Grammatical Relations Research Articles

Grupul nominal în scrierile lui Dosoftei. Atributul substantival

The article follows a presentation of the noun phrase in Dosoftei’s writings, focusing on attributes expressed by nouns. After a theoretical description of the syntactic function of the attribute and of attributes expressed by nouns in particular, we will take into account the formal types of attributes expressed by nouns found in Dosoftei’s writings, with their construction peculiarities as adjuncts of head nouns: the prepositional attribute expressed by a noun, the attribute expressed by a noun in the genitive case, the attribute expressed by a noun in the nominative case, the apposition expressed by a noun and the attribute expressed by a noun in the dative case. The variety of these types of attributes expressed by nouns will reflect the complex possibilities of structuring the noun phrase in Dosoftei’s writings, thereby illustrating the diversity of Old Romanian constructions in the corpus to be analyzed.

Didactic Aspects of Figurative Syntagms in the Teaching Process

In the discursive process, figurative phrases with high expressive intensity are frequently used, representing one of the various sources of expression for each speaker in different communicative contexts. However, due to their nature, their teaching at school presents some difficulties. Although they are understandable to a particular linguistic community, they can be incomprehensible or difficult to interpret for anyone learning a foreign language, since their first meaning is in many cases not the meaning of the words that compose them and can be very different from the meaning they acquire in an idiomatic context. Idiomatic expressions rarely have corresponding translations in different languages, and their meaning is often rendered by completely different passages that have nothing in common with their direct meaning. In this article, we have tried to point out some of the methodological aspects to be considered when analyzing texts for didactic purposes and in foreign language teaching when it comes to figurative expressions. Since figurative phrases express a part of a nation’s culture, it is important for students to recognize the syntactic structures as words come together in the discursive process to express and convey thoughts and become part of various meaningful and formal grammatical relationships. They should be learned and acquired by keeping in mind the characteristics of their different types, their density, and their pragmatic use in the respective linguistic community. In this study, we will also try to show that the study of figurative syntagma can shed more light on theories of foreign language acquisition. Previous studies on figurative syntagma in Albanian have mainly been conducted within the narrow confines of linguistics, especially traditional linguistics. We assume that their investigation in the context of language didactics, as we approach it here, is only a first step that needs to be completed and deepened in further and more comprehensive studies. Received: 28 April 2024 / Accepted: 30 June 2024 / Published: 02 July 2024

Comparing theory-based models of grammatical complexity in student writing

Abstract The present study tests the empirical adequacy of competing models of grammatical complexity in university student writing, based on analysis of disciplinary texts from L1-English and L2-English students. The results show that grammatical complexity in student writing must be treated as a multi-dimensional linguistic construct, distinguishing among both structural types and syntactic functions. We compare the results here to previous research (Biber et al., 2024a, b), showing a similar patterning of complexity features in student writing and the broader domain of general writing. Two of these groupings – dependent phrases functioning as noun modifiers, and finite dependent clauses functioning as clause-level constituents – are especially interesting. These two groupings represent the strongest co-occurrence patterns in general writing, but only the dependent clause grouping is represented in student writing. This discrepancy is interpreted relative to the development of advanced proficiency in the use of complexity features by university students.

Category and Syntactic Functions in the Collocation of the Words Wabah and Pandemic: A Corpus Linguistics Overview

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed many aspects of life, including language. Words such as 'outbreak' and 'pandemic' frequently appear in COVID-19-related news, and both carry similar meanings in referring to the rapid spread of contagious diseases that affect a large number of people in extensive areas. Although these terms are often used interchangeably, it remains unclear how they are employed in various sentence contexts. This research aims to analyze the categories and syntactic functions of the collocation of the words 'outbreak' and 'pandemic' in the Nusantara Corpus using a corpus linguistics method. The study utilizes a combined quantitative and qualitative approach to examine the collocation of 'outbreak' and 'pandemic' in the Nusantara Linguistic Corpus. Data analysis is based on corpus linguistic theory and collocation theory. The research findings indicate that the collocation of 'outbreak' and 'pandemic' words is identified in the Nusantara corpus. The frequency of the word 'outbreak' reaches 195 occurrences, while 'pandemic' appears 1,229 times. Therefore, it can be concluded that the collocation of 'outbreak' and 'pandemic' words can be syntactically categorized as verbs, nouns, adjectives, and prepositions. Moreover, in terms of syntactic functions, the collocation of 'outbreak' and 'pandemic' is classified as subjects, objects, complements, and adverbials. This research can be implemented in the use of 'outbreak' and 'pandemic' collocations in sentence construction by considering categories and syntactic functions to avoid semantic errors based on the correct context.

