches the interface from both sides of the relation, and ...
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The interface between word meaning and syntax is among the most controversial and elusive problems in contemporary linguistics. This book approaches the interface from both sides of the relation, and surveys a range of views on the mapping between them, with an emphasis on lexical approaches to argument structure. The fundamental problem of word meaning is analyzed first, with discussions of vagueness and polysemy, including theories of sense extension, coercion, prototypes, probabilistic grammar, and mixed categories. This is complemented with a look at the roles of world knowledge and normative aspects of word meaning. The argument-taking properties of verbs and other predicators are surveyed, including description and analysis of subjectߝobject asymmetry, object omission and demotion, causative and inchoative alternations, other direct versus oblique alternations, unaccusativity, the representation of motion, and category conversions between verb and noun. Theories of lexical semantic structure, including thematic role types, proto-role properties, decomposition, mereologies, and measures of affectedness, are presented next. This is followed by a description of formal theories and frameworks for capturing the mapping from word meaning to syntactic structure, including LFG lexical mapping theory, HPSG, and Sign-Based Construction Grammar, as well as constructional and syntactic approaches. Arguments for lexicalist approaches to argument structure are presented in a special chapter. That chapter discusses the historical pendulum between lexical and phrasal approaches, neo-Davidsonianism, and other currently relevant aspects of the debate.Less
The interface between word meaning and syntax is among the most controversial and elusive problems in contemporary linguistics. This book approaches the interface from both sides of the relation, and surveys a range of views on the mapping between them, with an emphasis on lexical approaches to argument structure. The fundamental problem of word meaning is analyzed first, with discussions of vagueness and polysemy, including theories of sense extension, coercion, prototypes, probabilistic grammar, and mixed categories. This is complemented with a look at the roles of world knowledge and normative aspects of word meaning. The argument-taking properties of verbs and other predicators are surveyed, including description and analysis of subjectߝobject asymmetry, object omission and demotion, causative and inchoative alternations, other direct versus oblique alternations, unaccusativity, the representation of motion, and category conversions between verb and noun. Theories of lexical semantic structure, including thematic role types, proto-role properties, decomposition, mereologies, and measures of affectedness, are presented next. This is followed by a description of formal theories and frameworks for capturing the mapping from word meaning to syntactic structure, including LFG lexical mapping theory, HPSG, and Sign-Based Construction Grammar, as well as constructional and syntactic approaches. Arguments for lexicalist approaches to argument structure are presented in a special chapter. That chapter discusses the historical pendulum between lexical and phrasal approaches, neo-Davidsonianism, and other currently relevant aspects of the debate.
Isabelle Roy
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- May 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199543540
- eISBN:
- 9780191747151
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199543540.003.0004
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Theoretical Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter deals with the internal structure of nonverbal predicates and argues specifically that maximality is associated with the projection of a Number Phrase, whereas density is associated with ...
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This chapter deals with the internal structure of nonverbal predicates and argues specifically that maximality is associated with the projection of a Number Phrase, whereas density is associated with the projection of a Classifier Phrase, building in part on Borer (2005). The evidence presented supports a very strong correlation between semantics and syntax. All differences between the three types of predicates (i.e., defining, characterizing, and situation-descriptive) are reducible to the differences in their respective internal structure: defining predicates are interpreted as maximal and structurally NumPs; characterizing predicates are interpreted as non-dense and structurally ClPs; while situation-descriptive predicates are dense and structurally devoid of either a Num or Cl projection.Less
This chapter deals with the internal structure of nonverbal predicates and argues specifically that maximality is associated with the projection of a Number Phrase, whereas density is associated with the projection of a Classifier Phrase, building in part on Borer (2005). The evidence presented supports a very strong correlation between semantics and syntax. All differences between the three types of predicates (i.e., defining, characterizing, and situation-descriptive) are reducible to the differences in their respective internal structure: defining predicates are interpreted as maximal and structurally NumPs; characterizing predicates are interpreted as non-dense and structurally ClPs; while situation-descriptive predicates are dense and structurally devoid of either a Num or Cl projection.
Wei-Tien Dylan Tsai
Audrey Li and Andrew Simpson (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- November 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199945658
- eISBN:
- 9780190201104
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199945658.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This book focuses on the cross-linguistic comparison of Chinese with other languages. It contains 16 chapters comparing specific major phenomena in Chinese syntax with corresponding ones in at least ...
