Role and Reference Grammar
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Split-Ergativity in Mäori
SPLIT-ERGATIVITY IN MÄORI __________________________ A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Linguistics in the University of Canterbury by Anna Pucilowski ________________________ University of Canterbury 2006 Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………….................. 1 Abbreviations………………………………...………………………………….. 2 Chapter 1: Introduction..……………………………………………………. 3 1.1 Background………………………………………………………..... 5 1.2 Verbs in Mäori………………………………………………………. 6 1.2.1 Two argument verbs……………………………………… 6 1.2.2 Intransitive verbs…………………………………………. 7 1.3 Passive universals……………………………………………………. 9 Chapter 2: Mäori: accusative or ergative……………………………….... 11 2.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………... 11 2.2 Mäori as an accusative language…………………………………….. 14 2.2.1 Morphological “markedness”…………………………….. 14 2.2.2 Control……………………………………………………. 14 2.2.2.1 Restrictions on the controller……………………... 15 2.2.2.2 Restrictions on the controllee – ki te……………… 18 2.2.2.3 Restrictions on the controllee – hei control………. 20 2.2.2.4 Restrictions on the controllee – participle formation 22 2.2.2.5 Summary of control………………………………. 23 2.2.3 Raising……………………………………………………. 24 2.3 Mäori as an ergative language……………………………………….. 26 2.3.1 Frequency and “basicness”……………………………….. 28 2.3.2 Imperatives……………………………………………….. 28 2.3.3 Raising……………………………………………………. 29 2.3.4 ko-clefting………………………………………………… 29 2.3.5 Relative clauses…………………………………………... 31 2.3.6 The preposition i…………………………………………. 33 2.3.7 Pronominalisation and definiteness………………………. 34 2.4 Accounting for the –Cia suffix………………………………………. 36 2.5 Conclusion…………………………………………………………… 42 Chapter 3: The Split-Ergative Hypothesis………………………………. 43 3.1 Introduction………………………………………………………….. 43 3.2 Morphological split-ergativity……………………………………….. 46 3.2.1 The Transitivity Hypothesis (Hopper & Thompson 1980).. 47 3.2.2 The Transitivity Hypothesis and Mäori………………….. 48 3.2.2.1 Participants………………………………………. -
Definiteness Determined by Syntax: a Case Study in Tagalog 1 Introduction
Definiteness determined by syntax: A case study in Tagalog1 James N. Collins Abstract Using Tagalog as a case study, this paper provides an analysis of a cross-linguistically well attested phenomenon, namely, cases in which a bare NP’s syntactic position is linked to its interpretation as definite or indefinite. Previous approaches to this phenomenon, including analyses of Tagalog, appeal to specialized interpretational rules, such as Diesing’s Mapping Hypothesis. I argue that the patterns fall out of general compositional principles so long as type-shifting operators are available to the gram- matical system. I begin by weighing in a long-standing issue for the semantic analysis of Tagalog: the interpretational distinction between genitive and nominative transitive patients. I show that bare NP patients are interpreted as definites if marked with nominative case and as narrow scope indefinites if marked with genitive case. Bare NPs are understood as basically predicative; their quantificational force is determined by their syntactic position. If they are syntactically local to the selecting verb, they are existentially quantified by the verb itself. If they occupy a derived position, such as the subject position, they must type-shift in order to avoid a type-mismatch, generating a definite interpretation. Thus the paper develops a theory of how the position of an NP is linked to its interpretation, as well as providing a compositional treatment of NP-interpretation in a language which lacks definite articles but demonstrates other morphosyntactic strategies for signaling (in)definiteness. 1 Introduction Not every language signals definiteness via articles. Several languages (such as Russian, Kazakh, Korean etc.) lack articles altogether. -
Two-Dimensionalism: Semantics and Metasemantics
Two-Dimensionalism: Semantics and Metasemantics YEUNG, \y,ang -C-hun ...:' . '",~ ... ~ .. A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Philosophy In Philosophy The Chinese University of Hong Kong January 2010 Abstract of thesis entitled: Two-Dimensionalism: Semantics and Metasemantics Submitted by YEUNG, Wang Chun for the degree of Master of Philosophy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in July 2009 This ,thesis investigates problems surrounding the lively debate about how Kripke's examples of necessary a posteriori truths and contingent a priori truths should be explained. Two-dimensionalism is a recent development that offers a non-reductive analysis of such truths. The semantic interpretation of two-dimensionalism, proposed by Jackson and Chalmers, has certain 'descriptive' elements, which can be articulated in terms of the following three claims: (a) names and natural kind terms are reference-fixed by some associated properties, (b) these properties are known a priori by every competent speaker, and (c) these properties reflect the cognitive significance of sentences containing such terms. In this thesis, I argue against two arguments directed at such 'descriptive' elements, namely, The Argument from Ignorance and Error ('AlE'), and The Argument from Variability ('AV'). I thereby suggest that reference-fixing properties belong to the semantics of names and natural kind terms, and not to their metasemantics. Chapter 1 is a survey of some central notions related to the debate between descriptivism and direct reference theory, e.g. sense, reference, and rigidity. Chapter 2 outlines the two-dimensional approach and introduces the va~ieties of interpretations 11 of the two-dimensional framework. -
