Centering Theory in Discourse

Centering Theory in Discourse PDF Author: Marilyn A. Walker
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780198236870
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 474

Get Book Here

Book Description
This edited collection of previously unpublished papers focuses on Centering Theory, an account of local discourse structure. Developed in the context of computational linguistics and cognitive science, Centering theory has attracted the attention of an international interdisciplinary audience. As the authors focus on naturally occurring data, they join the general trend towards empiricism in research on computational models of discourse, providing a significant contribution to a fast-moving field.

Centering Theory in Discourse

Centering Theory in Discourse PDF Author: Marilyn A. Walker
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780198236870
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 474

Get Book Here

Book Description
This edited collection of previously unpublished papers focuses on Centering Theory, an account of local discourse structure. Developed in the context of computational linguistics and cognitive science, Centering theory has attracted the attention of an international interdisciplinary audience. As the authors focus on naturally occurring data, they join the general trend towards empiricism in research on computational models of discourse, providing a significant contribution to a fast-moving field.

Where Centering Meets Chinese Discourse

Where Centering Meets Chinese Discourse PDF Author: Saina Wuyun
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 9811586667
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 197

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book addresses the question: What can close discourse analysis contribute to the understanding of language? To do so, it presents a centering theory-based computational approach to discourse analysis concerning Chinese bei passive sentences, disposal ba constructions, ditransitive gei sentences, and locative fang sentences. The book first discusses the use of discourse analysis in the context of bei and ba constructions and then demonstrates how discourse analysis can contribute to the syntactic and semantic studies of these sentences. It also examines the various thematic roles differentiated in these four special sentence patterns, namely agent, recipient, theme/patient, and locative, and reveals the various degrees of discourse accessibility of these thematic roles. Exploring the correlation between centering theory and Chinese discourse, the book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in discourse analysis and Chinese special sentential structures, especially the formal approaches to these issues.

The Syntax–Discourse Interface

The Syntax–Discourse Interface PDF Author: Petra B. Schumacher
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 9027294208
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 275

Get Book Here

Book Description
This book combines theoretical and experimental aspects of the establishment of dependency. It provides an account of dependency relations by focusing on the representation and interpretation of referentially dependent elements, particularly regular reflexives, logophors, and pronouns. First, the establishment of dependency is discussed within a model of syntax—discourse correspondences that predicts an economy-based dependency hierarchy contingent on the level of representation at which the dependency is formed as well as the internal structure of the dependent element and its antecedent. Secondly, the model’s predictions are substantiated by a series of experimental studies (conducted in English and Dutch) providing evidence from three sources of online sentence comprehension: reaction time studies, Broca’s aphasia patient studies, and event-related brain potential studies. The findings show that dependencies are established at distinct levels of linguistic encoding (i.e. syntax or discourse) determined by the presence or absence of coargumenthood and the representation of the dependency-forming elements.

Drawing the Boundaries of Meaning

Drawing the Boundaries of Meaning PDF Author: Betty J. Birner
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 9027230900
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 365

Get Book Here

Book Description
One of the most lively and contentious issues in contemporary linguistic theory concerns the elusive boundary between semantics and pragmatics, and Professor Laurence R. Horn of Yale University has been at the center of that debate ever since his groundbreaking 1972 UCLA dissertation. This festvolume in honor of Horn brings together the best of current work at the semantics/pragmatics boundary from a neo-Gricean perspective. Featuring the contributions of 22 leading researchers, it includes papers on implicature (Kent Bach), inference (Betty Birner), presupposition (Barbara Abbott), lexical semantics (Georgia Green, Sally McConnell-Ginet, Steve Kleinedler & Randall Eggert), negation (Pauline Jacobson, Frederick Newmeyer, Scott Schwenter), polarity (Donka Farkas, Anastasia Giannakidou, Michael Israel), implicit variables (Greg Carlson & Gianluca Storto), definiteness (Barbara Partee), reference (Ellen Prince, Andrew Kehler & Gregory Ward), and logic (Jerrold Sadock, Francis Jeffry Pelletier & Andrew Hartline). These original papers represent not only a fitting homage to Larry Horn, but also an important contribution to semantic and pragmatic theory.

