Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
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Event nominalizations in Iraqw, a Cushitic language spoken in Tanzania, have a number of interesting properties. Particularly, they do not license arguments; instead, thematically related nominals...Show moreEvent nominalizations in Iraqw, a Cushitic language spoken in Tanzania, have a number of interesting properties. Particularly, they do not license arguments; instead, thematically related nominals may occur as possessors, or as arguments of the main clause. This thesis, based partially on new data gathered during fieldwork in Tanzania, provides an overview of the morphosyntactic properties of event nominals in Iraqw, as well as an analysis of their internal structure and the syntactic status of their arguments, using the framework of Distributed Morphology.Show less
Merchant’s (2004) work on fragment answers has been groundbreaking in how clausal ellipsis is discussed today. In the article, Merchant defends the notion that in fragmented utterances, an...Show moreMerchant’s (2004) work on fragment answers has been groundbreaking in how clausal ellipsis is discussed today. In the article, Merchant defends the notion that in fragmented utterances, an interpretable syntactic structure is present but elided on the surface; a view that has been much contended with (see e.g. van Riemsdijk 1978; Hausser and Zaefferer 1978; Ginzburg and Sag 2000; Jackendoff 2002; Barton 1990; Stainton 1995, 1997, 1998; Jackendoff and Culicover 2005). His main argument boils down to the fact that fragments in fragment answers are part of a generated structure, and are proven to undergo movement (p. 664). Ever since, movement has been a crucial element in the discussion on ellipsis. Consequently, Ott and Struckmeier (2017) published an article on why the theory by Merchant is false, using gapping, a type of clausal ellipsis, in German for their prime examples. This thesis aims to further tackle Merchant’s approach using gapping in Dutch and showing that particles in gapping propose significant problems for Merchant’s theory.Show less
Syntactic analysis of conjunction phrases through X’-theory raises several problems for syntacticians. Currently, the analysis of coordination widely used within the Principles and Parameters...Show moreSyntactic analysis of conjunction phrases through X’-theory raises several problems for syntacticians. Currently, the analysis of coordination widely used within the Principles and Parameters-theory is to label them as conjunctive phrases (ConjP) with the conjunction at its head, the first element of the conjunction as the specifier, and the second element as its complement, as proposed by Munn (1978). In this thesis I plan to closely analyze this construction through established theories, previous studies and evidence found in English as well as several other languages when appropriate for the discussion. This thesis will focus exclusively on coordination of Determiner Phrases in order to establish an accessible basis for arguments for and objections against ConjP, as well as to easily foreground arguments dealing with case and agreement. From the compiled arguments I will present a judgement about the integrity of Munn’s structure. Therefore the purpose of this thesis is to find out whether coordinative phrases propose a significant problem to X’-theory, as is assumed in papers such as Borsley (2015).Show less
In this thesis, the phenomenon of dangling topic sentences in Mandarin is investigated. These topics can appear without obvious marking in sentence initial position and are not related to a...Show moreIn this thesis, the phenomenon of dangling topic sentences in Mandarin is investigated. These topics can appear without obvious marking in sentence initial position and are not related to a resumptive pronoun or a gap in the comment. The goal is to explain that these sentences are actually not exclusive to Mandarin, but also appear in many other languages. Furthermore, I provide evidence that suggests that these topics receive a topic marker that is part of the numeration and are thus not as "bare" as they appear to be at first glance. This marker can either be realized prosodically or by a particle.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Oude culturen van de mediterrane wereld (Bachelor)
