With Light Verb Constructions from Syntax to Concepts PDF Download

Author: Wittenberg, Eva
Publisher: Universitätsverlag Potsdam
ISBN: 386956329X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 150

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Book Description
This dissertation uses a common grammatical phenomenon, light verb constructions (LVCs) in English and German, to investigate how syntax-semantics mapping defaults influence the relationships between language processing, representation and conceptualization. LVCs are analyzed as a phenomenon of mismatch in the argument structure. The processing implication of this mismatch are experimentally investigated, using ERPs and a dual task. Data from these experiments point to an increase in working memory. Representational questions are investigated using structural priming. Data from this study suggest that while the syntax of LVCs is not different from other structures’, the semantics and mapping are represented differently. This hypothesis is tested with a new categorization paradigm, which reveals that the conceptual structure that LVC evoke differ in interesting, and predictable, ways from non-mismatching structures’.

Author: Neiloufar Family
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004274413
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 251

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Book Description
In Semantic Spaces of Persian Light Verbs, Neiloufar Family exposes the semantic organization of light verb constructions in Persian. By clustering constructions based on semantic properties, she provides an insightful and more global view of a system that has been notoriously difficult to classify. Using diagrams as visual aids, Neiloufar Family takes a novel, bottom-up approach to analysing the light verb system, starting from small sets of constructions and mapping out consistent patterns. Her analysis leads to a deeper understanding of the structure of semantic spaces within the verbal system in Persian, and other languages that use light verbs. This research provides a blueprint for understanding existing verbal constructions and productively creating new ones.

Author: Tadao Miyamoto
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 9027294917
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 249

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Book Description
This study deals with the so-called Light Verb Construction in Japanese, which consists of the verb “suru” ‘do’ and an accusative (“o”) marked verbal noun (VN). There have been unresolved debates on the role of “suru”: whether “suru” in “VN-o suru” functions as a light or heavy verb. The previous studies attempt to disambiguate “VN-o suru” formations by relying solely on examining whether “suru” can be thematically light or not. This study argues that the ambiguity does not stem from the ‘weight’ of “suru” but from its accusative phrase: whether it is headed by a thematic (complex event) VN or non-thematic (simple event) VN. Using a principles and parameters approach and employing ideas from conceptual semantics and theories of aspect, this study demonstrates that the characterization of “VN-o suru” formations arises not from the dichotic behavior of “suru” but from the dichotic behavior of the accusative phrase.

Author: Anna Pompei
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110748118
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
The notion of light verb constructions has been traditionally related to the ‘insignificance’ of the verb, which is described as a grammatical item only codifying TAM system and φ-features, whereas the whole predicative content is thought to be conveyed by the noun. This book deals with the light verb constructions as instances of complex verbs, intended as multi-predicational but monoclausal structures. This allows to deepen the actual verb lightness, the effective noun predicativity, as well as their effect on the cohesion of the construction. The papers in this volume reflect on the concrete contribution of noun and verb to the event and argument structure, and on the relevance of semantically different noun classes for the verb selection. From different theoretical approaches, data of a great variety of languages are investigated, such as Indo-European languages – both modern (Germanic, Slavic, Romance and Iranian languages) and ancient (Latin and Ancient Greek) – but also Mandarin Chinese, and different polysynthetic languages (e.g. Ket, Nivkh, Murrinh-Patha, Kiowa, Bininj Gun-wok, Ainu). The range of topics, languages and perspectives presented in this book make it of great interest to both theoretical and applied linguists.

Author: Anna Pompei
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110747995
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 378

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Book Description
The notion of light verb constructions has been traditionally related to the ‘insignificance’ of the verb, which is described as a grammatical item only codifying TAM system and φ-features, whereas the whole predicative content is thought to be conveyed by the noun. This book deals with the light verb constructions as instances of complex verbs, intended as multi-predicational but monoclausal structures. This allows to deepen the actual verb lightness, the effective noun predicativity, as well as their effect on the cohesion of the construction. The papers in this volume reflect on the concrete contribution of noun and verb to the event and argument structure, and on the relevance of semantically different noun classes for the verb selection. From different theoretical approaches, data of a great variety of languages are investigated, such as Indo-European languages – both modern (Germanic, Slavic, Romance and Iranian languages) and ancient (Latin and Ancient Greek) – but also Mandarin Chinese, and different polysynthetic languages (e.g. Ket, Nivkh, Murrinh-Patha, Kiowa, Bininj Gun-wok, Ainu). The range of topics, languages and perspectives presented in this book make it of great interest to both theoretical and applied linguists.

