Clause Constructions Research Articles

The application of corpus in English structure analysis class: a case of adjective clause construction

This paper presents the author's experience in the application of corpus concordance in helping the students in structure analysis class understand the construction of English sentences containing adjective or relative clause. The adjective clause is under discussion based on the pre-test scores on adverbial clause, non-finite clause, coordinative clause and adjective clause in which the students' score on adjective score was the lowest. In the realm of action research, a variety of data was collected, including the students' corpus search projects and reflection papers and teachers' teaching journals. A close analysis of the data reveals findings on the concordance lines showing how the keywords of the study namely relative pronouns are being used in the corpus. These concordance lines then are used by the students to explore the construction of English sentence containing the pronouns after some brief theoretical foundations about the concordance.

Accounting for syntactic variation in diachrony

AbstractThis paper addresses the early variation in what has been called the [prep_que] variable in Spanish nominal complement clauses, i.e. the alternation betweende queandquein examples such asenseñal (de) quelo estimo, Zulema, este anillo ofrezco(CORDE) ‘as a sign that I appreciate You, Zulema, I offer this ring’. By applying several subsequent quantitative analyses on corpus instances of the sequences Nde queand Nque, the locus of variation is restricted to such an extent that the variation can largely be accounted for. A collostructional analysis identifies 31 central nouns of the Nde quecomplement clause construction. A diachronic cluster analysis delimits the temporal dimension of the variation to the 16th and 17th centuries. A distinctive collexeme analysis identifies nine nouns which are used in both constructional formats to a comparable degree:causa‘cause’,duda‘doubt’,esperanza‘hope’,fe‘faith’,opinión‘opinion’,recelo‘fear’,señal‘sign(al)’,sospecha‘suspicion’, andtemor‘fear’. Detailed contextual analysis of the use of these nine nouns by means of a mixed-effects logistic regression reveals that the use of the nouns with a determiner is correlated with thede quevariant, and the use of the nouns as part of complex predicates, as intener sospecha‘have suspicion’, is associated with thequevariant of the complement clause.

A Corpus-based Study on the English Relative Clause Constructions in the English-language Media

A Corpus-based Study on the English Relative Clause Constructions in the English-language Media

Processing possessives in translation between unequal systems. An exploratory study

The present paper reports on results of two translation experiments conducted with eye tracking and keylogging. Norwegian and Danish professional and student translators have each translated a small English news text into their L1. The texts include possessives in different syntactic environments which affect choice between a reflexive and an irreflexive form in the targets. While native speakers are expected to make uniform choices which conform to regularities on local and non-local binding principles in Danish and Norwegian, we find disparate solutions among the participants in both groups. The study compares final products with process data, both in terms of edits and in terms of temporal measures indicative of translation effort. Results show a considerable amount of hesitation on choice in all non-finite clause constructions, although more so among students than among professionals. Questions of translation effects versus an unstable locality principle is taken up in the final discussion.

Agreement with the internal possessor in Chimane*

AbstractThe paper examines a type of clausal construction in Chimane (or Tsimane’, unclassified, Bolivia) in which possessors which are apparently internal to patient- or recipient-like possessive phrases can control object agreement on the verb. Various aspects of the construction point to an analysis in which the internal possessor is doubled by an external representation or ‘proxy’ in the clause which mediates the agreement relation between the possessor and the verb. The construction bears some resemblance to external possessor constructions, albeit with the added complication that the possessor itself remains internal to the possessive phrase while its argument function is borne by the external proxy. The paper examines features of the construction and contrasts it with similar or related phenomena which have been identified in other languages.

The origin and use of a relative clause construction that targets objects in Orungu (Bantu, Gabon)

Abstract This paper provides an analysis of two relative clause constructions in the Gabonese Bantu language Orungu that are in complementary distribution. The choice between them is determined by the target of relativisation in a typologically interesting way, in that it involves the combination of the criteria of the syntactic relation, thematic role and referential properties of the target. The construction that targets most types of objects is formally nearly identical to relative clauses that target the subject of a passive clause and we argue that it originates in the syntactic reanalysis of such subject relatives. That is, relative clauses that targeted the subject of a passive clause have been reanalysed as relative clauses that target the object of an active clause. This shows a rare type of change in relative clause constructions, which is unique in Bantu, but grounded in the universal tendencies captured by the accessibility hierarchy.