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The syntax of Akkadian and Sumerian non-finite verbal forms is compared in order to identify possible influences upon one another through language contact. Many similarities are observed, but no...Show moreThe syntax of Akkadian and Sumerian non-finite verbal forms is compared in order to identify possible influences upon one another through language contact. Many similarities are observed, but no conclusive evidence for contact-induced change is identified.Show less
Dit stuk behandelt de gaande discussie of woordsoorten in het Mandarijn bepaald worden door het lexicon van de taal of door invloed van syntaxis. In dit stuk wordt een korte introductie tot deze...Show moreDit stuk behandelt de gaande discussie of woordsoorten in het Mandarijn bepaald worden door het lexicon van de taal of door invloed van syntaxis. In dit stuk wordt een korte introductie tot deze discussie gegeven en worden beide zijden van deze discussie behandeld.Show less
Die Beschreibung der modalen Satzadverbien stellt innerhalb der ursprünglich rein syntaktischen und verbzentrierten Dependenzgrammatik ein Problem dar. Als semantische und optionale Elemente der...Show moreDie Beschreibung der modalen Satzadverbien stellt innerhalb der ursprünglich rein syntaktischen und verbzentrierten Dependenzgrammatik ein Problem dar. Als semantische und optionale Elemente der Sprache sind die modalen Satzadverbien ebenso wie die Adverbien im engeren Sinne direkt vom Verb abhängig. Man kann den Unterschied im Skopus zwischen den modalen Satzadverbien und den Adverbien im engeren Sinne nicht direkt aus dem Dependenzgraphen ableiten. Engel (1994; 2006), Welke (1988) und Eroms (2000; 2006) haben sich mit der Beschreibung der modalen Satzadverbien in der Dependenzgrammatik auseinandergesetzt und schlagen in ihren Theorien alle eine andere Lösung vor. In dieser Studie soll anhand einer ausführlichen Analyse dieser Lösungen festgestellt werden, wie man die modalen Satzadverbien am besten im Rahmen der Dependenzgrammatik beschreiben könnte. Zu Beginn der Arbeit wird kurz dargestellt, was die modalen Satzadverbien sind und welche Funktion sie im Satz erfüllen. Im zweiten Teil stehen die Grundprinzipien der Dependenzgrammatik und das Problem der Beschreibung der modalen Satzadverbien im Rahmen der Dependenzgrammatik zentral. Zum Schluss werden die Lösungen von Engel (1994; 2006), Welke (1988) und Eroms (2000; 2006) beschrieben und im Rahmen der Theorie der Dependenzgrammatik beurteilt.Show less
This thesis investigated the spatial organisation and functional patterning of the rooms of the Oppian pavilion of the Domus Aurea, which was built by Emperor Nero in AD 60-68. The study uses a...Show moreThis thesis investigated the spatial organisation and functional patterning of the rooms of the Oppian pavilion of the Domus Aurea, which was built by Emperor Nero in AD 60-68. The study uses a combination of an analysis of the decorative programme of the Domus as published by Meyboom and Moormann in ‘Le Decorazioni Dipinte e Marmoree Della Domus Aurea di Nerone a Roma’ (2013), and an analysis of the spatial organisation of the building using Space Syntax techniques. The Oppian pavilion has never been subject to a formal spatial analysis prior to this thesis. The new perspective the analyses offer on the pavilion allows to shed new light on an area until now hardly explored. The results achieved by this thesis suggest that the Oppian pavilion was very unlikely to have had residential functions. Concluding from the Visibility Graph Analyses performed, most of the rooms were visually highly integrated, presuming rather a public function. At least two big dining rooms were present: rooms 40 and 128. The spatial and decorative characteristics of these rooms complement and amplify each other. The two rooms, moreover, were included in a pattern of visibility lines, called an ‘enfilade’. The enfilade pattern emerged from room 45a and continued on to the eastern end of corridor 92, from there it continued its way to room 132, and from room 132 it went through the Pentagonal Courtyard garden (no. 80a) and the porticoed gallery (no. 21), to end in room 9. A noticeable fact is that the enfilade pattern is cut off where the ‘Second Pentagonal Court’ is thought to have started. Hence it is very likely that th e ‘Second Court’ had a function that was entirely different from that of the rest of the Oppian pavilion. The spatial analysis in this thesis was applied from the perspective of the entrances of the pavilion only. Future investigations of the Domus which focus on all individual rooms as the root nodes for convex spatial studies could well contribute to gaining even more new insights into the spatial organisation of the pavilion.Show less