The Syntax of the Genitive Case in Longus’ Novel Daphnis and Chloe

This study aims to explore the syntactic functions and characteristics of the genitive case in the ancient Greek novel “Daphnis and Chloe” by Longus, a text from the 2nd century AD, which exemplifies the “second sophistic” period of rhetorical development. The primary source for this research is the text of “Daphnis and Chloe”, which has been thoroughly analysed to ascertain the usage of the genitive case in various syntactic roles. The research employs descriptive and structural methods of linguistic analysis. The descriptive method identifies and explains instances of the genitive case within the text, while the structural method examines the relationships between these instances and other linguistic elements. The genitive case in the novel is found to perform multiple syntactic functions, including controlling verbs, nouns, adjectives, and expressing various semantic nuances. Detailed examples are provided to illustrate these functions and their impact on the text’s meaning. The findings offer a foundation for further studies of the genitive case in ancient Greek texts, providing significant insights for researchers and linguists interested in ancient Greek grammar and its syntactic constructions. The study enhances understanding of ancient rhetorical techniques and their application in literary texts during the “second sophistic” period.

How many inflectional forms does a Somali verb have?

Abstract The Somali verb is traditionally presented as having a quite large number of inflectional paradigms with, e.g., special negative forms and several kinds of subordinate clause forms. The complexity of traditional descriptions tends to overshadow important generalisations that would otherwise reflect a relative simplicity of the Somali verb system. The most important reasons for the abundance of paradigms are that forms, periphrastic constructions and their functions are not systematically differentiated, but also that the tonal accent and case marking are treated as parts of the inflection, instead of phrasal marking of syntactic or pragmatic functions. The aim of this article is therefore to suggest a simplified analysis and to define the minimal set of synthetic forms and analytical constructions that are necessary for the description of Somali verb inflection as well as the basic syntactic functions of these forms and constructions.

Prosodic Analysis of Noun Class Markers in the Syntax of BÀTỌ̀NU Language

The grammatical derivation of languages varies, leading to language specificity. In particular, languages with noun classes have unique methods of realizing them through prefixing and sometimes suffixing, such as in the Bàtọ̀nu language. This study focuses on the interface between syntax and phonology in the grammatical realization of the noun class system in the Bàtọ̀nu language, spoken in the Baruteen Local Government Area of Kwara State in Nigeria. Interviews were conducted to gather data, supplemented by secondary sources. Theoretical principles from Government and Binding Theory (GB) and Autosegmental Phonology were used to represent sentence structure and the tonal analysis of the data. Previous research established that the language has seven noun class markers (NCM). We found that phonological features, such as labialization, nasalization, and tone, can influence and determine the grammatical functions of class markers in languages that attest to them. In the case of Bàtọ́nu NCM, the tone is the determining factor. We assume that the class markers are unmarked at the underlying representation (UR), and when a floating high tone (HT) is assigned to the NCM underlyingly, they function as class markers. When a floating mid-tone (MT) is assigned, they become relative clause marker variants, and when in contact with the HT focus morpheme -á in focus constructions in the language, they function as focus marker variants.

Derivational Suffixes Forming Adjectives and Their Syntactic Functions in reference to Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales

Derivational Suffixes Forming Adjectives and Their Syntactic Functions in reference to Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales

Analyzing Prefix /me(N)-/ in the Indonesian Affixation: A Corpus-Based Morphology

This paper presents a corpus-based study of the prefix /me(N)-/ in Indonesian, a productive affix used to form predicative constructions. The analysis was based on the Indonesian – Leipzig Corpora Collection (ILCC). It explored the prefix’s distribution, functions, and productivity, focusing on its role in encoding semantic and syntactic features. The results showed that the prefix /me(N)-/ was predominantly used to derive verbs, accounting for over 68,7% at the mean value of 7,1. However, /me(N)-/ was also employed to derive adjectives, albeit less frequently (19.4%), at the mean value of 6,3, and about 12% of forming new words from noun stems (mean value was about 5,9). Semantically, the prefix can uniquely express causative (49,24% at a mean value of 43), instrumental (11,45% at a mean value of 10), reflexive (19,47 at a mean value of 17), possessive/state meanings (10,31% at a mean value of 9), and reciprocal (9,54% at a mean value of 8,3). Derived verbs with the prefix /me(N)-/ had syntactic functions influenced by their semantic meaning. Some of the most common and distinctive syntactic functions of /me(N)-/ are form monovalent (29,18% having a mean value of 27,33), bivalent (48,40% having a mean value of 45,33), and trivalent (22,42% having a mean value of 21). The study demonstrated that /me(N)-/ was highly productive. Future research could examine the cognitive and processing mechanisms involved in understanding /me(N)-/-derived words.

