Syntactic Principles Research Articles

Characteristics of the Fulfulde Nominal Class Suffix and its Implication on the Syntactic Principle of Antecedence

This is a study funded on the opinion that the characteristics of Fulfulde nominal class suffix and its implication on the syntactic principle of the antecedent. It discusses the structure of nominal phrases, and the classes of nominal phrase as well as determine the factors behind nominal classes in Fulfulde language. The data of this research was extracted through verbal interviews with the native speakers, which was collected and interpreted through its English glosses as well as analysed based on the framework ethnolinguistics characteristics. It also reduces the ambiguity that is responsible for the apparent ease with which metaphoric expressions are employed by native speakers of Fulfulde.

Universal Grammar and Universal Grammar’s Influence and Related Theories Concerning Second Language Acquisition

Universal Grammar, represented by Chomsky, believes that the human brain is born with a Language Acquisition Device. Under the stimulation of the language environment, the language function of the human brain dedicated to language learning will be activated and begin to acquire a language. Universal grammar is the core idea of Chomsky's generative linguistics theory, which is composed of a limited number of syntactic principles representing the common features of human language. It is precisely because the human brain naturally generates this universal grammar that human beings can acquire their own mother tongue when language input is poor or even lacks "negative corpus" (that is, the indication of language errors or faults). Chomsky once proposed a simple language acquisition model, namely "language input —Language Acquisition Device —language acquisition", which means that language input generates grammar through Language Acquisition Device, thus acquiring language. It is worth noting that Chomsky's theory is not specifically designed for the study of Second Language Acquisition, and he himself has not given any guidance in this field, but it provides theoretical support for the theory of Second Language Acquisition (Yang Chunyuan, 2020). Hence, learning the whole semester’s course of Second Language Acquisition, having seen universal grammar as a important content in my textbook, this paper tries to integrate these related theories and make a conclusion and comment or paraphrasing（not all the bibliographies are quoted directly in this paper, paraphrased or arranged instead）based on various bibliographies.

ДИНАМИКА КОНЦЕПТУАЛЬНОГО ПРОСТРАНСТВА НЕМЕЦКОЙ ЛИНГВОКУЛЬТУРЫ В ПЕРИОД ПАНДЕМИИ

In the paper the author regards the conceptual space as a totality of basic concepts of some culture. The research is based on the analysis of new words that appeared in the time of two pandemic years. The author uses an integrative methodology, that combines characteristics of different culturetypes to characterize German culture as a part of low context cultures; principles of speech act theory to explain new words building; syntactic principles of new words composition that implicate pragmatic sense; description of German culture basic concepts as a semantic and functional field that changes its structure at different times. The comparison of its structure before pandemic and during pandemic shows the changes of basic conceptual fields. The findings are as follows. The main basic concepts of German culture ORDER and its derivate SECURITY form the core of conceptual space. The concepts WORK, EDUCATION and MOBILITY are regarded as instruments for their realization, they round the core. But in pandemic the emotional concept FEAR (ANGST) becomes a big value and moves into conceptual core. It influences rational concepts and their fields change the structure. In the concept ORDER the attention shifts to security and SOCIAL DISTANCING. In the concept SECURITY, nominations of defense means become the core. In instrumental concepts, the FEAR is indicated by some new words that separate some sub concepts. These sub concepts are: in the concept WORK LOCK DOWN, in the concept EDUCATION HOMESCHOOLING, in the concept MOBILITY COCOONING. The findings show the mechanism of conceptual adaptation in crisis situations which is important for peaceful settlement of different conflicts.

Extraction from Present Participle Adjuncts: The Relevance of the Corresponding Declaratives

In this article, I will argue that many of the theoretical approaches to extraction from participle adjunct islands suffer from the fact that the focus of investigation lies on perceived grammaticality differences in interrogative structures. Following approaches which make an explicit connection between extraction asymmetries and properties of the underlying proposition, I will argue that there is good evidence for the existence of similar differences in declarative adjunct constructions which can explain most of the grammaticality patterns observed for interrogatives. A crucial distinction to the majority of previous theories is the focus on acceptability rather than grammaticality, and the assumption that acceptability in declaratives is determined by a variety of semantic and syntactic complexity factors which do not influence how strongly extraction degrades the structure. This line of argumentation is more compatible with approaches to island phenomena that explain the low acceptability of some extractions by independent effects such as processing complexity and discourse function instead of syntactic principles blocking the extraction. I will also discuss a partially weighted, multifactorial model for the acceptability of declarative and interrogative participle adjunct constructions, which explains the judgment patterns in the literature without the need for additional, complex licensing conditions for extraction.

