German Verb Research Articles

Croatian Gfl Learners: On the Role of Depth of Processing under Explicit and Implicit Instructions While Processing Verbs That (Can)Not Be Used in the Passive Voice

The present study aimed to examine 92 Croatian learners of German as a foreign language in regard to depth of processing under explicit and implicit instruction when being exposed to a complex grammar form, German verbs that (can)not be used in the passive voice. Depth of processing was measured by employing offline think-aloud protocols. The experiment followed a pre-, immediate post-, and delayed test design with 2 months between tests consisting each of two grammatical interpretation tasks and a controlled transformation task. Overall, results showed that participants in the explicit condition showed deeper instances of processing correlating with better immediate and delayed test results. These results led to pedagogical implications to be considered for the GFL classroom context concerning complex grammatical structures.

Analysing the use of particle verbs in German as a foreign language: Unproductive particle separation and a proposal for a data-driven learning intervention

This study addresses the long-observed phenomenon of foreign language learners avoiding particle verbs from a novel perspective. Departing from the decades-old debate about the uncertain grammatical status of particle verbs, recent studies have proposed to reconceptualize particle verbs not as words or phrases but as constructions. Constructions are holistic form–meaning representations of usage regularities, which emerge from lexical patterns in language use. In accordance with this understanding, we analyse the use of particle verbs in a corpus of native and non-native German and compare lexical distributions across speaker groups, proficiency levels, and linguistic contexts. Of particular importance is the comparison of contexts of joint particle–verb conjunction (e.g. an-lächeln ‘to smile at’) with those of syntactic particle separation (e.g. lächelt an ‘smiles at’), as these contexts appear to be primarily responsible for learning difficulties and avoidance behaviors. Our findings reveal that contexts of particle separation tend to be lexically sparse and formulaic, contrasting with the more lexically diverse joint contexts. We argue that the joint construction emerges as the default for particle verb usage, ‘crowding out’ the less productive separate construction which becomes confined to specific lexical contexts in non-native language use. Building upon these findings, we use corpus material to develop data-driven learning activities that aim to prevent learners from becoming entrenched in fossilized lexical patterns and to facilitate the acquisition of productive constructions.

L2 German Word Order Preferences by Immigrant L1 Korean Speakers

Abstract This study examines the L2 German verb placement preferences in 58 Korean immigrant workers in Germany. The verb placement preferences are compared to predictions of Organic Grammar (Vainikka and Young-Scholten, 2011). Assuming an incremental, bottom-up morphosyntactic development, the theory predicts the possibility that L2 acquirers develop only partial clausal structures. Organic Grammar further proposes a two-tree approach of morphosyntactic development and predicts that main clauses with verb-second order (V2) are acquired before subordinate clauses with verb-final order (OV). To test these predictions, participants completed two production tasks. Results show a mixed picture. Some participants’ L2 clausal structure seems to have developed only partially, supporting the incremental approach. Regarding the predicted order of acquisition, however, some participants who showed robust use of targetlike subordination with OV, struggled with V2, preferring V3 instead. This suggests the need for a revision of the two-tree approach to incorporate the V3 preference.

Extralinguistic content of semantics in German verbs of touch

Extralinguistic content of semantics in German verbs of touch

Evolution of the Verb State Category in Germanic Languages: A Neuroscientific Perspective

Relevance of research. The article examines the process of verb formation in Germanic languages, as well as the peculiarities of the grammatical semantics of verbs at different historical stages of the development of Germanic languages. Using the comparative-historical method, the functioning of verbs in texts of Germanic languages ​​was investigated as an aspect of neurolinguistic science. Research results. The article proves that most modal verbs of Germanic languages ​​have undergone significant semantic transformations. The study of texts of different historical stages of language development shows that verbs evolved through semantic transformation. Time frames of the formation of secondary semantics were revealed. The theoretical and practical significance lies in the fact that this resarch allows a detailed study of the features of the emergence of the primary, as well as the secondary, subjective semantics of verbs in Germanic languages ​​from a neuroscientific point of view. It should be noted that the list of subjective values ​​still raises many questions and discussions. The German language has an extremely clear system of means of expressing modal values. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the neurolinguistic approach to the study of the evolution of Germanic verbs. The article aims to study the evolution of verbs in the German language in the context of neurolinguistics. To achieve the goal, the method of comparative analysis was used. This made it possible to consider the evolution of the verb through a comparative study of texts at the main stages of speech development. To solve these problems, texts reflecting the state of the language at each historical stage were studied.