The Syntactic and Semantic Function of Question Particles

The Syntactic and Semantic Function of Question Particles

Struktur Gerak Tari Sayak di Desa Air Batu Kecamatan Ranah Pemberap Kabupaten Merangin Provinsi Jambi

The purpose of this study is to explain and describe the movement structure of Sayak Dance in Air Batu Village, Ranah Pemberap District, Merangin Regency, Jambi Province. This type of research is qualitative research with descriptive methods. Research instruments are researchers themselves and assisted by supporting instruments such as stationery and cameras. Data was collected through observation, interviews, and documentation. The steps of analyzing data are data collection, data reduction, data presentation and conclusions. The results showed that the relationship of basic elements, Sayak Dance has basic elements related to the attitude of the movement of body parts, starting from the head, body, hands, feet. The attitudes and movements contained in the Sayak Dance consist of: 1) attitudes and movements seen in a) the attitude of the head is upright, upright motion on the head does not exist. 2) Posture and gestures are seen in: a) upright, upright and leaning forward posture b) Motion on the body is absent 3) Posture and hand gestures are seen in: a) attitude on the hand lift sambah b) motion on the hand open straight sambah, open right sambah, pat me up, pat the right side of the leaf, pat the bottom slap, pat the back 4) attitude and motion on the feet seen in: a) attitude of the right foot, squat, middle stance, right lift, lift left, and bend. The grammatical hierarchical relationship system contained in Sayak Dance consists of 15 motifs, 8 phrases, 4 sentences and 1 cluster. Sayak dance includes syntagmatic relationships, relationships that are like links that cannot be separated or exchanged between the sati and others.

#AreHashtagsWords? Structure, position, and syntactic integration of hashtags in (English) tweets

Abstract As social media use continues to increase its presence in our lives, so does the language of such platforms. One of the most salient features of social media discourse is the hashtag. Starting its life on Twitter (X) about 15 years ago, the hashtag has seeped from online to offline communication. Yet, it is not clear whether hashtags are words, tags, or something else altogether, nor is it clear what morphological process gives rise to them. This study presents an extensive analysis of 3,423 hashtags from 1,216 English-language tweets, each manually coded for various linguistics features, including position in the tweet, grammatical function, and syntactic integration. Our findings suggest that hashtags are extremely varied and we propose that they are indeed words, arising through a process of hashtagging (which is distinct from compounding). We also argue that some hashtags are syntactically integrated while others constitute parenthetical material.

Da muss erst mal Gras drüber wachsen

Abstract On the different meanings and syntactic functions of da based on a German-Italian parallel corpus. This study investigates the use of the German word da and its equivalents in Italian. After assessing the academic literature regarding the various meanings of da in the German language, the research focuses on the analysis of da translations available in several examples taken from InterCorp. The findings are consistent with previous research, revealing that da can express causality, time, location, neutrality, contrast, and deixis. Additionally, it is observed that translators often use creative solutions. Also, some translations are not found in dictionaries, but align perfectly with the source text, indicating a need for more linguistic research on Italian-German translations, as well as the necessity to always adapt rendering to the specific context.