Musical and linguistic syntactic processing in agrammatic aphasia: An ERP study.

Language and music rely on complex sequences organized according to syntactic principles that are implicitly understood by enculturated listeners. Across both domains, syntactic processing involves predicting and integrating incoming elements into higher-order structures. According to the Shared Syntactic Integration Resource Hypothesis (SSIRH; Patel, 2003), musical and linguistic syntactic processing rely on shared resources for integrating incoming elements (e.g., chords, words) into unfolding sequences. One prediction of the SSIRH is that people with agrammatic aphasia (whose deficits are due to syntactic integration problems) should present with deficits in processing musical syntax. We report the first neural study to test this prediction: event-related potentials (ERPs) were measured in response to musical and linguistic syntactic violations in a group of people with agrammatic aphasia (n=7) compared to a group of healthy controls (n=14) using an acceptability judgement task. The groups were matched with respect to age, education, and extent of musical training. Violations were based on morpho-syntactic relations in sentences and harmonic relations in chord sequences. Both groups presented with a significant P600 response to syntactic violations across both domains. The aphasic participants presented with a reduced-amplitude posterior P600 compared to the healthy adults in response to linguistic, but not musical, violations. Participants with aphasia did however present with larger frontal positivities in response to violations in both domains. Intriguingly, extent of musical training was associated with larger posterior P600 responses to syntactic violations of language and music in both groups. Overall, these findings are not consistent with the predictions of the SSIRH, and instead suggest that linguistic, but not musical, syntactic processing may be selectively impaired in stroke-induced agrammatic aphasia. However, the findings also suggest a relationship between musical training and linguistic syntactic processing, which may have clinical implications for people with aphasia, and motivates more research on the relationship between these two domains.

Синтактичен правопис – слято и/или разделно писане. Когнитивни размисли

The explanation of merged and / or separate writing of words and phrases can only be achieved as a principled research position when the third axis in the coordinate system of language – the human consciousness, is taken into account. The syntactic orthographic principle explicitly introduces the cognitive approach, as the syntax expresses the cognitive need. This is a extremely sufficient justification for taking out of the vocabulary those supposedly complex words, but in fact word combinations, whose spelling is entirely and only syntactically justified – only separate writing.

Economy and the Conflict with Uniformity in Syntactic Theory: The Case of Wh-Questions in Moroccan Arabic

This paper investigates the relevance of some syntactic principles in Generative Grammar. Specifically, the objective is to highlight the conflict between economy and uniformity in syntactic theory. This conflict is illustrated by some elements of wh-questions. Using the Minimalist Program as a current syntactic ‘approach’, we take MA wh-elements as a case study to test the relationship between the two principles. We, first, survey the importance of economy in the language itself. Second, we bring examples of the conflict in wh-interrogatives, specifically in wh-subjects, wh-objects, yes-no questions, and the [Q] feature. The significance of the research is that, in the absence of empirical evidence for uniformity, economy should be prioritized.

The poetry of language deviation in Muhsin Awara's Karezamarjan

Abstract In modern literary criticism, the concept of poetic has occupied an enormous scope, it has been paid a great attention and concentrated in the literature of the people, and some concerned research papers and studies have been written in relation to it in the Kurdish literature. This research (Poetic Language Deviation in Muhsin Awara’s Kareza Marjan) is an attempt to pay much more consideration to the poetic concept and to familiarize to the readers and critics. This research consists of an entrance and two sections; in the entrance, we have tried to identify the poetic as a term and concept. For this purpose, we have stated a brief description of the beliefs of the experts and a brief history of its emergence. In the first section, (Poetic Deviation in Morphological Principle) has been focused on and accomplished with example of poems. In the second section, it states (The Poetic Deviation in Syntactic Principle) in the field of theory and accomplishes with example of poems.

