Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
The basis of this study is an observation of a Mandarin expression, which was heard in a Chinese television programme. The expression is qí le guài le, which I tentatively translate as ‘how strange...Show moreThe basis of this study is an observation of a Mandarin expression, which was heard in a Chinese television programme. The expression is qí le guài le, which I tentatively translate as ‘how strange’. Double le is well-described for verb–object (VO) compounds, as in nà le mèr le ‘have been perplexed’. However, qíguài is listed in dictionaries as an adjective meaning ‘strange’ and as a verb meaning ‘to find strange’. It is not documented as a VO, raising questions about its syntactic status. In this study, I investigate what qí le guài le means, what each instance of le contributes to its meaning, and whether qí and guài should be analysed as two different syntactic elements. The second paragraph contains an overview of the methodology. Here, it is explained that I understand syntax primarily as the study of relations between meanings. This contravenes a popular view of syntax as primarily concerning relations between forms. I also make a fundamental distinction between meaning and interpretation. In the following paragraphs, the analyses are presented step by step, and any linguistic jargon is explained and illustrated with examples. The reader is not expected to have prior knowledge of either Mandarin or linguistics.Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
In Dutch, one can order a drink, denoted by a mass noun, using phrases such as: Ik will graag twee (glazen) rode wijn, "I would like two glasses of red wine". Interestingly, the usage of the...Show moreIn Dutch, one can order a drink, denoted by a mass noun, using phrases such as: Ik will graag twee (glazen) rode wijn, "I would like two glasses of red wine". Interestingly, the usage of the classifier, in this case glazen ‘glasses’, is not obligatory. Borer (2005) argues that such sentences, without classifiers, are possible in a register she calls Restaurantese. This construction, however, is not possible with all adjective-noun combinations. Therefore, this study proposes two main hypotheses, similar to van Erkel (2020). First, one could argue that the acceptability of these configurations depends on the syntactic classification of the adjective. Second, one could argue that it depends on the relation between the adjective and the noun, which I refer to with the term combinability. There are different approaches one could take to define combinability. This study takes three different approaches: the collocation of the adjective and the noun; the familiarity of the combination; the chance one could find a combination on a menu, which I call the Restaurantese reading. Through different surveys, this study has shown that the syntactic level of the adjectives does not influence the acceptability of sentences in which you order drinks in Dutch. The combinability of the adjective-noun pair, on the other hand, plays a large role in the acceptability. This effect is, remarkably, not restricted to Restaurantese expressions. By comparing adjective-noun pairs that were ranking differently amongst the three approaches for combinability, I show that the Restaurantese reading is the best indicator for the acceptability of different adjective-noun pairs. Then I discuss the connection between the sentences with and without the overt classifier. I argue that the configurations without the overt classifier contain a covert classifier that introduces countability and the portion needed to express such sentences. Lastly, I note that the acceptability of these configurations is not set in stone. It is hugely dependent on cultural history and the usage of language by all its language users on the one hand, and one’s personal background and world knowledge on the other hand.Show less
This thesis consists of two parts. In the first part, I go over some of the difficulties in representing semantic structures, including a discussion of the characteristics of syntactic and semantic...Show moreThis thesis consists of two parts. In the first part, I go over some of the difficulties in representing semantic structures, including a discussion of the characteristics of syntactic and semantic structures, syntax-semantics correspondence, and two types of semantic underspecification. In the second part, I offer a design for the visualization of semantic structure as derived by the Delilah parser, as well as a software tool for drawing these structures automatically.Show less
Kiembu, a Bantu language of central Kenya, has two morphemes nĩ and kwa which are used to mark different types of focus. In this thesis, I investigate the functions of these two focus markers,...Show moreKiembu, a Bantu language of central Kenya, has two morphemes nĩ and kwa which are used to mark different types of focus. In this thesis, I investigate the functions of these two focus markers, especially concentrating on the ways they are used to mark predicate-centered focus. I give a description of the different functions of the two morphemes based on data from my own field research, and I also propose a syntactic analysis of focus in Kiembu and briefly discuss how the focus marker kwa may have developed from an earlier focus construction.Show less