Frisian and Norse Sidelights on the Form and Meaning of Proto-Germanic *hlaþanan

Abstract The Germanic verb hlaþanan, usually glossed ‘to load’, has been wrongly evaluated because of a failure to examine the material in sufficient depth as regards both phonology and semantics. The Old High German evidence indicating a regular Verner’s Law alternation in the paradigm is supplemented not only by the Gothic past participle -hlaþans* with analogical voiceless spirant but also by modern East and North Frisian data. This points to a pre-Germanic proto-form with root-final *-t (Part 1). As emerges from a study of the situation in North Germanic, a core meaning for the Germanic verb appears to have been ‘to lay something down (flat)’, from which development to ‘to stack’ and ‘to load’ is straightforward (Part 2). Potential cognates exist in Balto-Slavic, but the exact formal relationships are unclear (Part 3).

Word Formation and Semantic Features of Composites in Verbal Word-Forming Nests With the Base Word ‘Lyubit’/ ‘Lieben’ in Russian and German

The aim of this study is to identify the word formation, semantic, and stylistic features of words with complex bases within Russian and German verb nests, centered around the base verbs lyubit’ / lieben (‘to love’). This research unveils the word-forming and semantic potential of these base verbs by analyzing their complex derivatives and comparing the composites derived from lyubit’ and lieben. Empirical data were collected through continuous sampling, and the word formation analysis method was employed to describe the formation processes of the units in question. Epidigmatic analysis was utilized to examine their semantic structures, complemented by quantitative assessments of frequency and distribution. The findings indicate that word composition is the predominant method of forming complex words in both languages’ verb nests, with a notable prevalence of composite nouns that exhibit a subordinate relationship between bases and are monosemantic. The study also reveals that while fusion is a method of producing composites in Russian, in German, it is limited to compound words. Reduplication, as seen in Russian composites like lyubish-ne-lyubish (‘love-not-love’), is absent in German. The study concludes, that the analyzed words are integral to the professional lexicon of psychologists, criminologists, biologists, botanists, and others. Beyond their terminological meanings, these complex lexemes encapsulate cultural concepts that mirror the mentalities of Russian and German speakers. Recognizing these concepts is crucial for effective communication across various fields, particularly in professional contexts.

Not so peculiar after all: On the normal position of arguments of German experiencer-object verbs

The present paper argues that seemingly erratic linearisation patterns of experiencer-object verbs in German can be accounted for by considering well-known linearisation constraints. The analysis is based on two Two-Alternative Forced-Choice experiments: The first study tests experiencer-object verbs with inanimate subjects, the second one tests experiencer-object verbs with animate subjects. If the subject is inanimate, experiencer-object verbs selecting a dative object (e.g., behagen ‘to please’) prefer an object-before-subject linearisation while the ones selecting an accusative object (e.g., bezaubern ‘to charm’) lean towards subject before object. With animate subjects, accusative-object experiencer-object verbs prefer subject before object, while there is no clear preference for dative-object experiencer-object verbs. An explorative investigation reveals verb-specific differences that call into question the case-based classes. We argue that linearisation preferences of experiencer-object verbs in German should be analysed by coupling free base generation with violable linearisation constraints. We provide an analysis along these lines, which is based on a semantic distinction and does not require case-based constraints.

Number fission from a formal and functional perspective

Abstract Modal verbs in German show phonologically unconditioned umlaut in the pres.pl versus pres.sg whose functional motivation is unclear. Based on a large sample of dialectological data, I explore the distribution of this umlaut as well as other irregularization strategies like contractions and/or consonant mutations in different paradigm cells. My observations point to the conclusion that these facets of irregularity are morphomic in that they serve no other function than signaling inflectional class coherence. A promising approach to capture these complex patterns of stem allomorphy is Information-based Morphology (IBM), an inferential-realizational approach to morphology developed in the context of Head-driven Phrase Structure Grammar (HPSG). The concept of a stem space allows for expressing implicational or directed generalizations in stem formation and their mapping to phonology. In diachronic terms, however, transcategorial number marking, as proposed in the relevant literature, is a plausible functional motivation for the analogical extension of umlaut as a verbal plural marker.

Translation of English Verbs Belonging to the Lexico-Semantic Group of Human Behavior into Russian and German (Based on W. Thackeray’s Novel “Vanity Fair”)

This article examines the use of English verbs related to human behavior in W. Thackeray’s novel “Vanity Fair” and their translations into German and Russian. Based on the analysis of lexicographic sources, the structure of the lexico-semantic group of behavioral verbs in English, German, and Russian was analyzed. Common transformations employed to translate such verbs from English into German and Russian were identified. The most representative examples were picked from the novel. Particular attention was given to the relationship between the translation methods and each target language, as well as between the source language and the target languages. The Russian and German translations of the novel were compared for accuracy in conveying all details. Using componential analysis, a semantic classification of the selected verbs, depending on the type of behavior they describe, was compiled for the three languages. The results obtained led to the following conclusions. The behavioral verbs in W. Thackeray’s novel “Vanity Fair” are most often translated into Russian and German with literal equivalents of the original lexemes. However, lexical and grammatical substitutions were also revealed: their usage depends on grammatical structure, lexical compatibility, and linguistic standards. The German translation proved to be more plausible than the Russian one. This could be because English and German are both Germanic languages and belong to the same branch of the Indo-European language family. In the Russian translation, multiple transformations of the original text are used more often. They are meant to convey the author’s ideas rather than the exact lexicographic meanings of separate words. The findings of this study contribute to the development of the theory and practice of translation and provide a deeper insight into W. Thackeray’s worldview.