Reference

Reference PDF Author: Jeanette K. Gundel
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199715920
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 288

Get Book Here

Book Description
The ability to produce and understand referring expressions is basic to human language use and human cognition. Reference comprises the ability to think of and represent objects (both real and imagined/fictional), to indicate to others which of these objects we are talking about, and to determine what others are talking about when they use a nominal expression. The articles in this volume are concerned with some of the central themes and challenges in research on reference within the cognitive sciences - philosophy (including philosophy of language and mind, logic, and formal semantics), theoretical and computational linguistics, and cognitive psychology. The papers address four basic questions: What is reference? What is the appropriate analysis of different referring forms, such as definite descriptions? How is reference resolved? and How do speaker/writers select appropriate referring forms, such as pronouns vs. full noun phrases, demonstrative vs. personal pronouns, and overt vs. null/zero pronominal forms? Some of the papers assume and build on existing theories, such as Centering Theory and the Givenness Hierarchy framework; others propose their own models of reference understanding or production. The essays examine reference from a number of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives, informed by different research traditions and employing different methodologies. While the contributors to the volume were primarily trained in one of the four represented disciplines-computer science, linguistics, philosophy and psychology, and use methodologies typical of that discipline, each of them bridges more than one discipline in their methodology and/or their approach.

Preferred Argument Structure

Preferred Argument Structure PDF Author: John W. Du Bois
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 9027296138
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 469

Get Book Here

Book Description
Preferred Argument Structure offers a profound insight into the relationship between language use and grammatical structure. In his original publication on Preferred Argument Structure, Du Bois (1987) demonstrated the power of this perspective by using it to explain the origins of ergativity and ergative marking systems. Since this work, the general applicability of Preferred Argument Structure has been demonstrated in studies of language after language. In this collection, the authors move beyond verifying Preferred Argument Structure as a property of a given language. They use the methodology to reveal more subtle aspects of the patterns, for example, to look across languages, diachronically or synchronically, to examine particular grammatical relations, and to examine special populations or particular genres. This volume will appeal to linguists interested in the relationship of pragmatics and grammar generally, in the typology of grammatical relations, and in explanations derived from data- and corpus-based approaches to analysis.

Referring Expressions in English and Japanese

Referring Expressions in English and Japanese PDF Author: Etsuko Yoshida
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 9027256128
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 225

Get Book Here

Book Description
Originally published as the author's thesis (doctoral)--University of Edinburgh, 2008 under the title: Patterns of use of referring expressions in English and Japanese Dialogues.

Anaphors in Text

Anaphors in Text PDF Author: Monika Schwarz-Friesel
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 9027292582
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 304

Get Book Here

Book Description
This volume contains a careful selection of papers concerned with actual research questions on anaphoric reference, a subject of current interest with various linguistic subdisciplines. This is reflected in this book as it methodically covers broadly invested approaches from cognitive, neurolinguistic, formal and computational perspectives, each contribution representing the respective ‘state of the art’ on a high theoretical and empirical level. The volume contains three thematic parts: Anaphors in Cognitive, Text- and Discourse Linguistics; The Syntax and Semantics of Anaphors; and Neurolinguistic Studies on the reception of anaphoric reference. The contributions investigate several Indo-European languages.

Optimality Theory and Pragmatics

Optimality Theory and Pragmatics PDF Author: Reinhard Blutner
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0230501400
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 316

Get Book Here

Book Description
Ten leading scholars provide exacting research results and a reliable and accessible introduction to the new field of optimality theoretic pragmatics. The book includes a general introduction that overviews the foundations of this new research paradigm. The book is intended to satisfy the needs of students and professional researchers interested in pragmatics and optimality theory, and will be of particular interest to those exploring the interfaces of formal pragmatics with grammar, semantics, philosophy of language, information theory and cognitive psychology.

Introduction to Psycholinguistics

Introduction to Psycholinguistics PDF Author: Matthew J. Traxler
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1405198621
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 613

Get Book Here

Book Description
This textbook offers a cutting edge introduction to psycholinguistics, exploring the cognitive processes underlying language acquisition and use. Provides a step-by-step tour through language acquisition, production, and comprehension, from the word level to sentences and dialogue Incorporates both theory and data, including in-depth descriptions of the experimental evidence behind theories Incorporates a comprehensive review of research in bilingual language processing, sign language, reading, and the neurological basis of language production and comprehension Approaches the subject from a range of perspectives, including psychology, linguistics, philosophy, computer science, neurology, and neurophysiology Includes a full program of resources for instructors and students, including review exercises, a test bank, and lecture slides, available online at www.wiley.com/go/traxler