Seeking control in Modern Standard Arabic

Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) has several embedded clause constructions, some of which resemble control in English (and other languages). However, these constructions exhibit some notable differences. Chief among them is the fact that the embedded verb carries agreement features that can indicate both coreference and disjoint reference between a matrix argument and the subject of the complement clause. Through a corpus-based investigation, informed by previous insights regarding the distinction between control and no control, we found no evidence of obligatory control predicates in MSA; these findings contradict accepted generalizations (and predictions) proposed by state-of-the-art theories of control. Nevertheless, although no obligatory control predicates were found, the backward pattern, where the single expressed subject occurs in the embedded clause, revealed morphosyntactic reflexes of the control vs. no control distinction. Coreference between the expressed embedded subject and the unexpressed matrix subject was found to be restricted to a set of predicates. The existence of backward control and its relation to the backward raising construction, also found in MSA, are especially relevant for current debates regarding the theory of control. We propose an analysis that ties together control, raising and restructuring.

A corpus-based analysis of word order variation in Yami relative clause construction

AbstractYami relative clauses (RCs) can either precede the head noun, for example,kanakan‘child,’ as inko ni-ma-cita o [ji yákneng] a kanakan‘I saw the child who cannot hold still’, functioning as restrictive RCs ([RC] + a + Head NP), or follow it as inko ni-ma-cita o kanakan a [ji yákneng]‘I saw that child, who cannot hold still’, functioning as nonrestrictive RCs for complementation strategy (Head NP + a + [RC]). The VARBRUL results demonstrate that head final RCs are predominant in Yami, and Yami speakers use them to connect the given referent with the previous discourse to convey given information. The study found that Subject head nouns outnumber other grammatical roles of head NPs, and that Subject head noun with Subject RC construction is produced more than any other RC constructions, which indicates that Yami RCs are used to modify the Subject for topic continuity.

大島資生著, 『日本語連体修飾節構造の研究』, 2010年2月15日発行, ひつじ書房刊, A5判, 332ページ, 5,800円+税

大島資生著, 『日本語連体修飾節構造の研究』, 2010年2月15日発行, ひつじ書房刊, A5判, 332ページ, 5,800円+税

Relative and Conditional Clause Constructions in Ìyàgbà Dialect

Relative Clause has been discussed as a subordinate clause used to qualify a noun. It narrows down the meaning of the noun it qualifies. A relative clause marker tí is inserted to accomplish the noun qualified having coded in the sentence initially in Yoruba language on the one hand. On the other hand, a conditional clause in Yoruba language is introduced with tí-clause by coding it in the sentence initially as well. The paper focuses on relative clause and conditional clause constructions in the Ìyàgbà dialect of Yoruba; a regional dialect in the north-east Yoruba. The author observes that though there are many scholarly works on the relative and conditional clause constructions in the Yoruba language, attention has not been paid to the relative and conditional clause constructions in the dialects of Yoruba. The data were collected from the informants from these dialect communities who reside in these communities and speak the dialects fluently, and the literature materials on these topics. The data presentation shall be based on descriptive analysis. Findings reveal that relative clause markers in the Ìyàgbà dialect are in complementary distribution; they occur in an exclusive environment. Apart from that, conditional clause markers are not attested in the dialect.

On the pseudo-small clause construction in Japanese: New evidence for A-movement out of a CP and its theoretical implications

This paper provides new evidence for the availability A-movement out of a CP and considers its theoretical implications. The discussion concerns what I call the “pseudo”-small clause construction in Japanese, which has not received much attention in the literature. The pseudo-small clause construction shows a puzzling constraint on major subjects originating in complement clauses: the major subjects must receive accusative Case from a matrix predicate despite the availability of nominative Case within the complement clauses. To explain this constraint, it is proposed that (i) pseudo-small clauses are phasal CPs and (ii) the major subjects originating in the pseudo-small clause complements must undergo movement into a matrix theta-position, which takes place across the CP phase. It is also suggested that (i) Tense in Japanese moves to C, (ii) Standard Japanese has null complementizers, and (iii) the ban on A-movement out of a CP is explained in terms of the locality of Agree.

