Bilingual compound verbs (BCVs) are constructions where an inflected light verb from one language co-occurs with an inserted lexical verb from another language, which provides the semantic content,...Show moreBilingual compound verbs (BCVs) are constructions where an inflected light verb from one language co-occurs with an inserted lexical verb from another language, which provides the semantic content, e.g., Spanish/English hacer cook “to cook”: Spanish/Maya hacer loch “to hug”. Although previous studies, i.a., Balam (2015); Balam et al. (2020); Michalski (2017), have analyzed the (morpho)syntactic structure of hacer “to do” BCVs in Spanish/English code-switching and Maya/Spanish code-switching respectively, there is no study that offers a semantic analysis of these innovative constructions in these bilingual varieties. Endeavoring to fill this gap, the present study examines the semantic use of BCVs in Orange Walk, Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico; two linguistically and sociohistorically connected yet distinct communities where Spanish hacer BCVs have been attested (e.g., Balam, 2015; Michalski, 2017). More specifically, we analyzed which semantic domains are open to other language lexical verbs in these two bi/multilingual communities that markedly differ in terms of their frequency of use of BCVs. 903 BCVs from Balam ́s (2016a) corpus of oral production data from Northern Belize and 237 BCVs from Michalski ́s (2021) Yucatan Spanish Twitter corpus were coded using our categorization model, consisting of 3 mains semantic categories, 28 mutually exclusive categories and 5 references to identity. Results show that there are significant similarities and differences regarding the openness of semantic domains to other language lexical verbs in the two communities. In terms of similarities, subcategories “C1 School, Education, Learning-Related” and “B2 Friendships, Social Communication” evinced high levels of openness (> 7%) across the two communities. In terms of differences, the BCVs from Yucatan encapsulated a relatively high degree of cultural and linguistic references (47%) that are idiosyncratic to the Yucatecan/Mayan community. We therefore posit that Backus ́s (2001) concept of specificity and Treffers-Daller ́s (2023) listedness to be the main motivations for the insertion of Maya verbs in hacer BCVs. The Belize results demonstrate that many different semantic contexts exhibited openness to English verb insertions, reflecting the multicultural and multilingual identity of the Northern Belizean society. The high degree of openness found in “C1 School, Education, Learning-Related” (20%) and “C2 Work-Related”(13%) can be attributed to the more frequent (official) use of English in educational and professional settings, possibly resulting in higher levels of “entrenchment” in the speakers´minds (Backus, 2014).Show less
In this thesis, I analyse and discuss palatalisation of the consonant sequence /tj/, particularly within the context of Dutch diminutives. First, an overview is provided of Dutch diminutive...Show moreIn this thesis, I analyse and discuss palatalisation of the consonant sequence /tj/, particularly within the context of Dutch diminutives. First, an overview is provided of Dutch diminutive allomorphy, palatalisation in general, and about frequency and productivity and their possible effects on sound change. Based on a detailed review of the literature within this topic, the expectation was that frequency would be a major influencing agent of this palatalisation process. In respect of the specific sequence of /tj/, data was elicited by means of a small-scale production experiment, in which I used beetje (a very frequent diminutive) and weetje (a low-frequency diminutive) as target words. The findings indicate that the alternation of what was perceived as the unmarked [tɕ] and the frequency-conditioned, palatal [ç] is no longer sensitive to frequency, and that [ç] is more recurrent than it was expected to be.Show less
Donald Trump was a highly controversial figure in the 2016 and 2020 elections. He presented himself as America’s hero (Mercieca, 2020). Trump's 2016 campaign was marked by an unique and...Show moreDonald Trump was a highly controversial figure in the 2016 and 2020 elections. He presented himself as America’s hero (Mercieca, 2020). Trump's 2016 campaign was marked by an unique and idiosyncratic rhetoric and campaigning style in which social media play a large role and especially his use of Twitter was remarkable (Polak, 2018). Trump’s rhetoric was full of pathos-driven techniques like: America first exceptionalism, hyperboles, repetition, fear appeals, ad populum and ad hominem arguments (Mercieca, 2020) while his rhetoric lacked complexity (Skinnel, 2018). Furthermore, Trump was known to distort facts (Skinnel, 2018). Although Trump was suspended from Twitter, begin January 2021, shortly after losing the election and the storming of the capitol took place, he has recently made a re-entrance on Twitter. The author of this paper wishes to contribute to the current research on Trump’s unique rhetorical style which continues to have a strong influence in America and do so by analysing Trump’s Twitter use during the 2020 elections, making use of a corpus based approach supplemented by a qualitative analysis of his rhetoric.Show less
