Chapter 7. The ontogeny of complex verb phrases: How children learn to negotiate fact and desire

2009 ◽  
pp. 129-203
Keyword(s):  
Verb Phrases

Crosslinguistic similarity and variation in the simultaneous morphology of sign languages

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 571-608
Author(s):  
Diane Brentari ◽  
Laura Horton ◽  
Susan Goldin-Meadow
Keyword(s):  
American Sign Language ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Optimality Theory ◽  
Sign Languages ◽  
British Sign Language ◽  
Verb Phrases ◽  
Classifier Predicates ◽  
Crosslinguistic Variation ◽  
Hong Kong Sign Language ◽  
British Sign

Abstract Two differences between signed and spoken languages that have been widely discussed in the literature are: the degree to which morphology is expressed simultaneously (rather than sequentially), and the degree to which iconicity is used, particularly in predicates of motion and location, often referred to as classifier predicates. In this paper we analyze a set of properties marking agency and number in four sign languages for their crosslinguistic similarities and differences regarding simultaneity and iconicity. Data from American Sign Language (ASL), Italian Sign Language (LIS), British Sign Language (BSL), and Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL) are analyzed. We find that iconic, cognitive, phonological, and morphological factors contribute to the distribution of these properties. We conduct two analyses—one of verbs and one of verb phrases. The analysis of classifier verbs shows that, as expected, all four languages exhibit many common formal and iconic properties in the expression of agency and number. The analysis of classifier verb phrases (VPs)—particularly, multiple-verb predicates—reveals (a) that it is grammatical in all four languages to express agency and number within a single verb, but also (b) that there is crosslinguistic variation in expressing agency and number across the four languages. We argue that this variation is motivated by how each language prioritizes, or ranks, several constraints. The rankings can be captured in Optimality Theory. Some constraints in this account, such as a constraint to be redundant, are found in all information systems and might be considered non-linguistic; however, the variation in constraint ranking in verb phrases reveals the grammatical and arbitrary nature of linguistic systems.

The semantics of German posture and placement verbs in noun-verb phrases

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-114
Author(s):  
Manon Hermann
Keyword(s):  
Standing Position ◽  
Sitting Position ◽  
Image Schemas ◽  
Verb Phrases ◽  
Preliminary Study

Abstract In this contribution, we study the use of the German verbs stehen (‘to stand’), sitzen (‘to sit’) and their causative equivalents stellen (‘to put in a standing position’) and setzen (‘to put in a sitting position’) in noun-verb phrases, such as an der Spitze stehen (lit. ‘to stand at the top’ = ‘to be at the top’) or auf die Beine stellen (lit. ‘to put upright on the legs’ = ‘to achieve’). Among these phrases we are looking more particularly at the subcategory of complex noun-verb phrases which are commonly referred to as Funktionsverbgefüge in German. Numerous examples from the corpus DeReKo (IDS) are analyzed with the aim of identifying the conceptualizations and image schemas that motivate their use. This preliminary study shows that, even if these verbs seem very close at first sight, their use is highly differentiated.

Syntactic Abilities of Neurologically Normal and Suspect Preterm Children

1996 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 615-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Holdgrafer
Keyword(s):  
Language Skills ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Sentence Structure ◽  
Complex Sentence ◽  
Normal Children ◽  
Preterm Children ◽  
Verb Phrases ◽  
Neurologically Normal

This study examined the syntactic abilities of neurologically normal and suspect preterm children at preschool age to characterize their language skills and to assess specific differences between groups. The Index of Productive Syntax was used to score language transcripts. The children exhibited reduced syntactic performance, particularly in the use of questions, negatives, and complex sentence structure. Children considered to be neurologically suspect had more difficulty with development of verb phrases than did neurologically normal children.

Measuring stuff and process

2019 ◽  
pp. 37-60
Author(s):  
Alexis Wellwood
Keyword(s):  
Central Thesis ◽  
Measure Function ◽  
Mass Nouns ◽  
Subsequent Chapter ◽  
Verb Phrases ◽  
Monotonicity Constraint ◽  
Function Selection

This chapter begins the book’s survey of non-canonical comparatives, and suggests a degree-based interpretation of the expression “much” which occurs implicitly as a morphosyntactic part of “more”, and explicitly in phrases like “as much” and “too much”. Focusing on comparatives targeting mass nouns like “mud” and atelic verb phrases like “run (in the park)”, a primary goal of this analysis is to capture both the variability and constraints (especially a hypothesized “monotonicity constraint”) on measure function selection in such cases. In line with the central thesis of the book, this chapter emphasizes the role that the order-theoretic properties (when present) of a predicate plays in fixing the available dimension(s) for comparison in a given nominal or verbal comparative. The success of this analysis suggests considering whether it can apply to the canonical comparatives, which is explored in the subsequent chapter.

Separable complex verbs

2019 ◽  
pp. 223-245
Author(s):  
Geert Booij
Keyword(s):  
Verb Phrases ◽  
Complex Verbs

Separable complex verbs (SCVs) are a subtype of multi-word expressions: phrasal predicates with a verbal head, and particles, adjectives, or nouns as non-heads. They behave as lexical units, but cannot be analysed as verbal compounds. They are analysed as verb phrases with a non-projecting complement, and they can also behave as syntactic compounds, with syntactic incorporation of the preverb. The subtype of SCVs with a Noun as complement is called quasi-incorporation. Nominalizations of separable complex verbs are nominals compounds consisting of a preverb and a deverbal nominalization. This implies a systematic paradigmatic relationship between phrasal constructions (SCVs) and morphological constructions (the corresponding nominalization compounds).

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