German modal verbs in secondary meaning and their analogues in Russian

German modal verbs in secondary meaning and their analogues in Russian

The morphosyntax of Gothic preverb compounds: incorporation and applicativisation

Gothic preverb compounds illustrate several interesting characteristics, including multiple preverb stacking, idiomatisation, tmesis (i.e., separation by clitics), and P-copying (i.e., multiple pronunciation of the preverb). This paper is a close examination of the morphosyntax of these compounds, highlighting novel empirical generalisations about the Gothic language with key theoretical implications for our understanding of Germanic complex verbs and the alternations they participate in. In particular, this paper proposes a structural distinction between preverb compounds which are obligatorily semantically transparent and those which are optionally idiomatic. In arguing that transparent compounds involve the mechanism of preposition incorporation and m-merger, paralleling recent accounts of clitic doubling, while idiomatic compounds involve a thematic high applicative projection, this paper captures nuanced differences in these compounds’ case assignment and argument licensing behaviour. These structural differences will be shown to derive these two compound types’ constrained interaction with the aforementioned phenomena of stacking, tmesis, and copying. In addition, this paper compares Gothic complex verbs to their cross-linguistic correlates within and beyond Germanic, whilst also providing a diachronic pathway for the development of (multiple) preverb compounds.

Реализация диминутивных значений глаголами с суффиксом -el(n) в современном немецком языке

The paper describes unprefixed diminutive verbs with the suffix -el(n) in modern German from the perspective of the interconnection between their semantics and pragmatics. The aim of the research is to identify the primary actualizations of diminutive meanings by the analyzed units. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the first attempt to thoroughly analyze the influence of a derivational affix (the German suffix -el(n)) on the development of diminutive semantics within the semantic structure of a verb. Additionally, the authors expand the understanding of the diminutiveness category by considering notions such as intensity and iterativity. As a result of conducting a corpus analysis of German verbs with the suffix -el(n) that manifest diminutive meanings, it was found that affixational means of expressing diminutiveness primarily possess a semantic nature and mainly mark the category of intentionality of verbs. It was also found that the meanings of diminutiveness in some derivatives ending in -el(n) are explicit only through various shades of attenuation, derived solely from the pragmatic content of verbal lexemes, simultaneously conveying implicit evaluative information about the action.

Grammatical properties of presumptive verbs in modern English and German

Grammatical properties of presumptive verbs in modern English and German

Императивные конструкции в "Уставе ратных, пушечных и других дел, касающихся до воинской науки"

The Charter of Military, Cannon and Other Matters Relating to Military Science, compiled in the first quarter of the 17th century by Anisim Radishevsky, a master of the Moscow Print Yard, was a scientific and educational text that contained information about the organization of the army, the construction, defense and siege of military camps and fortifications, the construction and use of artillery, the manufacture and use of explosives, and other information related to military science. The text was based on a selective translation of the second volume of Leonahrd Fronspeger’s military treatise “Kriegsbuch” (1573). The translator of the German text was faced with the task, firstly, of adequately transferring German (and, more broadly, European) scientific and military terminology into Russian, and, secondly, of selectiing imperative constructions, with the help of which the addressee was instructed. The article studies the ways of translating German imperative constructions into Russian, with the help of which the reader was instructed. In the course of the analysis, productive instructive models were identified (the imperative, the independent infinitive and the verb dovestis’ + the infinitive) and rarer ones: the verb podobat’, lexemes with the root - nadob- (nadobet’, nadobe, etc.), lexemes with the root -god- (godit’sya, zgodit’sya, prigodit’sya, goden, gozhe, etc.), modal words dobro, dolzhen, dolzhno, dovlet’, dostoyat’, slushno, etc. in combination with the infinitive of the prescribed action. Comparison of instructive models in Russian and German texts made it possible to conclude that there is a partial correspondence between them. The imperative in the Russian text almost always corresponds to the imperative in the source text, the verbs dovestis’, podobat’ usually correspond to the German sollen; the words with the root - nadob- and the adverb slushno are most often used to translate gehören, gehörig; the words with the root -god- often appear in place of the German vonnöten, the verb dostoyat’ in place of gebühren. However, the revealed correlation is not rigid. When translating the German verb müssen, the modal words dovestis’, words with the root - nadob-, the adverb dolzhno, the verb dovlet’, etc. were used. The absence of a distinct correlation is clearly manifested when using the infinitive, which corresponds to the German constructions with the verbs sollen, müssen; when translating the infinitive, imperative and other models. On the whole, it can be concluded that the translator, whenever possible, tried to convey various German imperative models into Russian in different ways, using a variety of modal vocabulary.