Author: Ryan North
Publisher: Library and Archives Canada = Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
ISBN: 9780494021750
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
Light verb constructions are a semi-productive class of multiword expression which have not yet been studied computationally in great detail. These constructions combine a restricted set of light verbs (verbs used with a subset of their full semantic features) with a large set of complements; this combination determines the predicate meaning of the expression. In this work we investigate the (semi- )productivity of light verb constructions which employ a predicative noun (a noun that has an argument structure) as their complement. We show that the productivity of these constructions depends on the semantic class of the complement. We develop three novel computational measures for quantifying the acceptability of candidate light verb constructions. Most of these measures meet or exceed the performance of an informed baseline, and reflect distinct trends in productivity along semantic classes and across light verbs. Good correlation and agreement with human judgments of construction acceptability are achieved.

Author: Signe Oksefjell Ebeling
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443882305
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
This volume sheds new light on verb constructions by exposing them to cross-linguistic analysis based on multilingual corpora. It is composed of nine studies which provide insights into various aspects of cross-linguistic diversity, including showing that seemingly equivalent verb constructions may differ in their semantics, and that similar meanings may be expressed by different types of constructions. In other words, this book shows that different languages have different ways of lexicalising verb-based meanings, most notably by means of other, divergent verb constructions. A range of lexicogrammatical aspects of verb constructions are explored throughout the book, including time reference; modality; voice; light verb constructions; non-finite complementation of lexical verbs; posture-verb constructions; semiperiphrastic constructions; and the construction and semantic composition of verbs of putting. All of the contributions consider English in comparison with at least one of the following languages: Czech, German, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Spanish, and Swedish. As such, this volume offers a truly multilingual perspective on verb constructions. The diversity of comparisons also highlights the multi-faceted nature of the verb phrase, which seems to have virtually limitless potential for exploration in the fields of tense, aspect, modality, lexical semantics, syntax, and phraseology.

Author: Marlén Izquierdo
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
ISBN: 9027249318
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 245

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Book Description
Cross-linguistic research is a fruitful field of language inquiry that has benefited enormously from the use of corpora. As sources of linguistic data of various kinds and as tools for language processing, corpora have shaped the development of cross-linguistic research, enabling both language description and practical applications. This volume contains twelve studies that emphasize the usefulness and usability of parallel corpora in accurately exploring the structure and use of seven under-researched languages and language varieties. The first part emphasizes the role of corpus-based descriptive analyses at the lexicogrammatical and discursive levels, as a first step on the way towards concrete applications like translation or language teaching. The second part focuses on the role of parallel-corpus-based language processing techniques and applications that facilitate professional communication. This book will be of interest to scholars in contrastive linguistics, translation studies, discourse analysis, language teaching, and natural language processing.

Author: Friedrich Ungerer
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
ISBN: 902726578X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 341

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Book Description
The proposed framework of concept linking combines insights of construction grammar with those of traditional functional descriptions to explain particularly challenging but often neglected areas of English grammar such as negation, modality, adverbials and non-finite constructions. To reach this goal the idea of a unified network of constructions is replaced by the triad of verb-mediated constructions, attribution and scope-based perspectivizing, each of them understood as a syntactically effective concept-linking mechanism in its own right, but involved in interfaces with the other mechanisms. In addition, concept linking supplies a novel approach to early child language. It casts fresh light on widely accepted descriptions of early two-word utterances and verb islands in usage-based models of language acquisition and encourages a new view of children’s ‘mistakes’. Intended readership: Constructionist and cognitive linguists; linguists and psychologists interested in language acquisition; teachers and students of English grammar and grammar in general.

Author: András Kertész
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
ISBN: 3110538377
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 824

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Book Description
Even though the range of phenomena syntactic theories intend to account for is basically the same, the large number of current approaches to syntax shows how differently these phenomena can be interpreted, described, and explained. The goal of the volume is to probe into the question of how exactly these frameworks differ and what if anything they have in common. Descriptions of a sample of current approaches to syntax are presented by their major practitioners (Part I) followed by their metatheoretical underpinnings (Part II). Given that the goal is to facilitate a systematic comparison among the approaches, a checklist of issues was given to the contributors to address. The main headings are Data, Goals, Descriptive Tools, and Criteria for Evaluation. The chapters are structured uniformly allowing an item-by-item survey across the frameworks. The introduction lays out the parameters along which syntactic frameworks must be the same and how they may differ and a final paper draws some conclusions about similarities and differences. The volume is of interest to descriptive linguists, theoreticians of grammar, philosophers of science, and studies of the cognitive science of science.