In this thesis, I will research the frequency of English loan words in K-pop songs that were released between 2010 and 2021. With this research I will attempt to answer three questions. Firstly:...Show moreIn this thesis, I will research the frequency of English loan words in K-pop songs that were released between 2010 and 2021. With this research I will attempt to answer three questions. Firstly: Has the average amount of English words in K-pop songs increased between 2010-2021? Secondly: How can English loans in Korean be linguistically classified? Thirdly: Why has the use of English words in Korean increased, if it is the case that it did? The found loan words will be distributed into five different categories laid out in Grant (2019) and Kim (2012), based on the identifying linguistic features. Furthermore, I will attempt to provide a sociolinguistic explanation for the reasons for the use of English words in Korean. Both broad societal factors, as well as factors specific to the K-pop industry will be taken into account to arrive at a conclusion.Show less
Research indicates that the application of syntactic stylistic devices and syntactic complexity in slogans comes with cognitive advantages and, hence, support the strategies of persuasion that...Show moreResearch indicates that the application of syntactic stylistic devices and syntactic complexity in slogans comes with cognitive advantages and, hence, support the strategies of persuasion that slogans entail. The current study set out to assess the extent to which syntactic stylistic devices and complexity are displayed in English cosmetic brand slogans. In addition, it sought to determine which syntactic stylistic devices are used most commonly, and how cosmetic brand slogans vary in terms of their length (number of words), number of modifiers, i.e. adjectives and adverbs, and levels and types of syntactic complexity. Through content analysis, twenty-five English slogans from twenty-three different cosmetic brands were investigated. The results indicate that the most common syntactic stylistic devices displayed in English cosmetic brand slogans are repetitions, omissions, and changes in the logical syntactic order. With respect to syntactic complexity, the results suggested that both simplicity and moderate complexity occurred frequently within cosmetic brand slogans. Whether moderate syntactic complexity was applied purposefully, could not be concluded with certainty.Show less
In Japanese mimetics, a pattern in which expressions that use voiced consonants are associated with relatively bigger referents - compared to their voiceless equivalents - can be widely observed....Show moreIn Japanese mimetics, a pattern in which expressions that use voiced consonants are associated with relatively bigger referents - compared to their voiceless equivalents - can be widely observed. In order to examine if this trait is either language-intrinsic to the Japanese language or can be considered as showing a level of universality, an experiment with 54 Dutch speakers with no knowledge of the Japanese language was conducted. Based on a previous research by Haryu and Zhao (2007) in which Chinese participants were used and the association in question did not seem to be effective, this thesis aims to shed a new light on this phenomenon by instead of Mandarin speakers, using Dutch speakers as participants. Based on multiple linguistic factors, the Dutch participants were expected to perform better than the Mandarin speakers and the results showed this was indeed the case (75.1%). Therefore, the results of this research suggest that within the mind of a Dutch native speaker, the associative link of voiced consonants with relatively bigger referents is present and is therefore not language-intrinsic to Japanese.Show less
This thesis investigates the morphological status of COVID-related splinters. It examines whether the splinters cov(i)-, -demic, and quaran- are in the process of becoming combining forms, in...Show moreThis thesis investigates the morphological status of COVID-related splinters. It examines whether the splinters cov(i)-, -demic, and quaran- are in the process of becoming combining forms, in similar vein to forms like -(a)holic, a splinter which has developed into a combining form. Corpus-based investigation and feature-based analysis have shown that cov(i)- and -demic indeed behave like combining forms in word formation processes, while quaran- does not. However, an analysis of its lexical structure has indicated that it is not impossible for quaran- to become a combining form eventually.Show less
