Expletives In Existentials

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Existentials and Locatives in Romance Dialects of Italy

Author : Delia Bentley,Francesco Maria Ciconte,Silvio Cruschina
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 331 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2015
Category : Foreign Language Study
ISBN : 9780198745266

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Existentials and Locatives in Romance Dialects of Italy by Delia Bentley,Francesco Maria Ciconte,Silvio Cruschina Pdf

This volume provides the first ever large-scale comparative treatment of there sentences (there copula NP), reporting the results of a survey of Italo-Romance and Sardinian dialects of Italy. The volume comprises detailed discussions of focus structure, predication and argument realization, the definiteness effects, and the linking from semantics to syntax in there sentences, advancing novel proposals in each case. The testing of influential hypotheses on existential constructions against first-hand dialect evidence leads the book to argue that existential and locative there sentences differ in focus structure and semantics, although their not being predicate focus constructions and the non-canonicality of the predicate?which is typically referential'is reflected in their shared morphosyntactic features. The hypothesis that the pivot is the predicate of the existential construction is adopted in the analysis, although a distinction is drawn between referential and non-referential pivots, which explains variation in pivot behaviour in morphosyntax. The volume also provides the historical background of Romance there sentences, relying on the findings of the analysis of a substantial corpus of early Italo-Romance vernacular texts.

Expletives in Existentials

Author : Jutta Hartmann
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 313 pages
File Size : 47,6 Mb
Release : 2008
Category : English language
ISBN : 907832855X

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Expletives in Existentials by Jutta Hartmann Pdf

"This thesis refutes the generally accepted claim within Generative Grammar that English there is an expletive (meaningless element) that is only present to satisfy a syntactic requirement. Instead it is argued that there is a proform that picks up a situation (or location) from the context. There is a part of the predication structure in existential sentences, which state about the situation that it contains an individual (or amount of a property) specified by the postverbal noun phrase. New data that are relevant for the definiteness effect are presented and it is demonstrated that we need to distinguish between two types of there-sentences: the results of a Magnitude Estimation Experiment for example show that these so-called there-BE and there-V sentences behave differently with respect to wh-movement (among other differences). Therefore, the two construction types are analysed differently: in there-BE sentences, there is proposed to function as the subject of predication, whereas it functions as the predicate in there-V sentences (just like in the locative inversion construction). The thesis concludes with applying the result of the investigation of English there to German da, and shows that also da is a proform that can pick up locations, times and complex situations in the context. The study offers new insights into the analysis of existential sentences and has implications for the analysis of potential subject positions, the EPP, and the classification of expletives in the Germanic languages. It is therefore interesting for scholars working in these fields and syntax in general."--P. [4] of cover.

Impersonal Constructions

Author : Andre? L?vovich Mal?chukov,Anna Siewierska
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing
Page : 653 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2011
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789027205919

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Impersonal Constructions by Andre? L?vovich Mal?chukov,Anna Siewierska Pdf

Features the contributions that deal with various types of impersonality, namely constructions featuring nonagentive subjects, including those with experiential predicates, presentational constructions with a notional subject deficient in topicality, and constructions with a notional subject lacking in referential properties.

Building Predicates

Author : Justin Nuger
Publisher : Springer
Page : 330 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2016-08-01
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9783319286822

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Building Predicates by Justin Nuger Pdf

This volume provides a comprehensive analysis of the syntax of Palauan that will appeal to anyone interested in Austronesian languages or formal syntactic and morphological theory. This volume proposes that words in Palauan are not drawn directly from a mental lexicon, but are instead composed at least partially in the syntax. Using original data from syntactic constructions not previously explored in the language, the author entertains several competing theories of word formation and highlights the compatible and incompatible aspects of each, through an exploration into new corners of Palauan syntax and morphology.

