Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
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Discussions concerning syntactic aspects of code-switching (CS) phenomena are currently ongoing. This thesis looks at two such phenomena, nominal ellipsis (NPE) and linear adjacency, and shows how...Show moreDiscussions concerning syntactic aspects of code-switching (CS) phenomena are currently ongoing. This thesis looks at two such phenomena, nominal ellipsis (NPE) and linear adjacency, and shows how empirical investigation of CS contexts helps inform linguistic theory. This was accomplished by presenting 23 Belgian Dutch/French (BD/FR) bilinguals with a two-alternative forced choice judgment task and comparing their choices through t-tests to check for significance. Experiment 1 examines whether the choice of grammatical gender on adnominal ellipsis remnants reveals a morphosyntactic link between a FR elided noun with a BD antecedent. The results show that no such link can be observed for NPE in this language pair; this is contra González-Vilbazo and Ramos (2015), Merchant (2015) and Nee (2012), who have found evidence of a such a link between elided elements and antecedent in code-switched clausal and VP-ellipsis, as well as general evidence against structural theories of ellipsis (e.g., Merchant, 2001; 2004). Experiment 2 explores the Matrix Language Framework (MLF) (Myers-Scotton, 1993; 1995), a popular model that predicts that the determiner language will match the matrix language (ML) in code-switched DPs. However, effects of linear adjacency between the determiner and the inflection on the main verb (which determines the ML) have not yet been considered within the MLF. The DP was given as a post-verbal complement (adjacent), and as a post-verbal adjunct and a pre-verbal complement (non-adjacent). The results show that linear adjacency has no effect on determiner language. Moreover, the results also do not fit into the MLF. This thesis is the first empirical study to examine NPE theory in a code-switched environment, as well as the first to investigate linear adjacency effects on code-switched DPs. This work also provides insight into CS patterns in the BD/FR language pair, a relatively understudied bilingual population that frequently employs CS but is not a close-knit community. Taken together, these findings show that gathering empirical CS data from distinct bilingual populations is crucial, adding new and contrary insights and aiding the construction of linguistic theory.Show less
This thesis reports about two studies on what the preferred order of stacked adjectives is in noun phrases, according to native speakers of English and Dutch. Recent theoretical research on this...Show moreThis thesis reports about two studies on what the preferred order of stacked adjectives is in noun phrases, according to native speakers of English and Dutch. Recent theoretical research on this topic (Scott 2002, Truswell 2004, 2009, Szendrői 2010, 2013) use this domain of investigation as a basis for theoretical claims concerning the nature of adjectives (being specifiers vs. adjuncts) and NP-internal displacement, but they seriously lack when it comes to reporting about native speaker consultation about the data. This thesis aims to fill this gap by presenting the results of two online questionnaire studies of adjectival ordering, specifically testing the proposals above against native speaker judgements in two contexts: noun phrases with neutral orders and those with contrastive contexts. The results predominantly validate the findings of Truswell (2004, 2009) as opposed to those of Scott (2002) when it comes to neutral orders, and the claims of Szendrői (2010, 2013) as opposed to Truswell (2005) when it comes to contrastive orders. This in turn suggests that (i) adjectives should not be thought of as specifiers but rather as adjuncts, and (ii) some types of A-bar displacement in noun phrases are optional.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, 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