Es ist kein reiner Zufall, dass das Deutsche und Niederländische sich in vielerlei Hinsicht ähnlich Verhalten, denn sie sind schließlich Schwestersprachen. Reflexive Verben scheinen ein gutes...Show moreEs ist kein reiner Zufall, dass das Deutsche und Niederländische sich in vielerlei Hinsicht ähnlich Verhalten, denn sie sind schließlich Schwestersprachen. Reflexive Verben scheinen ein gutes Beispiel dieser Ähnlichkeit. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden reflexive Verben im Deutschen und Niederländischen miteinander verglichen. Reflexive Verben werden mittels einer Wortliste, in der deutsche und niederländische Verben analysiert werden, in verschiedene Klassen unterteilt, die anschließend miteinander verglichen werden können. Es ist das Ziel dieser Arbeit um herauszufinden, ob deutsche und niederländische reflexive Verben sich systematisch voneinander unterscheiden. Ist es nur Zufall, dass verkouden worden ‘sich erkälten’ auf Deutsch reflexiv verwendet wird und im Niederländischen nicht, oder gehört das Verb zu einer größeren Gruppe der reflexiven Verben, die im Niederländischen nie reflexiv ist? Es hat sich ergeben, dass es tatsächlich systematische Unterschiede zu entdecken sind. Einige Klassen der Reflexiva, die im Deutschen reflexiv sind, sind das im Niederländischen nicht: die Klassen der Positions-, benefaktiven & malefaktiven Verben und die dekausativen inhärent reflexiven Verben mit belebtem Subjekt. Dekausative Reflexiva werden im Niederländischen überhaupt beschränkter als im Deutschen verwendet. Auch ist es bei manchen dekausativen Verben und agentiven Verben, die eine Körperbewegung ausdrücken, im Niederländischen möglich, das Reflexivpronomen weglassen. Im Deutschen ist das nicht der Fall. Wenn ein Verb für reflexiv markiert wird, wird die Betroffenheit des Subjekts betont. Das Deutsche betont diese Betroffenheit am meisten. Das Deutsche markiert semantische Rollen generell mehr als das Niederländische. Das sollte erklären, wieso das Deutsche die meisten Reflexiva aufweist und die Markierung auch nicht einfach weglassen will. Das Niederländische markiert semantische Rollen wiederum mehr als das Englische. Im Niederländischen werden Reflexiva auch mehr als im Englischen verwendet. Das Niederländische befindet sich daher zwischen dem Deutschen und Englischen. Sprecher des Niederländischen scheinen es einfach manchmal unnötig zu finden, die Betroffenheit des Subjekts zu betonen, deswegen kann das Reflexivpronomen bei manchen Verben weggelassen werden. Verben, deren Reflexivpronomina auch weggelassen werden können, gehören zu reflexiven Klassen, die dem Englischen fehlen. Das Niederländische scheint daher momentan dem englischen Weg zu folgen.Show less
This thesis discusses and analyses the commonalities and disparities in syntax between English as a superstrate and Sranan, an English-based pidgin that is now a creole. As freed slaves and new...Show moreThis thesis discusses and analyses the commonalities and disparities in syntax between English as a superstrate and Sranan, an English-based pidgin that is now a creole. As freed slaves and new generations of native speakers have continued using the creole, it has separated itself from the original context as a pidgin dependent on English lexicon and grammar. The study conducted for the thesis functioned as an opportunity to learn how modern-day Sranan modal expressions help demonstrate tense in simple clauses compared to modern-day English modals. The comparative analysis was based on the Burton-Roberts analytic methodology (2016), including syntactic trees, to aid in visualising relations between clauses and within phrases. A native speaker was interviewed to gain practical and implemental knowledge about the translations used in the analysis. Since English was the superstrate for Sranan, the sentences were translated from English to Sranan to ensure non-variable sentences with modals for comparison. After these translations, the syntactic structure of simple clauses, including modals in both languages, were compared, focusing on how modals may facilitate the specification of tense. A comparative analysis of English and Sranan simple declarative and interrogative clauses was conducted to discover potential patterns. These analyses revealed patterns in the simple clauses and verb phrases in English and Sranan that were influenced by modality. Each analysis demonstrated overlap and contrast between the languages in tense marking and verb inflection. By the end of the thesis, it becomes clear that, in English, there are differences in word order in clauses. English verb phrases can contain auxiliary and lexical verbs that influence tense in declarative and interrogative sentences. However, in Sranan, word order does not change in either declarative or interrogative sentences. Additionally, Sranan does not use auxiliary and lexical verbs in clauses to indicate tense, using tense markers instead to imply timeframe. Based on the results of the comparative analysis, it can be concluded that Sranan modals function differently than English modals in verb phrases and clauses. As Sranan modals do not directly influence tense, there is a need for another functional class, in this case, tense markers.Show less