Structural-Syntactic Organization of Thematic and Techniques of Composition: Aspects of Interaction

Relevance of the study. The study of thematic in modern musical composition as the most important element of form creation seems relevant and in demand for modern musicology. In the existing scientific works, only certain issues of its research are mentioned (V. and Yu. Kholopov, V. Valkova, N. Ryzhkova, T. Kyuregyan, V. Zaderatsky, G. Grigorieva, E. Ershova, S. Goncharenko etc.), however, there is no special work devoted to this problem. Among the important and topical issues, many remain debatable today. Some of them concern terminology, the use of the concept of “thematiс” in relation to a completely new musical language, others — the multidimensional nature of the study of musical thematiс in terms of semantics, syntax of form in terms of various composition techniques. The study of the thematic organization on the example of the works of modern Belarusian composers makes it possible to include the cultural and stylistic processes taking place in Belarusian music today in the context of the most important trends of Modern music.
 The scientific novelty of the study consists in: 1) a systematic approach to the concept of thematic as a category of writing in relation to modern musical composition; 2) consideration of the principles of interaction of macro- and micro-thematic; 3) analytical study of the works of the Belarusian composer E. Gutina in the chosen perspective of analysis.
 The purpose of the research is to consider certain aspects of the interaction of musical thematic and composition techniques in two main types of structural and syntactic organization: macrothematic and microthematic.
 The research methodology is based on the interaction of general scientific methods (system method, deduction method, etc.) with methods developed in theoretical musicology. We are talking, first of all, about the method of functional analysis in relation to musical thematic and musical syntax. Also significant for this study are the musical-theoretical works devoted to the problems of the author's style, form and techniques of composition in modern music, as well as the theoretical works of the composers themselves on the problems of compositional technique.
 The practical significance of the research can be reflected in the use of this research in university courses of musical and theoretical orientation related to the study of modern music.
 Conclusions and prospects for further research. The interaction of micro- and macrothematic manifests itself in different ways in various types of composition, an example of which is the compositions of the Belarusian composer E. Gutina “Wind Music” (sonorous composition) and “Majolica” (minimalist composition). At the same time, the interaction of two seemingly opposite large-scale structural and syntactic principles of the organization of thematic reveals their close relationship in the conditions of various composition techniques, both in the aspect of shaping and in the aspect of the specifics of musical perception. Further developments of the stated topic seem promising in the following areas: the study of the “composer's word”, the compilation of a glossary of terms and concepts, regarding the techniques of composition and thematic, a scientific and research look at the given problem in the mirror of the manifestation of various stylistic trends in modern music.

Comparing Symbolic Models of Language via Bayesian Inference (Student Abstract)

Given recurring interest in structured representations in computational cognitive models, we extend a Bayesian scoring procedure for comparing symbolic models of language grammar. We conduct a case-study of modeling syntactic principles in German, providing preliminary results consistent with linguistic theory. We also note that dataset and part-of-speech (POS) tagger quality should not be taken for granted.

Variable Sharing in Connexive Logic

However broad or vague the notion of connexivity may be, it seems to be similar to the notion of relevance even when relevance and connexive logics have been shown to be incompatible to one another. Relevance logics can be examined by suggesting syntactic relevance principles and inspecting if the theorems of a logic abide to them. In this paper we want to suggest that a similar strategy can be employed with connexive logics. To do so, we will suggest some properties that seem to be hinted at in Nelson’s work. Following this strategy will ideally shed some light over the notion of content and will also help make a clear comparison between relevance and connexive logics.

Analisis Kesalahan Sintaksis pada Teks Berita Daring berjudul Mencari Etika Elite Politik di saat Covid-19

This research is motivated by the frequent finding of various errors in Indonesian in online news writing. The most obvious mistakes are at the syntactic level. Therefore, this study aims to describe and explain the form of language errors in the syntax field contained in the Kompasiana online news portal in the text entitled Mencari Etika Elite Politik di saat Covid-19. This research applies qualitative methods with a descriptive approach. To obtain data, the observation technique was chosen as the data collection method. This is done through observing the use of language and note-taking techniques to record the structures being analyzed. Furthermore, the data were analyzed using distributional methods. The results of the research regarding the analysis of language errors in the syntactic field contained in the article include non-standard structured sentence errors, coherence, loanwords used in sentences, unity and logic of sentences, sentence effectiveness. This finding further strengthens the paradigm that online news text writing often ignores Indonesian syntactic principles.