TRANSLATION STRATEGIES IN ENGLISH-UKRAINIAN RENDERING OF DUAL-NUMBER QUANTIFI

The article deals with translation strategies implemented in English-Ukrainian rendering of dualnumber quantifiers ‘both,’ ‘either,’ ‘neither’ that occur in modern fantasy fiction. The study aims to identify local and global translation strategies and methods of their adequate rendering at the post-translation stage of generalizing the translator’s experience. The research objectives are: 1) to compile a complete register of the lexemes under investigation based on J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” and its authorized Ukrainian translation produced by V. Morozov.; 2) to determine their semantic and functional characteristics and direct translation equivalents; 3) to identify their semantic roles and syntactic functions in the source text; 4) to specify the types of grammatical shifts and methods of their rendering into Ukrainian; 5) to identify and analyze the translation strategies applied by the translator to reach equivalence and adequacy of translation. The research material comprises 96 dual-number quantifiers used in the original text and their translations in the corresponding Ukrainian text fragments. In the course of the study, the following methods were employed: 1) entire sampling to compile a register of the lexemes and accomplish the source and target text levelling; 2) dictionary entries’ analysis to establish the lexical-semantic and functional properties of the quantifiers and their direct Ukrainian translation equivalents; 3) contextual analysis and immediate constituents’ analysis to identify their semantic roles and syntactic functions in the source text; 4) comparative-contrastive translation transformational analysis to specify the translation methods and types of grammatical shifts applied in their rendering; 5) to identify and analyze the translation strategies implemented by the translator; 6) quantity calculations to determine the frequencies of the analyzed phenomena. As a result, based on dictionary entries’ analysis, the main functional-semantic classes of the quantifiers have been found to be the determiner, pronoun, conjunction and pronominal adverb. By means of immediate constituents’ and contextual analysis, 17 pure and blended semantic roles of the lexemes’ referents in ‘state of affairs’ situations have been identified, the most frequent being the agent (36.4%), locative (14.6%) and experiencer (11.4%). By way of sentence parsing, 19 combinations of the semantic roles and syntactic functions have been established, the most frequent one being the agent subject (37.5%), the others showing frequencies around 10%. With the aid of translation transformational analysis, the most common methods of rendering the dual-number quantifiers into Ukrainian have been found to be omission (62.5%), equivalent (literal) translation (21.9%) and lexical substitution (15.6%). Correspondingly, the main translation strategies, including ST-oriented and TToriented ones, have been proved to be 1) communicative translation (68.8%) by omission with emphasis decrease, related and unrelated-word paraphrase, clause/sentence structure change and explicitness decrease, and by equivalent with emphasis change and clause/sentence structure change and/or addition; 2) literal translation (15.6%) including direct translation (4.2%) by pure equivalent and oblique translation (11.4%) by blended equivalent. i.e. with emphasis change and/or clause/sentence change; 3) semantic translation (15.6%) involving synonymy, emphasis change, phrase structure change, modulation, clause/ sentence structure change and explicitness decrease, 4) domestication (100%) incorporated in the above three strategies, all applied to ensure equivalence and adequacy of the translation.

LINGUODIDACTIC FEATURES OF TEACHING ADJECTIVES IN THE COURSE OF UKRAINIAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The article delineates the nuances surrounding the meaning, morphological features, syntactic functions, and stylistic attributes of Ukrainian adjectives as a focal point for foreign learners, accompanied by a proposed set of exercises tailored to foster practical proficiency and fluency in their application within speech. It underscores the close association between adjectives and nouns, wherein their interdependency epitomizes the essence of their lexical meaning and grammatical categories. The semantics of adjectives is linked with word-formation structures, encompassing both derivative and non-derivative forms, as well as processes of substantiation. In teaching Ukrainian to non-native speakers, particular emphasis is placed on elucidating the autonomous nature of morphological categories – gender, number, and case – when adjectives assume the role of a noun or predicate. A comprehensive array of morphological variations within adjectives is delineated: 1) forms of word change by gender, number, case; 2) forms of adjectival comparison; 3) short and full (conjugated and unconjugated) forms of adjectives; 4) forms of adjectives by the final consonant of the stem (hard, soft, mixed group). Consideration is given to the formation and utilization of grammatical forms in tandem with the lexical and stylistic nuances inherent to adjectives. Moreover, the article underscores the distinctive approach employed in textbooks targeting Ukrainian as a foreign language when addressing the topic of adjectives. Authors extensively employ tables, instructional rules, generalizations, and grammatical exercises with a communicative emphasis, supplemented by explanatory commentary. It is essential to exercise creativity in leveraging the grammatical content within textbooks, critically evaluating presentation modalities and sequential learning patterns, and devising a comprehensive range of exercises and tasks aimed at cultivating practical aptitude and proficiency in adjective usage within speech. The efficacy of addressing these objectives hinges upon the methodological proficiency of Ukrainian language educators catering to foreign learners. Key words: Ukrainian as a foreign language, adjective, practical grammar, morphological features, syntactic functions, methodological competence.

