The Architecture of Determiners

The Architecture of Determiners PDF Author: Thomas Leu
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 019994525X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
Work in morphology is typically concerned with productive word formation and regular inflection, in any event with open class categories such as verbs, nouns, and adjectives, and their various forms. The Architecture of Determiners, by contrast, is devoted to a set of function words: the closed class of determiners. While it is traditionally assumed that function words are syntactically atomic, Thomas Leu shows that a comparative perspective on a series of determiners - each insistently vivisected into its minimal morphotactic segments - reveals an anatomy with properties analogous to clausal syntax, including a lexical, an inflectional, and left peripheral layer, as well as transformational relations among subconstituents. Leu argues that determiners are extended adjectival projections with a closed class minimal stem. Leu focuses on Swiss German and German, using other Germanic and non-Germanic languages as a comparative domain. His discussion of the internal structure of determiners includes demonstratives (ch.2), distributive quantifiers (ch.4), possessive and negative determiners (ch.5), and interrogative determiners such as 'was f r' (ch.6). His main claim - that all of these involve extended adjectival projections - connects naturally to a discussion of adjectival / determiner inflection in German. Chapter 3 addresses the oft-debated strong versus weak agreement alternation in a novel way, proposing that the adjective moves within its own extended projection, in a way akin to verb movement to C in the clause. This accounts for the central facts of nominative and accusative inflection. Chapter 7, then, addresses dative and genitive morphology, setting them syntactically apart from adjectival / determiner inflection in a way that leads to a surprising account of most of the systematic (meta-) syncretism patterns in German adjectival inflection.

The Architecture of Determiners

The Architecture of Determiners PDF Author: Thomas Leu
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 019994525X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 233

Get Book Here

Book Description
Work in morphology is typically concerned with productive word formation and regular inflection, in any event with open class categories such as verbs, nouns, and adjectives, and their various forms. The Architecture of Determiners, by contrast, is devoted to a set of function words: the closed class of determiners. While it is traditionally assumed that function words are syntactically atomic, Thomas Leu shows that a comparative perspective on a series of determiners - each insistently vivisected into its minimal morphotactic segments - reveals an anatomy with properties analogous to clausal syntax, including a lexical, an inflectional, and left peripheral layer, as well as transformational relations among subconstituents. Leu argues that determiners are extended adjectival projections with a closed class minimal stem. Leu focuses on Swiss German and German, using other Germanic and non-Germanic languages as a comparative domain. His discussion of the internal structure of determiners includes demonstratives (ch.2), distributive quantifiers (ch.4), possessive and negative determiners (ch.5), and interrogative determiners such as 'was f r' (ch.6). His main claim - that all of these involve extended adjectival projections - connects naturally to a discussion of adjectival / determiner inflection in German. Chapter 3 addresses the oft-debated strong versus weak agreement alternation in a novel way, proposing that the adjective moves within its own extended projection, in a way akin to verb movement to C in the clause. This accounts for the central facts of nominative and accusative inflection. Chapter 7, then, addresses dative and genitive morphology, setting them syntactically apart from adjectival / determiner inflection in a way that leads to a surprising account of most of the systematic (meta-) syncretism patterns in German adjectival inflection.

Multiple Determiners and the Structure of DPs

Multiple Determiners and the Structure of DPs PDF Author: Artemis Alexiadou
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
ISBN: 9027270694
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Book Description
This book is a research monograph that investigates the crosslinguistic distribution of multiple determiners. In some languages, noun phrases permit or even seem to require a double or multiple realization of definite/indefinite markers in certain modification environments. The book develops tools that can be used to keep the different instantiations of the phenomenon apart and argues that a uniform account thereof is not desirable. On the basis of these tools, it advances the proposal that there are different types of multiple occurrences of determiners (and sub-types thereof), some are syntactic, while others are purely morphological. It then puts forth a theoretical proposal that regulates the presence of the different types of multiple determiners across languages. The book will be of interst to researchers and students working on the structure of DP, the syntax of modification and the typology of noun phrases. Languages discussed include Greek, Romanian, Scandinavian, English, dialects of German, Hebrew, Albanian, Chinese, French, and Slovenian.

Partitive Determiners, Partitive Pronouns and Partitive Case

Partitive Determiners, Partitive Pronouns and Partitive Case PDF Author: Petra Sleeman
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110732297
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 426

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Book Description
Although the interest in the concept of partitivity has continuously increased in the last decades and has given rise to considerable advances in research, the fine-grained morpho-syntactic and semantic variation displayed by partitive elements across European languages is far from being well-described, let alone well-understood. There are two main obstacles to this: on the one hand, theoretical linguistics and typological linguistics are fragmented in different methodological approaches that hinder the full sharing of cross-theoretic advances; on the other hand, partitive elements have been analyzed in restricted linguistic environments, which would benefit from a broader perspective. The aim of the PARTE project, from which this volume stems, is precisely to bring together linguists of different theoretical approaches using different methodologies to address this notion in its many facets. This volume focuses on Partitive Determiners, Partitive Pronouns and Partitive Case in European languages, their emergence and spread in diachrony, their acquisition by L2 speakers, and their syntax and interpretation. The volume is the first to provide such an encompassing insight into the notion of partitivity.