A Typological Study of the Existential Clause

Author : Wang Yong
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 209 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2024-06-21
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781040051351

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A Typological Study of the Existential Clause by Wang Yong Pdf

This book investigates the existential clause (EC) from a cross-linguistic perspective and within the framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics. The prototypical EC in the less familiar languages is identified through its functional equivalents in the more familiar ones, which share the common semantic basis of ‘there exists something in some location’. Topics addressed include the morpho-syntactic features of the EC, the subject of the EC, the definiteness effect and its manifestations in the EC, the EC as impersonals, the distinction between entity- vs. event-existentials, and the EC and its related constructions. Drawing on both cross-linguistic observations based on the language sample and in-depth investigations in particular languages (e.g., in Chinese and English), the study aims to unravel how the lexico-grammar of EC is related to its meanings and functions, that is, how meaning is realised in form. The title will appeal to scholars and students in the field of linguistics, especially functional linguistics, and syntax.

Diachronic Syntax

Author : Susan Pintzuk,George Tsoulas,Anthony Warner
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 396 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2000
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 0198250274

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Diachronic Syntax by Susan Pintzuk,George Tsoulas,Anthony Warner Pdf

This text reflects developing trends in linguistic research, specifically the study of syntax and its pivotal position in current theories of language acquisition.

A Comparative Grammar of Borgomanerese

Author : Christina Tortora
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 421 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2014
Category : Foreign Language Study
ISBN : 9780199945641

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A Comparative Grammar of Borgomanerese by Christina Tortora Pdf

This book treats the morphosyntax of Borgomanerese, a Northern Italian dialect. The rich description of the many unusual features of this dialect, some of which have not been previously reported in the literature, gives rise to a number novel theoretical analyses, advancing our understanding of syntax and syntactic theory.

The Atlas of Pidgin and Creole Language Structures

Author : Susanne Maria Michaelis,Philippe Maurer,Martin Haspelmath,Magnus Huber
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 572 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2013-09-05
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9780199691395

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The Atlas of Pidgin and Creole Language Structures by Susanne Maria Michaelis,Philippe Maurer,Martin Haspelmath,Magnus Huber Pdf

The Atlas presents commentaries and colour maps showing how 130 linguistic features - phonological, syntactic, morphological, and lexical - are distributed among the world's pidgins and creoles. Designed and written by the world's leading experts, it is a unique resource of outstanding value for linguists of all persuasions throughout the world.

Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 2006

Author : Danièle Torck,W. Leo Wetzels
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing
Page : 283 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 2009-11-12
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789027290922

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Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 2006 by Danièle Torck,W. Leo Wetzels Pdf

The annual conference series ‘Going Romance’ has developed into a major European discussion forum where ideas about language and linguistics and about Romance languages in particular are put in an inter­active perspective, giving room to both universality and Romance-internal variation. The current volume contains a selection of the papers that were presented at the 20th Going Romance conference, held at the VU University in Amsterdam in December 2006. The papers in the volume deal with current issues in phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics, and range across a variety of Romance languages.

Third Factors in Language Variation and Change

Author : Elly Van Gelderen
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 239 pages
File Size : 42,9 Mb
Release : 2021-12-16
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781108831161

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Third Factors in Language Variation and Change by Elly Van Gelderen Pdf

Provides a unique angle, by linking insights from theoretical advances in generative syntax to phenomena from language variation and change.

The Syntax of the Be-possessive

Author : Hakyung Jung
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing
Page : 284 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2011
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789027255556

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The Syntax of the Be-possessive by Hakyung Jung Pdf

This book is the first attempt to provide a unified account of the "be-"possessive syntax and its extension to the modal and the perfect constructions in Russian/North Russian within a generative framework. Apparently diverse constructions are construed as deriving from the "have/be" parameter, which depends on the utilization of the prepositional complementizer with a Case feature. The "be"-perfect structure provides an adequate environment where ergativity is encoded via verbal nominalization. The relevance of the "be"-perfect structure for a split ergative pattern shows that the ergative system is a syntactically conditioned phenomenon rather than a purely morphological diversity. This volume also offers the diachronic study of the "be"-syntax, investigating the evolution of the "be"-perfect and "be"-modal constructions, which has rarely been explored within a formal framework. Concrete scenarios are proposed for the developmental paths of the "be"-perfect and the "be"-modal constructions, based on textual evidence in old North Russian.