This thesis looks at positive and negative existentials in Finnish and Hungarian with the help of the framework of Denis Creissels’ 7 types of existentials for the positive constructions, as well...Show moreThis thesis looks at positive and negative existentials in Finnish and Hungarian with the help of the framework of Denis Creissels’ 7 types of existentials for the positive constructions, as well as Croft’s Cycle for the negative constructions. The findings are that neither language fits neatly within Creissels’ types, as both show several different constructions. Finnish has three distinct ways of forming existentials: ‘olla + locative’, ‘olla + agent participle of olla + locative’, or a ‘copula only’ construction. Hungarian has two different ways of forming existentials: with ‘lenni + locative’, as well as a ‘copula only’ construction. Not every construction is grammatical in every context. Often existentials cannot be clearly separated from locatives and possessives. Generally, word order and context work together with a specific construction to somewhat differentiate it from other constructions. However, multiple interpretations of a single construction are often possible, so this is not absolute. These findings go against multiple claims often made in conventional literature.Show less
The Dialect of Vlasotince is a Torlak variety of South Slavic spoken in and around the small town of Vlasotince in southern Serbia, between Kosovo (KiM) and Bulgaria. This grammar sketch aims to...Show moreThe Dialect of Vlasotince is a Torlak variety of South Slavic spoken in and around the small town of Vlasotince in southern Serbia, between Kosovo (KiM) and Bulgaria. This grammar sketch aims to provide a succinct description of its phonology, morphology and select syntactic features as currently used by the inhabitants of Vlasotince, supplemented with a small number of texts to illustrate its use in practice. Due to Vlasotince’s considerable growth since the end of WWII (Vukmirović 2013: 106) and the proliferation of media and schooling in the standard language, what is most commonly heard on the street nowadays is a variety with stronger influence from the standard language than is usually found in the works on Torlak dialectology from the past century, yet one that clearly retains much of its distinctive character. It is this contemporary, commonly used register, sprinkled with influences from the standard, that I have tried to describe here. It should serve as a representative snapshot of the way people from Vlasotince speak amongst themselves today.Show less
A comparative study attempting to explain the occurrence of non-V2 in Dutch comparative correlatives ("Hoe A-er, hoe B-er"). The presented theories (from previous studies) described in the thesis...Show moreA comparative study attempting to explain the occurrence of non-V2 in Dutch comparative correlatives ("Hoe A-er, hoe B-er"). The presented theories (from previous studies) described in the thesis are based on non-V2 phenomena in Dutch and Northern Norwegian. The research question ("Can theories about non-V2 in the Tromsø Norwegian wh-questions be applied to the Dutch non-V2 comparative correlative constructions with wh-elements?") is answered by using analyses in comparative syntax, phonology, information structure and psycholinguistics.Show less
In the study of the left periphery, the syntax of exclamatives is often overlooked. Although research on exclamatives exists (You 2014; Villa-García 2015), comparative research, such as that of Ono...Show moreIn the study of the left periphery, the syntax of exclamatives is often overlooked. Although research on exclamatives exists (You 2014; Villa-García 2015), comparative research, such as that of Ono & Lasnik (2006), is still even more sparse. In this paper, the left periphery of English and Spanish exclamatives will be explored. By comparing and contrasting data from the two languages, this thesis seeks to further expand upon our knowledge of the left periphery of exclamatives. Using the split CP hypothesis, first proposed by Rizzi (1997), as a framework, this paper specifically focuses on how complementizers are distributed within the left periphery of the exclamative. It explores the identification of exclamatives using the clause type’s syntactic and semantic properties as defined in Zanuttini & Portner (2003). In addition, this paper establishes that A-bar movement occurs in both English and Spanish exclamatives, while head movement occurs only in the latter. I construct data consisting of wh-exclamatives with various word orders and use native speaker input to determine whether these examples are grammatical. Based on these results I analyse the distribution of the constituents that undergo movement. The paper concludes that the syntactic structure of Spanish exclamatives can allow for topicalization and focalization, whereas that of English exclamatives cannot, and it proposes that the complementizers of English exclamatives are positioned higher than those of Spanish exclamatives without the emphatic particle que.Show less
This thesis examines the status of whether in Generative Grammar. There is no consensus in the existing literature on the syntactic status of whether. Some linguists (Haegeman, 2006; Huddleston ...Show moreThis thesis examines the status of whether in Generative Grammar. There is no consensus in the existing literature on the syntactic status of whether. Some linguists (Haegeman, 2006; Huddleston & Pullum, 2002; Van Gelderen, 2013; among others) argue that whether is a complementiser, on a par with that and if. The example in (1) illustrates this position: (1) I don’t know whether/if I’ll go to the party. Other linguists (Newson et al, 2006; Radford, 1997, 2004, 2009; among others) have posited that whether is a wh-phrase, on a par with who and when. The example in (2) illustrates this position: (2) I don’t know whether/when I’ll go to the party. In this thesis, I aim to find out which of these positions is to be preferred: is whether a complementiser or a wh-phrase? I will attempt to answer this question through synchronic and diachronic research, using data from the existing literature. I will analyse the present-day syntactic behaviour of whether, its historical development and its morphology and critically evaluate the evidence for the two positions as presented in the existing literature.Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