The Architecture of Determiners

The Architecture of Determiners PDF Author: Thomas Leu
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780190214876
Category : Definiteness (Linguistics)
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Whether word-based or morpheme-based, the morphological literature in generative grammar (and beyond) is interested in productive word formation - i.e., derivation of open class categories, compounding, and, of course, inflection. While that includes functional morphemes, or corresponding word-formation rules, it almost always involves an open class stem. This book, by contrast, is an investigation of regularities in the internal structure of a set of function words, the determiners.

The Handbook of Hispanic Linguistics

The Handbook of Hispanic Linguistics PDF Author: José Ignacio Hualde
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1405198826
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 906

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Book Description
Reflecting the growth and increasing global importance of the Spanish language, The Handbook of Hispanic Linguistics brings together a team of renowned Spanish linguistics scholars to explore both applied and theoretical work in this field. Features 41 newly-written essays contributed by leading language scholars that shed new light on the growth and significance of the Spanish language Combines current applied and theoretical research results in the field of Spanish linguistics Explores all facets relating to the origins, evolution, and geographical variations of the Spanish language Examines topics including second language learning, Spanish in the classroom, immigration, heritage languages, and bilingualism

Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 2001

Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 2001 PDF Author: Josep Quer i Carbonell
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 9027247579
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 362

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Book Description
The volumes Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory published in the series Current Issues in Linguistic Theory contain the selected papers of the Going Romance conferences, a major European annual discussion forum for theoretically relevant research on Romance languages. Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 2001 is the third such volume. It presents a selection of the papers that have been presented at the occasion of Going Romance 2001 (XV) — which was held at the University of Amsterdam on December 6-8, 2001. The three-day program included a workshop on Determiners. The volume contains articles on specifics of one or more Romance languages or varieties: the architecture of the Determiner Phrase and properties of determiners, the left periphery of the sentence and clause structure, null elements and their interpretation, clitics, and other interesting phenomena in the Romance languages.

Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 2001

Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 2001 PDF Author: Josep Quer
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 9027275262
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 363

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Book Description
The volumes Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory published in the series Current Issues in Linguistic Theory contain the selected papers of the Going Romance conferences, a major European annual discussion forum for theoretically relevant research on Romance languages. Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 2001 is the third such volume. It presents a selection of the papers that have been presented at the occasion of Going Romance 2001 (XV) — which was held at the University of Amsterdam on December 6-8, 2001. The three-day program included a workshop on Determiners. The volume contains articles on specifics of one or more Romance languages or varieties: the architecture of the Determiner Phrase and properties of determiners, the left periphery of the sentence and clause structure, null elements and their interpretation, clitics, and other interesting phenomena in the Romance languages.

The Cambridge Handbook of Germanic Linguistics

The Cambridge Handbook of Germanic Linguistics PDF Author: Michael T. Putnam
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108386350
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 1207

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Book Description
The Germanic language family ranges from national languages with standardized varieties, including German, Dutch and Danish, to minority languages with relatively few speakers, such as Frisian, Yiddish and Pennsylvania German. Written by internationally renowned experts of Germanic linguistics, this Handbook provides a detailed overview and analysis of the structure of modern Germanic languages and dialects. Organized thematically, it addresses key topics in the phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics of standard and nonstandard varieties of Germanic languages from a comparative perspective. It also includes chapters on second language acquisition, heritage and minority languages, pidgins, and urban vernaculars. The first comprehensive survey of this vast topic, the Handbook is a vital resource for students and researchers investigating the Germanic family of languages and dialects.

Reconstruction and Resumption in Indirect A‘-Dependencies

Reconstruction and Resumption in Indirect A‘-Dependencies PDF Author: Martin Salzmann
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 1614512205
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 510

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Book Description
This monograph investigates A’-dependencies in Standard German, Alemannic and Dutch where the dislocated constituent is indirectly, i.e. not transformationally, related to the position where it is interpreted. The study focuses on relative clauses and shows that an important part of the relativization system in these languages, long relativization, involves a hitherto ignored construction termed resumptive prolepsis. This construction is characterized by base-generation of the operator in the matrix middle-field and a resumptive pronoun in the position of the variable. It is shown that it involves short A’-movement in the matrix clause, empty operator movement in the complement clause and an ellipsis operation that links the two operators. While the link is directly visible in German and Dutch, Swiss German provides a more abstract version of resumptive prolepsis. Through a detailed examination of reconstruction effects and the properties of resumption in these constructions, the book provides new evidence for the role of ellipsis in A’-movement and for a base-generation analysis of resumption. More generally, it makes an important contribution to the modeling of long-distance dependencies and the study of A'-syntax.

Essays on Nominal Determination

Essays on Nominal Determination PDF Author: Henrik Høeg Müller
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 9027231109
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 392

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Book Description
This volume brings together scholars of diverse theoretical persuasions who all share an interest in capturing the role that nominal determination and reference assignment play in the complicated interplay between thought, language and communication. The articles can be divided roughly into five main areas of concern: the conceptual level of determination; the emergence and function of articles; their semantic contribution to nominal interpretation; the morphology and syntax of determiners; and the interplay and contrasts between articles, demonstratives and possessives. Thus, linguistic and philosophical issues in the subject field of nominal determination are addressed at all interface levels between morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics. This volume shows that different theoretical frameworks may be brought fruitfully together in the effort to formulate new analyses of well-known problems, but also to raise new questions and point to new areas which may prove interesting topics for future research both in functional and formal paradigms.