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This book focuses on the cross-linguistic comparison of Chinese with other languages. It contains 16 chapters comparing specific major phenomena in Chinese syntax with corresponding ones in at least one other language, in many cases with other languages of Asia as well as Europe, North America, and Africa. This volume presents fresh perspectives on major syntactic issues in Chinese and what the study of Chinese can offer to linguists working on other, genetically unrelated languages. The volume also serves as a Festschrift dedicated to commemorating the work of Professor C.-T. James Huang of Harvard University as he reached the age of 65. For over three decades, Jim Huang has been the most influential of generative linguists active in the study of Chinese, consistently demonstrating how aspects of the structure of Chinese reveal broader properties of Universal Grammar. Without his pioneering research and leading the development of the study of Chinese theoretical syntax, such a field would not exist in the rich way we presently know it. Jim has impacted linguistic research in important ways since the 1980’s and is still producing highly influential works. His latest significant work Syntactic Analyticity and Parametric Theory has already generated great excitement in the field and extensive reference to the paper even when circulated as an unpublished manuscript.Less
This book focuses on the cross-linguistic comparison of Chinese with other languages. It contains 16 chapters comparing specific major phenomena in Chinese syntax with corresponding ones in at least one other language, in many cases with other languages of Asia as well as Europe, North America, and Africa. This volume presents fresh perspectives on major syntactic issues in Chinese and what the study of Chinese can offer to linguists working on other, genetically unrelated languages. The volume also serves as a Festschrift dedicated to commemorating the work of Professor C.-T. James Huang of Harvard University as he reached the age of 65. For over three decades, Jim Huang has been the most influential of generative linguists active in the study of Chinese, consistently demonstrating how aspects of the structure of Chinese reveal broader properties of Universal Grammar. Without his pioneering research and leading the development of the study of Chinese theoretical syntax, such a field would not exist in the rich way we presently know it. Jim has impacted linguistic research in important ways since the 1980’s and is still producing highly influential works. His latest significant work Syntactic Analyticity and Parametric Theory has already generated great excitement in the field and extensive reference to the paper even when circulated as an unpublished manuscript.
Gillian Ramchand
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780262037754
- eISBN:
- 9780262345880
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262037754.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
Syntax has shown that there is a hierarchical ordering of projections within the verb phrase, although researchers differ with respect to how fine grained they assume the hierarchy to be). This book ...
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Syntax has shown that there is a hierarchical ordering of projections within the verb phrase, although researchers differ with respect to how fine grained they assume the hierarchy to be). This book explores the hierarchy of the verb phrase from a semantic perspective, attempting to derive it from semantically sorted zones in the compositional semantics. The empirical ground is the auxiliary ordering found in the grammar of English. A new theory of semantic zones is proposed and formalized, and explicit semantic and morphological analyses are presented of all the auxiliary constructions of English that derive their rigid order of composition without recourse to lexical item specific ordering statements.Less
Syntax has shown that there is a hierarchical ordering of projections within the verb phrase, although researchers differ with respect to how fine grained they assume the hierarchy to be). This book explores the hierarchy of the verb phrase from a semantic perspective, attempting to derive it from semantically sorted zones in the compositional semantics. The empirical ground is the auxiliary ordering found in the grammar of English. A new theory of semantic zones is proposed and formalized, and explicit semantic and morphological analyses are presented of all the auxiliary constructions of English that derive their rigid order of composition without recourse to lexical item specific ordering statements.
Michael Glanzberg
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780199664986
- eISBN:
- 9780191748530
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199664986.003.0007
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics, Sociolinguistics / Anthropological Linguistics
This chapter raises a puzzle derived from some recent observations about discourse-initial contexts. Many phenomena, loosely characterizable as anaphoric, tend to be infelicitous in discourse-initial ...
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This chapter raises a puzzle derived from some recent observations about discourse-initial contexts. Many phenomena, loosely characterizable as anaphoric, tend to be infelicitous in discourse-initial contexts. Varieties of ellipsis provide the examples I shall focus on in this note. Though it has sometimes been argued that ellipsis requires explicit linguistic antecedents, a significant body of recent literature has shown that, with the right contextual background, discourse-initial occurrences can be acceptable. But, this chapter argues, these facts raise a further puzzle. Cases where ellipsis is acceptable in discourse-initial contexts typically require very heavy contextual set-up. Yet prior discourse easily supports ellipsis, without providing the same sort of information that heavy contextual set-up does. The puzzle, then, is why ellipsis is so easy in non-discourse-initial contexts. Why does simply uttering a sentence—merely creating so much noise—do the job that otherwise can be done only by heavy contextual set-up? The main goal of this note is to present this puzzle, but it concludes with some speculation about where an answer might be found, suggesting a role for sentence processing.Less
This chapter raises a puzzle derived from some recent observations about discourse-initial contexts. Many phenomena, loosely characterizable as anaphoric, tend to be infelicitous in discourse-initial contexts. Varieties of ellipsis provide the examples I shall focus on in this note. Though it has sometimes been argued that ellipsis requires explicit linguistic antecedents, a significant body of recent literature has shown that, with the right contextual background, discourse-initial occurrences can be acceptable. But, this chapter argues, these facts raise a further puzzle. Cases where ellipsis is acceptable in discourse-initial contexts typically require very heavy contextual set-up. Yet prior discourse easily supports ellipsis, without providing the same sort of information that heavy contextual set-up does. The puzzle, then, is why ellipsis is so easy in non-discourse-initial contexts. Why does simply uttering a sentence—merely creating so much noise—do the job that otherwise can be done only by heavy contextual set-up? The main goal of this note is to present this puzzle, but it concludes with some speculation about where an answer might be found, suggesting a role for sentence processing.