The aim of this thesis is to provide a novel account for the linguistic phenomenon that is commonly referred to as ‘fragments’. I will provide a novel account, utilising the syntax-prosody...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to provide a novel account for the linguistic phenomenon that is commonly referred to as ‘fragments’. I will provide a novel account, utilising the syntax-prosody interface, to account for the fact that fragments appear to be derived from a larger structure. I aim to deal with some of the inadequacies of previous syntactic analyses, and to provide an account that may be better reflected in the data. The analysis that I will detail in this thesis will treat the deletion we find in fragments as prosodic deletion: such an approach has not been attempted so far. Importantly, whilst the main focus of this thesis is investigating the deletion in fragments, we will see that we may also be able to account for further cases of ellipsis, such as sluicing, right node raising and gapping.Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
This thesis aims to give a syntactic account of the inflected infinitive in five Romance languages: European Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Galician, Sardinian and Old Neapolitan. In these...Show moreThis thesis aims to give a syntactic account of the inflected infinitive in five Romance languages: European Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Galician, Sardinian and Old Neapolitan. In these languages, infinitives agree with their nominative subject, but lack tense, mood or aspect morphology. The analysis is based on the idea that φ-features originate on C (Chomsky 2004) and can be kept on C, shared with T or inherited by T (Ouali 2008). It is argued, however, that T in infinitival clauses is defective and therefore cannot inherit the φ-probe; this probe is instead located on another functional head (cf. Miyagawa 2010). Which functional head exactly is determined by the semantics selected for by the matrix verb. The difference in locus of the φ-probe accounts for the different word orders attested.Show less
The middle construction in English can be formed with an adverb. Though much has been said about constraints on themes and verbs in the middle construction, less has been said about constraints on...Show moreThe middle construction in English can be formed with an adverb. Though much has been said about constraints on themes and verbs in the middle construction, less has been said about constraints on adverbs. This thesis is a short study of what adverbs can participate in middle formation.Show less
Relative pronouns in a variety of languages are analyzed. Earlier analyses focusing mainly on the Promotion Theory are evaluated and the Promotion Theory is rejected as it cannot elegantly explain...Show moreRelative pronouns in a variety of languages are analyzed. Earlier analyses focusing mainly on the Promotion Theory are evaluated and the Promotion Theory is rejected as it cannot elegantly explain resumptive pronouns and it cannot handle coordinated antecedents. It is concluded that an adequate theory cannot raise the antecedent out of the relative clause. A new theory is introduced that analyses relative clauses as being selected by an Adjectival Phrase with a phonologically null head while the relative pronoun is simply coreferential with the antecedent.Show less
This thesis concentrates on correlative sentences in Russian. A number of derivational accounts have been proposed in the literature for correlatives in Hindi, Serbo-Croatian and Hungarian...Show moreThis thesis concentrates on correlative sentences in Russian. A number of derivational accounts have been proposed in the literature for correlatives in Hindi, Serbo-Croatian and Hungarian respectively (Srivastav 1991, Dayal 1996, Bhatt 2003; Izvorski 1996; Lipták 2005, 2009, 2012), but little has been said about the possible derivation of Russian correlatives. The main goal of my thesis is to apply the derivational account proposed by Lipták (2012) for Hungarian in a modified form to Russian. I first provide a thorough background on correlatives in general, and secondly how they behave in Russian specifically. The criteria for preferring the structural account proposed Lipták (2012) will be discussed as well. The 2 derivational steps of primary importance in my analysis are: 1.) Focus fronting of the Dem XP in the main clause; 2.) base-generation of the correlative clause in the left periphery of the main clause and its optional Topicalization. I furthermore show that the crucial diagnostics used by Lipták for Hungarian do not apply to Russian. Using a different set of diagnostic tests I eventually conclude that 1.) the Dem XP in the main clause is contrastively Focused; 2.) the correlative clause is likely to be base-generated in the left periphery of the main clause, and is similar to a contrastive Topic in Russian.Show less