Relative clauses in Western Muskogean languages

Chickasaw and Choctaw, the two Western Muskogean languages, have several different relative clause constructions, each of which is internally headed: (1) relative clauses with final demonstratives; (2) relative clauses in which the verb is marked with the suffix -kaash; and (3) relative clauses in which the verb is marked with a form of the complement switch-reference marker ‑ka. Western Muskgean relative clauses sometimes take the marking predicted by the case system, sometimes the marking predicted by the switch-reference system, and sometimes can take either marker, with different conditions for the three different relative clauses types and for extraposed modifying clauses. This complexity, we argue, arose from syntactic change in progress.This article is part of the special collection: Internally-Headed Relative Clauses

An Innovative Main Clause Construction with Ergative Patterns in Kari’nja (Cariban, Suriname)

This paper presents an analysis of an innovative finite main clause construction in Kari’nja (Cariban, Suriname). Although mentioned briefly in previous works, there has to date been no principled description of the construction. Nevertheless, it appears with some frequency in texts of procedural narratives based on documentation videos.The construction is unique in Kari’nja in that it exhibits ergative patterns of morphosyntax. This is typologically significant in that it represents a counter-universal, tense/aspect-based ergative split. This claim is validated based on the construction’s consistence with an imperfective aspectual value and non-past tense.In addition to describing formal and functional properties of the synchronic construction, this paper examines potential source constructions, situates it among cognate constructions in other languages in the family, and posits a mechanism by which it entered main clauses. In addition, an examination of the genres in which it appears addresses why the construction has not been described to date.

Grammatical Intricacy on Students’ Writing

Grammatical intricacy refers to how often a clause complex in a text in comparison with simple clauses. It is accepted that any text has a different level of intricacy (complexity). This is all related to how much information is introduced in a clause complex which can contain more than one simple clause. Classification of clauses (sentences) applies to the determination of grammatical intricacy (complexity) of a text. If in a text there are more clause complexes than simple clauses, it can be said that the text is more complex in the sense that it presents more information in a condensed way. Consequently, learners are potential to encounter problems. The concept of this article only focuses on the paratactic clause, hypotactic clause construction and the combination among clause constructions used by students.

When the Second Language Takes the Lead: Neurocognitive Processing Changes in the First Language of Adult Attriters.

Although research on multilingualism has revealed continued neuroplasticity for language-learning beyond what was previously expected, it remains controversial whether and to what extent a second language (L2) acquired in adulthood may induce changes in the neurocognitive processing of a first language (L1). First language (L1) attrition in adulthood offers new insight on neuroplasticity and the factors that modulate neurocognitive responses to language. To date, investigations of the neurocognitive correlates of L1 attrition and of factors influencing these mechanisms are still scarce. Moreover, most event-related-potential (ERP) studies of second language processing have focused on L1 influence on the L2, while cross-linguistic influence in the reverse direction has been underexplored. Using ERPs, we examined the real-time processing of Italian relative-clauses in 24 Italian-English adult migrants with predominant use of English since immigration and reporting attrition of their native-Italian (Attriters), compared to 30 non-attriting monolinguals in Italy (Controls). Our results showed that Attriters differed from Controls in their acceptability judgment ratings and ERP responses when relative clause constructions were ungrammatical in English, though grammatical in Italian. Controls’ ERP responses to unpreferred sentence constructions were consistent with garden path effects typically observed in the literature for these complex sentences. In contrast, due to L2-English influence, Attriters were less sensitive to semantic cues than to word-order preferences, and processed permissible Italian sentences as outright morphosyntactic violations. Key factors modulating processing differences within Attriters were the degree of maintained L1 exposure, length of residence in the L2 environment and L2 proficiency – with higher levels of L2 immersion and proficiency associated with increased L2 influence on the L1. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that high levels of L2 proficiency and exposure may render a grammatical sentence in one’s native language ungrammatical. These group differences strongly point to distinct processing strategies and provide evidence that even a “stabilized” L1 grammar is subject to change after a prolonged period of L2 immersion and reduced L1 use, especially in linguistic areas promoting cross-linguistic influence.

