Thematic Structure and Para-Syntax: Arabic as a Case Study

Thematic Structure and Para-Syntax: Arabic as a Case Study PDF Author: James Dickins
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000769747
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 179

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Book Description
Thematic Structure and Para-Syntax: Arabic as a Case Study presents a structural analysis of Arabic, providing an alternative to the traditional notions of theme and rheme. Taking Arabic as a case study, this book claims that approaches to thematic structure propounded in universalist linguistic theories, of which Hallidayan systemic functional linguistics is taken as an illustrative example, are profoundly wrong. It argues that in order to produce an analysis of thematic structure and similar phenomena which is not undermined by its own theoretical presuppositions, it is necessary to remove such notions from the domain of linguistic and semiotic theory. The book initially focuses on Sudanese Arabic, because this allows for a beautifully clear exposition of general principles, before applying these principles to Modern Standard Arabic, and some other Arabic varieties. This book will be of interest to scholars in Arabic linguistics, linguistic theory, and information structure.

Thematic Structure and Para-Syntax: Arabic as a Case Study

Thematic Structure and Para-Syntax: Arabic as a Case Study PDF Author: James Dickins
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000769747
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 179

Get Book Here

Book Description
Thematic Structure and Para-Syntax: Arabic as a Case Study presents a structural analysis of Arabic, providing an alternative to the traditional notions of theme and rheme. Taking Arabic as a case study, this book claims that approaches to thematic structure propounded in universalist linguistic theories, of which Hallidayan systemic functional linguistics is taken as an illustrative example, are profoundly wrong. It argues that in order to produce an analysis of thematic structure and similar phenomena which is not undermined by its own theoretical presuppositions, it is necessary to remove such notions from the domain of linguistic and semiotic theory. The book initially focuses on Sudanese Arabic, because this allows for a beautifully clear exposition of general principles, before applying these principles to Modern Standard Arabic, and some other Arabic varieties. This book will be of interest to scholars in Arabic linguistics, linguistic theory, and information structure.

When Data Challenges Theory

When Data Challenges Theory PDF Author: Davide Garassino
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
ISBN: 9027258155
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 315

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Book Description
This volume offers a critical appraisal of the tension between theory and empirical evidence in research on information structure. The relevance of ‘unexpected’ data taken into account in the last decades, such as the well-known case of non-focalizing cleft sentences in Germanic and Romance, has increasingly led us to give more weight to explanations involving inferential reasoning, discourse organization and speakers’ rhetorical strategies, thus moving away from ‘sentence-based’ perspectives. At the same time, this shift towards pragmatic complexity has introduced new challenges to well-established information-structural categories, such as Focus and Topic, to the point that some scholars nowadays even doubt about their descriptive and theoretical usefulness. This book brings together researchers working in different frameworks and delving into cross-linguistic as well as language-internal variation and language contact. Despite their differences, all contributions are committed to the same underlying goal: appreciating the relation between linguistic structures and their context based on a firm empirical grounding and on theoretical models that are able to account for the challenges and richness of language use.

Subject, Theme and Agent in Modern Standard Arabic

Subject, Theme and Agent in Modern Standard Arabic PDF Author: Hussein Abdul-Raof
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136107460
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 269

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Book Description
Investigates the universal categories 'subject', 'theme', and 'agent' with special reference to their functional status in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and how these three distinct functions may or may not coincide in Arabic sentences. These functions are inexplicitly characterised by classical and modern Arab linguists and Arabists alike. It has been found that the pre- (viz. sentence - initial) or post-verbal noun phrase (NP) in Arabic can be assigned the syntactic function 'subject' but may not necessarily assume the semantic function 'agent', that the pre-verbal NP, which may not necessarily be the 'subject', has the pragmatic function 'theme', and that these distinct functions sometimes cluster around a single NP in certain sentences, depending on genre. It has also been found that in MSA the order of sentence constituents is relatively free, subject to a verb-initial preference, especially when needed to prevent ambiguity. The present study reveals the fact that although coding features such as word order, case marking, and cross-referencing (viz. agreement) may provide a clear indication of which NPs are 'subjects' in MSA, they do not provide a clear-cut indication of semantic relations such as 'agent'; the 'subject' position in MSA is not necessarily the canonical 'agent' position.

The Feature Structure of Functional Categories

The Feature Structure of Functional Categories PDF Author: Elabbas Benmamoun
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0195119959
Category : Arabic language
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
Focusing on the relation between functional categories and lexical and phrasal categories in Arabic dialects, Benmamoun proposes that universally functional categories are specified for categorial features which determine their relation with lexical categories. Language variation is attributed to differences with respect to the categorial feature specifications of functional categories and how they interact with lexical categories. The book brings new insights to issues related to the syntax of functional categories, the relation between syntax and the morpho-phonological component, and comparative syntax.

Research in Afroasiatic Grammar Two

Research in Afroasiatic Grammar Two PDF Author: Jacqueline Lecarme
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 9781588113863
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 566

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Book Description
This volume contains 22 of the papers presented at the 5th Conference on Afroasiatic Languages (CAL 5) held at Universite Paris VII in June 2000. The authors report their latest research on the syntax, morphology, and phonology of quite a number of languages (Arabic, Hebrew, Amharic, Tigrinya, Coptic Egyptian, Berber, Hausa, Beja, Somali, Gamo). The articles discuss new solutions to familiar questions such as the free state/construct state alternation of nouns, the Semitic template system, and the morphosyntax of nominal and verbal plurality. Ten of the papers center on morphology, especially the relation of phonology to syntax and morphology; others address questions at the syntax/semantics/pragmatics interface; two papers also offer comparative and historical perspectives. Taken as a whole, the papers provide an accurate picture of the state of current research in Afroasiatic linguistics, containing important new data and new analyses. Given its coverage, the book is a valuable resource for anyone interested in Afroasiatic languages and theoretical linguistics.

Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts

Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Language and languages
Languages : en
Pages : 442

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Book Description


Comprehensive Dissertation Index

Comprehensive Dissertation Index PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Dissertations, Academic
Languages : en
Pages : 860

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Book Description


The Syntax of Arabic

The Syntax of Arabic PDF Author: Joseph E. Aoun
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521650178
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 259

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Book Description
A guide to Arabic syntax covering a broad variety of topics including argument structure, negation, tense, agreement phenomena, and resumption. The discussion of each topic sums up the key research results and provides new points of departure for further research.

Thinking Arabic Translation

Thinking Arabic Translation PDF Author: James Dickins
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136400931
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 270

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Book Description
This title is a comprehensive and practical 20-week course in translation method offering a challenging approach to the acquisition of translation skills.

Case Study Research in Applied Linguistics

Case Study Research in Applied Linguistics PDF Author: Patricia Duff
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136799265
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
Case studies of individual language learners are a valuable means of illustrating issues connected with learning, using, and in some cases, losing another language. Yet, even though increasing numbers of graduate students and scholars conduct research using case studies or mix quantitative and qualitative methods, there are no dedicated applied lin