Linearization and unaccusativity: The relative order of dative and nominative arguments with five German verbs of success and failure

The present study maps out the word order distributions in verb-second clauses of five German verbs of success and failure: gelingen ‘to succeed’, glücken ‘to succeed’, missglücken ‘to fail’, misslingen ‘to fail’, and missraten to fail’. Given their status as unaccusatives, they display an asymmetric mapping between case marking and thematic roles. As a consequence, several researchers have argued that they sanction an inversion of the canonical nominative-before-dative word order pattern. Two positions emerge: those scholars who associate these verbs with a dative-before-nominative order and those who claim that they license both a dative-before- nominative order as well as a nominative-before-dative order. A corpus study of 982 tokens principally shows the latter claim to be true in that, in a configuration with double NPs, the Nom-Dat order is attested 200 times (or 40%), and the Dat-Nom order 299 times (or 60%). Remarkably, when both arguments are realised as pronouns, the variation in word order is neutralised almost entirely in favour of the nominative-before-dative order.

An evaluation of the Dat-Nom vs. the Dat-Nom/Nom-Dat hypotheses for five German verbs of success and failure

An evaluation of the Dat-Nom vs. the Dat-Nom/Nom-Dat hypotheses for five German verbs of success and failure

Early epigraphic evidence for Germanic weak class-III verbs

Abstract The names Lubainis and Vanaenia recorded in inscriptions from Namur have long been proposed to preserve evidence that supports the reconstruction of the stem of the Germanic weak class-III verbs as originally featuring a diphthong *-ai-. Cognates of the Gothic weak class-III verb weihan ›to consecrate‹ have similarly been widely held to be preserved in two inscriptions rescued over a century ago from the Danish votive bogs. The attested forms wiju and wija suggest the development of a first-person singular present indicative ending -jǣ, much as would be expected of a weak class-III verb in Northwest Germanic. Gothic weihan ›to consecrate‹ is a factitive, however, and wiju and wija appear to have developed in a manner contrary to that assumed in recent accounts of the morphological origin of the weak class-III verbs.

The Transition from Song to Poetry in Latvian Literature in the Second Half of the 19th Century

The Latvian nation is a singing nation. The Singing Revolution and similar song- and singing-related references are traditionally associated with the image of Latvians. The origins of written Latvian are also related to song: the oldest known Christian song in Latvian, dating from 1530, is also one of the oldest examples of Latvian-language text.
 In the second half of the 18th century, as a result of transferring from a German to a Latvian cultural space, a new genre of song was created by the German pastor Gotthard Friedrich Stender, the secular, didactic and sentimental ziņģe (a term coined from the German verb singen, ‘to sing’). As the level of education among Latvians was low and most information spread by word of mouth, the German pastors and the first generation of Latvian poets made use of ziņges as an informative tool. Around the middle of the 19th century, the Latvian national revival began. Without denying the importance of Latvian folk songs in the creation of national culture, the main focus of this article is on the secular ziņģes that were adopted from the German literary tradition, which up until the second half of the 19th century were a favourite tool for entertainment (singing) and spreading information orally. As the level of literacy among Latvians rose, the ziņģes receded to the periphery of the literary landscape, paving the way for a new concept for denoting a rhythmic text that was for the first time not melody-bound: dzeja, or ‘poetry’. The emergence of the new concept in 1869, which was related to the Latvian national revival and the formation of a national literary culture, at the same time also marked a turning point from orality to literacy in Latvian society.

German-dominant Vietnamese heritage speakers use semantic constraints of German for anticipation during comprehension in Vietnamese

AbstractTo test effects of German on anticipation in Vietnamese, we recorded eye-movements during comprehension and manipulated i) verb constraints (different vs. similar in German and Vietnamese) and ii) classifier constraints (absent in German). In each of two experiments, participants listened to Vietnamese sentences like “Mai mặc một chiếc áo.” (‘Mai wears a [classifier] shirt.’), while viewing four objects. Between experiments, we contrasted bilingual background: L1 Vietnamese–L2 German late bilinguals (Experiment 1) and heritage speakers of Vietnamese in Germany (Experiment 2). Both groups anticipated verb-compatible and classifier-compatible objects upon hearing the verb/classifier. However, when the (verb) constraints differed (e.g., Vietnamese: mặc ‘wear (a shirt/#earrings)’ – German: tragen ‘wear (a shirt/earrings)’), the heritage speakers were distracted by the object (earrings) compatible with the German (but not the Vietnamese) verb constraints. These results demonstrate that competing information in the two languages can interfere with anticipation in heritage speakers.