The Semantic Variability of Absolute Constructions

The Semantic Variability of Absolute Constructions
Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages : 420
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9789400952775
ISBN-13 : 9400952775
Rating : 4/5 (75 Downloads)

Synopsis The Semantic Variability of Absolute Constructions by : G.T. Stump

The goal of this book is to investigate the semantics of absolute constructions in English; specifically, my object is to provide an explanation for the semantic variability of such constructions. As has been widely noted in traditional grammatical studies of English, free adjuncts and absolute phrases have the ability to playa number of specific logical roles in the sentences in which they appear; yet, paradoxically, they lack any overt indication of their logical connection to the clause which they modify. How, then, is the logical function of an absolute construction determined? In attempting to answer this question, one must inevitably address a number of more general issues: Is the meaning assigned to a linguistic expression necessarily determined by linguistic rules, or can the grammar of a language in some cases simply underdetermine the interpretation of expressions? Are the truthconditions of a sentence ever sensitive to the inferences of language users? If so, then is it possible to maintain the validity of any really substantive version of the Compositionality Principle? These are, of course, issues of great inherent interest to anyone concerned with the formal syntax and semantics of natural language, with the philosophy of language, or with language processing. The descriptive framework assumed throughout is the semantic theory developed by Richard Montague (1970a, 1970b, 1973) and his followers. (For a very thorough introduction to Montague semantics, the reader may refer to Dowty, Wall and Peters (1981 ).

The Syntax and Semantics of Wh-Constructions

The Syntax and Semantics of Wh-Constructions
Author :
Publisher : Routledge
Total Pages : 184
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781315513515
ISBN-13 : 131551351X
Rating : 4/5 (15 Downloads)

Synopsis The Syntax and Semantics of Wh-Constructions by : Paul Hirschbuhler

This title, first published in 1985, provides a detailed analysis of aspects of the semantics and the syntax of some wh-constructions. The first part of the book deals with the semantics of questions, whilst the other part discusses the syntax of que and quoi (what) in questions in French and the syntax of free relatives in French and other languages. This title will be of interest to students of language and linguistics.

Radical Construction Grammar

Radical Construction Grammar
Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages : 448
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0198299540
ISBN-13 : 9780198299547
Rating : 4/5 (40 Downloads)

Synopsis Radical Construction Grammar by : William Croft

This book is based on the results of research in language typology, and motivated by the need for a theory to explain them. Croft proposes intimate links between syntactic and semantic structures, and argues that the basic elements of any language are not syntactic but rather syntactic-semantic "Gestalts." He puts forward a new approach to syntactic representation and a new model of how language and languages work.

Constructions

Constructions
Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Total Pages : 278
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780226300863
ISBN-13 : 0226300862
Rating : 4/5 (63 Downloads)

Synopsis Constructions by : Adele E. Goldberg

Drawing on work in linguistics, language acquisition, and computer science, Adele E. Goldberg proposes that grammatical constructions play a central role in the relation between the form and meaning of simple sentences. She demonstrates that the syntactic patterns associated with simple sentences are imbued with meaning—that the constructions themselves carry meaning independently of the words in a sentence. Goldberg provides a comprehensive account of the relation between verbs and constructions, offering ways to relate verb and constructional meaning, and to capture relations among constructions and generalizations over constructions. Prototypes, frame semantics, and metaphor are shown to play crucial roles. In addition, Goldberg presents specific analyses of several constructions, including the ditransitive and the resultative constructions, revealing systematic semantic generalizations. Through a comparison with other current approaches to argument structure phenomena, this book narrows the gap between generative and cognitive theories of language.