Non-discourse-configurationality in Imbabura Kichwa

This study investigates the syntactic structure of Imbabura Kichwa, a Quechuan language spoken in the Imbabura Province of Ecuador, with a focus on the seemingly free word order in grammatical functions and discourse-semantic functions (i.e., topic and focus). We first provide the data and overviews of the non-configurationality and non-discourse-configurationality of Imbabura Kichwa. Then, we demonstrate that the underlying syntactic structure of Imbabura Kichwa is built up hierarchically based on the agreement of focus enclitics with clause types and polarity. Finally, we argue that the non-configurationality and non-discourse-configurationality are the surface realization of the movement from the underlying structure to the daughter positions of a non-projective category S.

Ordering preferences in Ukrainian multiple <i>wh</i>-fronting

We present the first systematic study of ordering restrictions in Ukrainian multiple wh-fronting (MWF) constructions, examining the effects of grammatical relation, case and animacy. Using an acceptability judgment task with pair-list primes, we tested the acceptability of Superiority-obeying and Superiority-violating questions with two wh-arguments. We found that Ukrainian speakers exhibit two distinct patterns with respect to Superiority: one group of speakers accepted Superiority violations while the other did not. Both groups, however, allowed free word order with wh-prepositional phrases and the lexical item ščo ‘what’. We conclude that these two patterns represent two distinct varieties of Ukrainian which differ in Superiority in matrix MWF constructions.

The Grammatical Cohesion Analysis of News Texts on The Russia-Ukraine War

Grammatical cohesion is research that analyzes how each word, phrase, or sentence is connected in a text. The researcher conducted this study to identify the types of grammatical cohesion and know how these types work in news texts. Researchers chose to use a qualitative descriptive approach in conducting this research. The data source in this study is an online news text published on Wednesday, 19 October 2022, by The Jakarta Post entitled "Russia Bombs Cities Across Ukraine at Rush Hour in Apparent Revenge Strikes." To examine the news text, researchers used the theory of grammatical cohesion developed by Cutting (2002). After conducting the analysis, the researcher found thirty-five (35) forms of grammatical cohesion out of the thirty-three (33) datums found in news texts. Of the total findings, thirty-two (32) are reference forms, and the remaining three (3) are ellipsis types. On the other hand, substitution is not found in the war news text. The type of reference most often used is the endophora in the form of anaphora (13), followed by exophora (10), associative endophora (7), and endophora in the form of cataphora (2). From these findings, each type of grammatical cohesion has its role in the news text. The reference type works as a tool to refer to a reference point in the text. Meanwhile, the ellipsis type works as a tool to remove words or phrases that are deemed unnecessary. Even so, both types of grammatical cohesion function to avoid word repetition.

THE DYNAMICS OF ENGLISH SENSORY VERBS MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS

The study is focused on the analysis of the dynamic development of the morphological functions of the main sensory verbs, which make up the core of five lexical-semantic fields of visual, auditory, gustatory, olfactory and tactile sensory perception, in the diachronic view and covers all periods of the English language development: Old English, Middle English, Early New English and New English. The objective is a detailed and in-depth study of the grammatical and phonetic characteristics of the main nuclear English sensory verbs at each stage of their development and highlighting the changes that took place in their morphological chronology. The main tasks are to track, analyze and compare the grammatical and phonetic characteristics of sensory verb lexemes of five main lexical-semantic fields to indicate the process of sensory perception in each historical period, comparing their dynamics and identifying all possible grammatical and phonetic changes that took place in the specified time period. Various methods, analyses and approaches were involved to obtain reliable data: phonetic, component, comparative, quantitative analysis, analysis of dictionary definitions, comparative-historical method, diachronic-synchronic approach. The study is based on the use of all possible Old English, Middle English and Modern English dictionaries that are available. The results prove that in the subsystem of English sensory verbs denoting the processes of sensory perception, there have been noticeable changes on the grammatical and phonetic levels. Throughout all periods of the English language development, their grammatical and phonetic functions have been subjected to various forms of alignment and similar influence from the class of strong declension to weak declension. A significant part of the basic nuclear sensory verbs underwent quantitative and qualitative phonetic changes.

Processing wh-filler-gap dependencies.

We present experimental evidence showing that different wh-filler-gap dependencies are processed differently, depending on their syntactic licensors. Our studies compared the active storage profiles for why, how, and who (serving as subject or object of the verb). The results of offline and online experiments revealed that these wh-fillers are stored in memory for different durations, and predictably so based on the hypothesised structural distance between each wh-filler and the licensor which determines its grammatical and interpretive functions. Furthermore, the results showed that once the wh-filler is licenced, it is integrated to the current structure, and no longer engenders additional memory costs. Based on these findings, we argue that the mechanism of online sentence processing may employ both storage and integration components in memory.