Subject and Ergativity in Middle Indo-Aryan
Subject and Ergativity in Middle Indo-Aryan Alessandra Roberta Caviglia University of Pavia, Italy 1. Introduction In literature, a significant attention has been devoted to the problem of subject in Indo-Aryan (henceforth IA) languages (Anderson 1976, Verma 1976, Hock 1986, Peterson 1998, Stroński 2011, Bickel & Yādava 2000). However, despite the numerous studies, Middle Indo-Aryan (henceforth MIA) languages, which represent the crucial stage in the rise of ergativity, have not yet been analyzed in all their complexity. In my paper I will present the data from a MIA language, Jain Māhārāṣṭṛī (henceforth JM). JM is a Middle Indo-Aryan language and the main language of the non-canonical literature of the Śvetambara group of Jainism. The data presented here are based on nine tales written by Devendra in the 11th century AD as a commentary of the Uttarajjhāyā, which is one of the canonical books of Jain literature. The original manuscript is in the British Library and was edited and published by Jacobi in 1886. Table 1: Chronological progression of Indo-Aryan (IA) languages Old Indo-Aryan (OIA) Vedic (until 600BC) Classical Sanskrit (600BC-200 AD) Middle Indo-Aryan (MIA): Pāḷi and Prakrits (200 BC – 1000AD) New Indo-Aryan (NIA): Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati… (1000 AD – present) Since Dixon (1979), the symbols A, S and O have been used to indicate the subject of a transitive clause (A), the subject of an intransitive clause (S), and the object of 46 LSO Working Papers in Linguistics 11: 46-60. Proceedings of WIGL 2014 Subject and Ergativity in MIA a transitive clause (O). -
Arxiv:2106.08037V1 [Cs.CL] 15 Jun 2021 Alternative Ways the World Could Be
The Possible, the Plausible, and the Desirable: Event-Based Modality Detection for Language Processing Valentina Pyatkin∗ Shoval Sadde∗ Aynat Rubinstein Bar Ilan University Bar Ilan University Hebrew University of Jerusalem [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Paul Portner Reut Tsarfaty Georgetown University Bar Ilan University [email protected] [email protected] Abstract (1) a. We presented a paper at ACL’19. Modality is the linguistic ability to describe b. We did not present a paper at ACL’20. events with added information such as how de- sirable, plausible, or feasible they are. Modal- The propositional content p =“present a paper at ity is important for many NLP downstream ACL’X” can be easily verified for sentences (1a)- tasks such as the detection of hedging, uncer- (1b) by looking up the proceedings of the confer- tainty, speculation, and more. Previous studies ence to (dis)prove the existence of the relevant pub- that address modality detection in NLP often p restrict modal expressions to a closed syntac- lication. The same proposition is still referred to tic class, and the modal sense labels are vastly in sentences (2a)–(2d), but now in each one, p is different across different studies, lacking an ac- described from a different perspective: cepted standard. Furthermore, these senses are often analyzed independently of the events that (2) a. We aim to present a paper at ACL’21. they modify. This work builds on the theoreti- b. We want to present a paper at ACL’21. cal foundations of the Georgetown Gradable Modal Expressions (GME) work by Rubin- c. -
Durham E-Theses
Durham E-Theses The Metaphysics of Mental Representation DE-BLACQUIERE-CLARKSON, RICHARD How to cite: DE-BLACQUIERE-CLARKSON, RICHARD (2011) The Metaphysics of Mental Representation, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/833/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk Abstract The representational theory of mind (RTM) explains the phenomenon of intentionality in terms of the existence and nature of mental representations. Despite the typical characterisation of mental representations in terms of their semantics, RTM is best understood as a metaphysical – more specifically formal ontological – theory whose primary defining feature is stipulating the existence of a class of mental particulars called representations. In this regard it is false, since mental representations do not exist. My argument is primarily methodological. Using an extended analysis of mereology and its variants as paradigmatic examples of a formal ontological theory, I argue for a ‘synthetic’ approach to ontology which seeks to form a sound descriptive characterisation of the relevant phenomena from empirical data, to which philosophical analysis is applied to produce a rigorous theory. -