The Syntax of the Be-Possessive

Author : Hakyung Jung
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing
Page : 285 pages
File Size : 52,6 Mb
Release : 2011-05-18
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789027290649

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The Syntax of the Be-Possessive by Hakyung Jung Pdf

This book is the first attempt to provide a unified account of the be-possessive syntax and its extension to the modal and the perfect constructions in Russian/North Russian within a generative framework. Apparently diverse constructions are construed as deriving from the have/be parameter, which depends on the utilization of the prepositional complementizer with a Case feature. The be-perfect structure provides an adequate environment where ergativity is encoded via verbal nominalization. The relevance of the be-perfect structure for a split ergative pattern shows that the ergative system is a syntactically conditioned phenomenon rather than a purely morphological diversity. This volume also offers the diachronic study of the be-syntax, investigating the evolution of the be-perfect and be-modal constructions, which has rarely been explored within a formal framework. Concrete scenarios are proposed for the developmental paths of the be-perfect and the be-modal constructions, based on textual evidence in old North Russian.

Existential Constructions across Languages

Author : Laure Sarda,Ludovica Lena
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing Company
Page : 364 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2023-07-15
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9789027252883

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Existential Constructions across Languages by Laure Sarda,Ludovica Lena Pdf

This volume reflects the centrality of the existential construction in current linguistic research and offers studies that both consolidate and challenge established research agendas. It addresses (i) a variety of constructions related to ‘prototypical’ existentials (including the have-possessive construction), and investigates (ii) the relationships between locative, existential, and information structure, (iii) the quantification of the pivot and (iv) the issue of negative existentials. It brings together different and complementary approaches (functional, cognitive, pragmatic, typological, comparative, diachronic, philosophical) based on a wide variety of data sources. The contributions illustrate how the so-called existential construction can take a variety of forms – more or less grammaticalized – and functions – ranging from the expression of literal existence to that of localization and discursive focus – in a wide range of languages. The book will be valuable for linguists, researchers or students, interested in the cross-linguistic manifestations of existential constructions at the interface between syntax, semantics and information structure.

A Semantics for the English Existential Construction

Author : Louise McNally
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 181 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2016-11-25
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9781315536477

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A Semantics for the English Existential Construction by Louise McNally Pdf

First published in 1997, this book addresses the question: What is the interpretation of English there-existential construction? One of the principal goals is to develop an interpretation for the construction that will specifically address other properties of the postcopular DP. After outlining the problem, the author goes on to present a syntactic motivation for the claim that the postcopular DP is the sole complement to the existential predicate, as well as for the claim that the optional final phrase is a predictive adjunct. In chapter 3 the interpretation for the basic existential construction is developed and then compared to analyses that take the postcopular DP to denote an ordinary individual or a generalised quantifier of individuals. This analysis is then augmented to account for the contribution of the final XP and shows how the predicate restriction can be derived from a more general condition on depictive/circumstantial VP-adjuncts. The final chapter contain some speculative discussion of the broader implications of the proposal in the context of data such as "list" existential and "presentational-there" sentences.

The Objects of Thought

Author : Tim Crane
Publisher : OUP Oxford
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2013-10-10
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780191505201

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The Objects of Thought by Tim Crane Pdf

The Objects of Thought addresses the ancient question of how it is possible to think about what does not exist. Tim Crane argues that the representation of the non-existent is a pervasive feature of our thought about the world, and that we will not adequately understand thought's representational power ('intentionality') unless we have understood the representation of the non-existent. Intentionality is conceived by Crane in terms of the direction of the mind upon an object of thought, or an intentional object. Intentional objects are what we think about. Some intentional objects exist and some do not. Non-existence poses a problem because there seem to be truths about non-existent intentional objects, but truths are answerable to reality, and reality contains only what exists. The proposed solution is to accept that there are some genuine truths about non-existent intentional objects, but to hold that they must be reductively explained in terms of truths about what does exist. The Objects of Thought offers both an original account of the nature of intentionality and a solution to the problem of thought about the non-existent.