Theoretical Underpinnings of Wiredu’s Empiricalism

Abstract Wiredu uses the term ‘empiricalism’ to characterise a mode of thinking that is essentially empirical in orientation but admits non-transcendental metaphysical categories and existents into its systems of thought. Wiredu finds evidence of this mode of thinking in the Akan language, characterising the main linguistic community in Ghana, West Africa. The central question addressed in this essay is this: is empiricalism a plausible system in the sense that it carries universal validity and intelligibility? I argue that the plausibility and universality of empiricalism is evident in Wiredu’s logical syntactic and semantic principles which he recruits to investigate the contrast between basic categories of discursive thought such as signification and reference, concept and object, and the notion of ‘existence’. These analyses underpin the central theses of his empiricalism. Such detailed investigations demonstrate that the attractiveness of empiricalism is dependent upon theoretical principles other than, and in addition to, the linguistic evidence that Akan everyday usage provides. Thus the essay demonstrates a basic contrast between Wiredu’s philosophical investigation of language versus many standard works of African philosophy that constitute essentially in-depth studies in sociolinguistics.

Pragmatic reuse for DSML development

By bridging the semantic gap, domain-specific language (DSLs) serve an important role in the conquest to allow domain experts to model their systems themselves. In this publication we present a case study of the development of the Continuous REactive SysTems language (CREST), a DSL for hybrid systems modeling. The language focuses on the representation of continuous resource flows such as water, electricity, light or heat. Our methodology follows a very pragmatic approach, combining the syntactic and semantic principles of well-known modeling means such as hybrid automata, data-flow languages and architecture description languages into a coherent language. The borrowed aspects have been carefully combined and formalised in a well-defined operational semantics. The DSL provides two concrete syntaxes: CREST diagrams, a graphical language that is easily understandable and serves as a model basis, and crestdsl, an internal DSL implementation that supports rapid prototyping—both are geared towards usability and clarity. We present the DSL’s semantics, which thoroughly connect the various language concerns into an executable formalism that enables sound simulation and formal verification in crestdsl, and discuss the lessons learned throughout the project.

External Set‐Merge of Heads and Composite Probing: the Case of Locative Inversion in English and Chinese1

AbstractThe goal of this paper is three‐fold. First, adopting Chomsky's (2013, 2015) Merge‐α model of syntactic derivation, I advance the hypothesis that composite probing (Coon & Bale 2014; van Urk 2015) is made available in English and Chinese to derive locative inversion via external set‐Merge of C and T, forming {C, T} (see also Saito 2012 and Epstein et al. 2016). Second, I argue that English {C, T} hosts a non‐selective Ā‐probe, whereas the Chinese counterpart a relativized one. Importantly, I propose that this crosslinguistic contrast in the non‐selective/relativized nature of a composite probe is deducible from the articulated structure in the left periphery and external set‐Merge of heads. Third, what is crucial for the Merge‐α model is the set of independent principles that regulate the generative capacity of free Merge by examining its varied outputs. I contend that the need of Case valuation on DPs, the activity of the φ‐probe, and the Intervention Constraint all play crucial roles in English to exclude some structures built based on the introduction of {C, T} and its composite probe. Couched in the Merge‐α framework, this paper suggests a new way to restrictively model the variation in A/Ā properties of movement across languages and across individual constructions language‐internally. The proposed approach derives the relevant variation without stipulating construction‐specific mechanisms or a variation in the nature of probes — the variation comes from the C‐heads that merge with T prior to probing and how it interacts with independent syntactic principles.

THE SYNTACTIC UNIT (FROM DEFINITION TO MODELLING)

THE SYNTACTIC UNIT (FROM DEFINITION TO MODELLING)

Spatial, Temporal and Structural Usages of Pashto Case Marker ‘Ta’

Pashto is an Indo-Iranian language which expresses different semantic aspects and functions with the help of case markers. The post-position & case marker Ta has the quality to posit many types of usages i.e. temporal, spatial and structural in Pashto language. In the research on Pashto syntax, Khan (2009), Roberts (2000) and Tegey and Robson (1996) have described the phenomenon of case marker ‘Ta’ but have not been investigated extensively. This study follows Ahmed (2006) to analyze in detail different functions and usages of Ta in terms of semantic and syntactic principles and provides a unified account for these diverse usages and their meanings. The analyses confirm that Ta as a case marker is not only used for Dative case as a subject but it has a polysemous nature in terms of spatial and non-spatial (structural, temporal) usages. The non-spatial usages are the extension of its spatial origin in the semantic field that is metaphorically spatial by default. Besides temporal and structural ­Ta usages can be extended to purpose, reason, obligations, immediate future, perception, ability and inability in relations to DAT (as a SUBJ or OBJ) in Pashto language.