Calculus of Possibilities As a Technique in Linguistic Typology
Calculus of possibilities as a technique in linguistic typology Igor Mel’uk 1. The problem stated: A unified conceptual system in linguistics A central problem in the relationship between typology and the writing of individual grammars is that of developing a cross-linguistically viable con- ceptual system and a corresponding terminological framework. I will deal with this problem in three consecutive steps: First, I state the problem and sketch a conceptual system that I have put forward for typological explora- tions in morphology (Sections 1 and 2). Second, I propose a detailed illus- tration of this system: a calculus of grammatical voices in natural languages (Section 3). And third, I apply this calculus (that is, the corresponding con- cepts) in two particular case studies: an inflectional category known as an- tipassive and the grammatical voice in French (Sections 4 and 5). In the latter case, the investigation shows that even for a language as well de- scribed as French a rigorously standardized typological framework can force us to answer questions that previous descriptions have failed to re- solve. I start with the following three assumptions: 1) One of the most pressing tasks of today’s linguistics is description of particular languages, the essential core of this work being the writing of grammars and lexicons. A linguist sets out to describe a language as pre- cisely and exhaustively as possible; this includes its semantics, syntax, morphology and phonology plus (within the limits of time and funds avail- able) its lexicon. 2) Such a description is necessarily carried out in terms of some prede- fined concepts – such as lexical unit, semantic actant, syntactic role, voice, case, phoneme, etc. -
The Etienne Gilson Series 21
The Etienne Gilson Series 21 Remapping Scholasticism by MARCIA L. COLISH 3 March 2000 Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies This lecture and its publication was made possible through the generous bequest of the late Charles J. Sullivan (1914-1999) Note: the author may be contacted at: Department of History Oberlin College Oberlin OH USA 44074 ISSN 0-708-319X ISBN 0-88844-721-3 © 2000 by Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies 59 Queen’s Park Crescent East Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2C4 Printed in Canada nce upon a time there were two competing story-lines for medieval intellectual history, each writing a major role for scholasticism into its script. Although these story-lines were O created independently and reflected different concerns, they sometimes overlapped and gave each other aid and comfort. Both exerted considerable influence on the way historians of medieval speculative thought conceptualized their subject in the first half of the twentieth cen- tury. Both versions of the map drawn by these two sets of cartographers illustrated what Wallace K. Ferguson later described as “the revolt of the medievalists.”1 One was confined largely to the academy and appealed to a wide variety of medievalists, while the other had a somewhat narrower draw and reflected political and confessional, as well as academic, concerns. The first was the anti-Burckhardtian effort to push Renaissance humanism, understood as combining a knowledge and love of the classics with “the discovery of the world and of man,” back into the Middle Ages. The second was inspired by the neo-Thomist revival launched by Pope Leo XIII, and was inhabited almost exclusively by Roman Catholic scholars. -
You and I Some Puzzles About ‘Mutual Recognition’
You and I Some puzzles about ‘mutual recognition’ Michael Thompson University of Pittsburgh Slide 0 Predicating “ξ has a bruised nose” in speech NOMINALLY: “Hannah has a bruised nose” DEMONSTRATIVELY: “This girl has a bruised nose” FIRST PERSONALLY: “I have a bruised nose” Slide 1 Where these are made true by the same bruised nose, the first might be said by anyone, the second by anyone present, and the third by the injured party herself, Hannah. In particular, if Hannah is given to her own senses – in a mirror, for example – she herself might employ any of these three forms of predication. The inner basis of outward speech Outward Speech Hannah said “Hannah has a bruised nose” Hannah said “This girl has bruised nose” Hannah said “I have a bruised nose” Belief Knowlege Hannah believed she had a bruised nose Hannah knew that she had a bruised nose Hannah believed she had a bruised nose Hannah knew that she had a bruised nose Hannah believed she had a bruised nose Hannah knew that she had a bruised nose Slide 2 When Hannah does employ one of these sentences, she is not just saying words, but saying something,orclaiming something; she is perhaps also expressing a belief; and perhaps also manifesting knowledge and imparting knowledge to her hearers. co But whatever she says, it’s the same bruised nose that’s in question: her own, not Martha’s or Solomon’s. There is, as we might say, just one fact in question, one content available, and it pertains to her. We might thus represent the more intellectual states of affairs as follows. -