Ten Lectures on Construction Grammar and Typology

Ten Lectures on Construction Grammar and Typology
Author :
Publisher : BRILL
Total Pages : 321
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9789004363533
ISBN-13 : 900436353X
Rating : 4/5 (33 Downloads)

Synopsis Ten Lectures on Construction Grammar and Typology by : William Croft

In Ten Lectures on Construction Grammar and Typology, William Croft presents a unified theory of linguistic form and meaning that encompasses crosslinguistic diversity, verbalization and language change. Croft begins from construction grammar, a theory of syntax in which all syntactic structures are a pairing of form and meaning. Constructions are posited as basic; syntactic categories are defined by constructions. The internal structure of constructions directly link elements of constructions to the meanings they express, Constructions across languages can be situated in a space of syntactic variation. Grammar emerges from the verbalization of experience. Constructions occur in a probability distribution across the conceptual space of meanings. These probability distributions evolve, leading to grammatical change in language, modeled in an evolutionary framework.

Construction Grammar and its Application to English

Construction Grammar and its Application to English
Author :
Publisher : Edinburgh University Press
Total Pages : 232
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780748675869
ISBN-13 : 0748675868
Rating : 4/5 (69 Downloads)

Synopsis Construction Grammar and its Application to English by : Martin Hilpert

Construction Grammar explains how knowledge of language is organized in speakers' minds. The central and radical claim of Construction Grammar is that linguistic knowledge can be fully described as knowledge of constructions, which are defined as symbolic units that connect a linguistic form with meaning.

The Semantics of Grammar

The Semantics of Grammar
Author :
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing
Total Pages : 629
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9789027286123
ISBN-13 : 9027286124
Rating : 4/5 (23 Downloads)

Synopsis The Semantics of Grammar by : Anna Wierzbicka

“The semantics of grammar” presents a radically semantic approach to syntax and morphology. It offers a methodology which makes it possible to demonstrate, on an empirical basis, that syntax is neither “autonomous” nor “arbitrary”, but that it follows from “semantics”. It is shown that every grammatical construction encodes a certain semantic structure, which can be revealed and rigorously stated, so that the meanings encoded in grammar can be compared in a precise and illuminating way, within one language and across language boundaries. The author develops a semantic metalanguage based on lexical universals or near-universals (and, ultimately, on a system of universal semantic primitives), and shows that the same semantic metalanguage can be used for explicating lexical, grammatical and pragmatic aspects of language and thus offers a method for an integrated linguistic description based on semantic foundations. Analyzing data from a number of different languages (including English, Russian and Japanese) the author explores the notion of ethnosyntax and, via semantics, links syntax and morphology with culture. She attemps to demonstrate that the use of a semantic metalanguage based on lexical universals makes it possible to rephrase the Humboldt-Sapir-Whorf hypothesis in such a way that it can be tested and treated as a program for empirical research.

Subjects in Constructions – Canonical and Non-Canonical

Subjects in Constructions – Canonical and Non-Canonical
Author :
Publisher : John Benjamins Publishing Company
Total Pages : 334
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9789027269188
ISBN-13 : 9027269181
Rating : 4/5 (88 Downloads)

Synopsis Subjects in Constructions – Canonical and Non-Canonical by : Marja-Liisa Helasvuo

This volume analyzes constructions with non-canonical subjects in individual languages and cross-linguistically, drawing on insights from cognitive and discourse-functional linguistics. Prototypical subjects have often been characterized in terms of their semantic, syntactic and discourse features, such as animacy, agentivity, topicality, referentiality, definiteness and autonomy of existence of the subject referent. A non-canonical subject is one that lacks some of these features. This may be reflected in its meaning, grammatical coding, and/or discourse function. In discussing non-canonical subjects in individual languages and cross-linguistically, the chapters in the volume address the following more general topics: What kinds of grammatical, semantic and discourse criteria can be used to distinguish subjects from non-subjects? To what extent are subject criteria construction-specific? What kinds of constructions have non-canonical subjects? What are the semantic and discourse functions of constructions with non-canonical subjects? Are subjects which are grammatically non-canonical also atypical in terms of their discourse features?

Introducing Semantics

Introducing Semantics
Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Total Pages : 477
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780521851923
ISBN-13 : 0521851920
Rating : 4/5 (23 Downloads)

Synopsis Introducing Semantics by : Nick Riemer

An introduction to the study of meaning in language for undergraduate students.