Non-finite Verb Forms Research Articles

Deficits in finite verb morphology: some assumptions in recent accounts of specific language impairment.

The grammatical morphology deficits common in children with specific language impairment (SLI) are characterized in some models as linguistic deficits. Such models must assume some mechanism for correct productions of finite verb forms. Three such assumptions were tested by analyzing speech samples from 18 children with SLI (aged 3 years 6 months to 6 years 9 months). Assumption 1, that nonfinite forms are used consistently until replaced by memorized finite forms, was tested by examining the distribution of verb types in present third-person singular and noun types in present third-person singular contractible copula contexts. Significantly more word types than expected were inflected inconsistently. Both Assumption 2, that finite and nonfinite verb forms are memorized but used indiscriminately, and Assumption 3, that affixation rules are applied indiscriminately, predict random use of finite forms. This prediction was not supported.

German Impaired Grammar: The Clause Structure Revisited

Based on spontaneous data from 50 German children with specific language impairment (SLI), we explore several aspects of impaired clause structure. Our findings are that children with SLI use more finite than nonfinite verb forms (57% vs. 36%). In declarative main clauses they prefer the verb in clause-final position (44%) over genuine (3%) or subject-initial (27%) verb-second patterns; the vast majority (80%) of wh-questions and subordinate clauses are not target consistent. Several current models of clause structure deficits are tested against these findings, especially the Missing Agreement Hypothesis, the Optional Tense Hypothesis, the Truncation Hypothesis, and the Minimal Default Grammar Hypothesis. It is shown that only the latter can account for the entirety of error patterns found in German SLIs. The model is further explored with respect to tense marking in the speech of German SLIs, which is shown to be correct in the presence of overt temporal adverbs.

Die Funktionalen Gruppen und die Typen der Bedeutungsveränderung von Adverbien bis Ende der Epoche des Altungarischen

This paper investigates the adverbial system of Ancient Hungarian, early Old Hungarian, and late Old Hungarian, on the basis of a large corpus. Section 1describes and characterizes the various types of adverbs (simple ones derived from nominals, nonfinite verb forms, and pronouns, as well as compound adverbs) in various functional groups (local, temporal, etc.), and traces the kinds of alterations they underwent within each period. Section 2presents the major directions of semantic changes of adverbs (e.g., that of directional meanings and that of syntactic roles) across periods, separating and comparing the peculiarities of each period and of each type of adverb, referring to issues of frequency as well.

A NEW ANALYSIS FOR MACHINE TRANSLATION OF THE AUXILIARY AND MAIN VERB COMPLEX

The analysis of the verb phrase poses interesting problems. This paper suggests a binary solution where the auxiliary is treated as one constituent and the main verb complex as another. Auxiliaries are thus not treated as main verbs as was suggested by Ross 1967 (and followed in the first version of Referent Grammar, Sigurd 1987). The auxiliary may be lacking (latent, empty), in which case the main verb carries the tense (finite) marker, or the auxiliary may be present, in which case the auxiliary carries the tense marker, while the main verb complex must be nonfinite. In the main verb complex, the main verb may be preceded by almost any number of nonfinite auxiliaries, and it is this possibility which creates theoretically interesting chains of nonfinite verb forms such as Swedish Eva maste ha velat kunna vaga (att) hoppa (Eva must have wanted to be able to dare (to) jump). A basic idea of this paper is that the nonfinite auxiliary verb forms can be added as prefixes (or as in G man suffixes) by a kind of morphological rule. (Less)