THE BOOK “ AL-MAKHALID” BY THE DISTINGUISHED, FAMOUS ARABIC GRAMMARIAN, IMAM TADGE AD-DIN AL-ZHENDI FROM KAZAKH LAND

The article analyzes the book of a native of the ancient Syrdarya city of Gent, an expert in Arabic grammar, Imam Taj ad-Din al-Zhendi “al-Makalid.” Taj ad-din Ahmed ibn Mahmoud ibn Omar al-Zhendi is considered to be one of the Arab grammar experts in the modern scientific community. The book “al-Makalid” is a commentary on the work of “al-Mishbah” by a famous linguist al-Muzaffar al-Muttarizi from Khorezm. Al-Makalid is notable for the ease of presentation of the analyzed textual material from the Qur’an, Hadith, Arabic literature, etc. The author dwells on the study of the basic syntactic rules of the Arabic language, a detailed analysis of the syntactic principles, forms of using words and phrases. The form of presentation of the material, which consists in the formulation of rules and principles by solving the questions of interest through a dialogue with the reader, is of great interest too. Key words: al-Zhendi, imam, scholar, “Al-Makalid”, Koranic texts, Arabic, grammar, syntax, word.

Learning to structure sentences through the acquisition of grammatical words: Introduction to the special issue on the role of grammatical words in young children’s syntactic development

Until recently, grammatical words such as determiners, auxiliary verbs and prepositions have been considered marginal for the early stages of syntactic development. Lately the trend has turned, and recently some authors have been arguing for the opposite view, according to which grammatical words or functional words (FWs) have a central role in syntactic development. This special issue is devoted to the hypothesis that FWs bootstrap syntactic development in children. The first article, by Dye et al., sets the background with a thorough literature review. The second article, by Ninio, offers evidence that functional categories (FCs) may be the source of transfer and facilitation of major syntactic principles. The remainder of the special issue is devoted to five studies that offer an empiricist model of learning a vocabulary of FWs and its connection to syntactic structure. The major conclusion is that this interrelated complex system is not innate but learned from the linguistic input. Evidence comes from studies of development of several languages: French (Le Normand), German (Szagun et al.), English, Spanish and Bantu (Demuth); of development in typically and atypically developing child populations (Leonard); and of monolingual as well as bilingual development (Kedar). Each of the studies examines a different aspect of such a learning theory. The special issue provides important theoretical insights into the process of acquisition, and may contribute to various applied uses by serving as the basis for remedial teaching and intervention.

The syntax of sign language agreement: Common ingredients, but unusual recipe

The sign language phenomenon that some scholars refer to as “agreement” has triggered controversial discussions among sign language linguists. Crucially, it has been argued to display properties that are at odds with the notion of agreement in spoken languages. A thorough theoretical investigation of the phenomenon may thus add to our understanding of the nature and limits of agreement in natural language. Previous analyses of the phenomenon can be divided into three groups: (i) gesture-based non-syntactic analyses, (ii) hybrid solutions combining syntactic and semantic agreement, and (iii) syntactic accounts under which agreement markers are reanalyzed as clitics. As opposed to these accounts, we argue in this paper that sign language agreement does represent an instance of agreement proper, as familiar from spoken language, that is fully governed by syntactic principles. We propose an explicit formal analysis couched within the Minimalist Program that is modality-independent and only involves mechanisms that have been independently proposed for the analysis of agreement in spoken language. Our proposal is able to capture the (apparent) peculiarities of sign language agreement such as the distinction of verb types (only some verbs show agreement), the behavior of backwards verbs (verbs displaying agreement reversal), and the distribution of the agreement auxiliary. However, we suggest that the combination of mechanisms is modality-specific, that is, agreement in sign language, and in German Sign Language in particular, involves modality-independent ingredients, but uses a modality-specific recipe which calls for a (somewhat) unusual combination of independently motivated mechanisms.