GRAMMATICAL-SEMANTIC PROPERTIES OF VERB-PHRASE WITH “bae” and “kanai” in MINANGKABAUNESE

The lexicons bae and kanai in Minangkabaunese can be combined with other verbs to form a serial verb construction, such as: bae lari ‘get running’, bae makan ‘get eating’, kanai tanyo ‘get asked’, and kanai bao ‘get brought’. The serial verb constructions bae or kanai + V in this local language bring about particular grammatical-semantic properties which need further analyses and discussion. This article, which is derived from a part of the results of a research entitled “Kemasan Makna Gramatikal dan Makna Sosial-Budaya Bahasa Minangkabau: Penyelidikan atas Tatamakna dan Fungsi Komunikatifnya”2 discusses the grammatical-semantic properties of verbal predicates in verb-phrase bae or kanai + V in the form of serial verb construction. The main question as the basis of analysis and discussion presented in this paper is ‘what are the grammatical-semantic properties of clause constructions with the predicate in verb-phrase bae or kanai + V in Minangkabaunese?’ The analysis and discussion are to explore and to explain the grammatical-typological and semantic properties of the serial verb constructions in Minangkabaunese. The data and information presented in this paper were obtained through a library and linguistic field research conducted in 2016. The analysis and discussion on the data are based on relevant theories of linguistic typology, especially the grammatical typology dealing with grammatical constructions and active-passive voice.

Unusual manner constructions in Shua (Khoe-Kwadi, Botswana)

AbstractThis paper describes a set of three interrelated constructions in Shua (Khoe-Kwadi, Botswana) that make reference to the manner of performance of an event, or to the condition of an entity or entities either in general or as they are involved in an event or situation. There is a subordinate version of the construction that employs reduplication of the verb and a marked case of the subject to signal subordinate status. The other two types are main clause constructions with the overall appearance of copular clauses (i.e., clauses employing a grammeme as a linking device), with a final ‘be’ copula together with an instance of the subordinate variety of the construction. These two constructions, however, show grammatical features that attest to their distinctiveness, distinguishing them from other types of copular clause. The paper discusses the range of meanings and uses of the three manner constructions, and proposes grammatical analyses.

Acquisition of Zero Relative Clauses in English by Adult Turkish Learners of English

Studies on acquisition of relative clauses by first and second language learners have evoked considerable interest in recent decades. In line with such studies, in this present study we aim to show the possible effect of first language (Turkish) on second language (English) in zero relative clause constructions. English uses certain stranded prepositions in zero relative clauses, whereas Turkish uses the same suffix in non-subject relative clause constructions. This observation in two typologically different languages led the study to claim that Turkish word order in non-subject relative clauses affects the acquisition of zero relative clauses in English. Fifty sentences in Turkish were prepared and composed of five categories. Each category consisted of ten sentences. Each category referred to one of the five cases in Turkish. These cases were accusative, locative, ablative, dative and instrumental. The participants (N=91) were asked to translate these Turkish sentences into English. The results showed that the participants tended to omit prepositions in English zero relative clauses except the construction that did not entail any preposition. Therefore, the study implies that Turkish language learners may be under the effect of their mother tongue while producing zero relative clauses in English.

La classificazione delle frasi relative in ittita arcaico: una prospettiva tipologica

Hittite features a number of well-studied relative clause constructions, as discussed in the reference grammar by Hoffner and Melchert (2008). In recent years, some aspects of the standard analysis have been convincingly called into question by various scholars, and therefore the entire domain of Hittite relativization deserves closer attention. In this paper, I attempt a new synchronic description of Hittite relative clauses, by combining a typological framework for the classification of relative clauses with a careful scrutiny of corpus data, extracted from a selection of Old Hittite texts. As I will demonstrate, the criteria employed in linguistic typology to describe the structural and functional variation of relative clauses across languages will allow us to achieve a more precise classification of these structures in Hittite, enabling the identification of a number of hitherto neglected syntactic and semantic patterns, such as the existence of postposed restrictive and of maximalizing correlative relative clauses. Guglielmo IngleseDipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Sezione di Linguistica Teorica e ApplicataUniversita di PaviaStrada Nuova 6527100 Pavia (Italy)guglielmo.inglese01@universitadipavia.it

Reference patterns in subjunctive complement clauses of Modern Standard Arabic

In this paper we investigate the status of control constructions in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). MSA has several embedded clause constructions, some of which resemble control in English (and other languages). However, these constructions exhibit some notable differences. Chief among them is the fact that the embedded verb carries agreement features that can indicate both coreference and disjoint reference between a matrix argument and the understood subject of the complement clause. We conducted a thorough corpus-based investigation of such constructions, with a special focus on a search for obligatory control in the language. We show that our findings contradict accepted generalizations (and predictions) proposed by state-of-the-art theories of control, as they indicate that there are no "real" control predicates in MSA. We outline an HPSG analysis that accounts for the MSA data.