Respiratory Therapy Pocket Reference
Pulmonary Physiology Volume Control Pressure Control Pressure Support Respiratory Therapy “AC” Assist Control; AC-VC, ~CMV (controlled mandatory Measure of static lung compliance. If in AC-VC, perform a.k.a. a.k.a. AC-PC; Assist Control Pressure Control; ~CMV-PC a.k.a PS (~BiPAP). Spontaneous: Pressure-present inspiratory pause (when there is no flow, there is no effect ventilation = all modes with RR and fixed Ti) PPlateau of Resistance; Pplat@Palv); or set Pause Time ~0.5s; RR, Pinsp, PEEP, FiO2, Flow Trigger, rise time, I:E (set Pocket Reference RR, Vt, PEEP, FiO2, Flow Trigger, Flow pattern, I:E (either Settings Pinsp, PEEP, FiO2, Flow Trigger, Rise time Target: < 30, Optimal: ~ 25 Settings directly or by inspiratory time Ti) Settings directly or via peak flow, Ti settings) Decreasing Ramp (potentially more physiologic) PIP: Total inspiratory work by vent; Reflects resistance & - Decreasing Ramp (potentially more physiologic) Card design by Respiratory care providers from: Square wave/constant vs Decreasing Ramp (potentially Flow Determined by: 1) PS level, 2) R, Rise Time ( rise time ® PPeak inspiratory compliance; Normal ~20 cmH20 (@8cc/kg and adult ETT); - Peak Flow determined by 1) Pinsp level, 2) R, 3)Ti (shorter Flow more physiologic) ¯ peak flow and 3.) pt effort Resp failure 30-40 (low VT use); Concern if >40. Flow = more flow), 4) pressure rise time (¯ Rise Time ® Peak v 0.9 Flow), 5) pt effort ( effort ® peak flow) Pplat-PEEP: tidal stress (lung injury & mortality risk). Target Determined by set RR, Vt, & Flow Pattern (i.e. for any set I:E Determined by patient effort & flow termination (“Esens” – PDriving peak flow, Square (¯ Ti) & Ramp ( Ti); Normal Ti: 1-1.5s; see below “Breath Termination”) < 15 cmH2O. -
Frege: “On Sense and Denotation”
Frege: “On Sense and Denotation” TERMIOLOGY • ‘On Sense and Nominatum’ is a quirky translation of ‘ Über Sinn und Bedeutung’. ‘On Sense and Denotation’ is the usual translation. • ‘Sameness’ is misleading in stating the initial puzzle. As Frege’s n.1 makes clear, the puzzle is about identity . THE PUZZLE What is identity? Is it a relation? If it is a relation, what are the relata? Frege considers two possibilities: 1. A relation between objects. 2. A relation between names (signs). (1) leads to a puzzle; (2) is the alternative Frege once preferred, but now rejects. The puzzle is this: if identity is a relation between objects, it must be a relation between a thing and itself . But everything is identical to itself, and so it is trivial to assert that a thing is identical to itself. Hence, every statement of identity should be analytic and knowable a priori . The “cognitive significance” of ‘ a = b ’ would thus turn out to be the same as that of ‘a = a’. In both cases one is asserting, of a single object, that it is identical to itself. Yet, it seems intuitively clear that these statements have different cognitive significance: “… sentences of the form a = b often contain very valuable extensions of our knowledge and cannot always be justified in an a priori manner” (p. 217). METALIGUISTIC SOLUTIO REJECTED In his Begriffschrift (1879), Frege proposed a metalinguistic solution: identity is a relation between signs. ‘ a = b’ thus asserts a relation between the signs ‘ a’ and ‘ b’. Presumably, the relation asserted would be being co-referential . -
Frege's Theory of Sense
Frege’s theory of sense Jeff Speaks August 25, 2011 1. Three arguments that there must be more to meaning than reference ............................1 1.1. Frege’s puzzle about identity sentences 1.2. Understanding and knowledge of reference 1.3. Opaque contexts 2. The theoretical roles of senses .........................................................................................4 2.1. Frege’s criterion for distinctness of sense 2.2. Sense determines reference, but not the reverse 2.3. Indirect reference 2.4. Sense, force, and the theory of speech acts 3. What are senses? .............................................................................................................6 We have now seen how a theory of reference — a theory that assigns to each expression of the language a reference, which is what it contributes to determining the truth or falsity of sentences in which it occurs — might look for a fragment of English. (The fragment of English includes proper names, n-place predicates, and quantifiers.) We now turn to Frege’s reasons for thinking that a theory of reference must be supplemented with a theory of sense. 1. THREE ARGUMENTS THAT THERE MUST BE MORE TO MEANING THAN REFERENCE 1.1. Frege’s puzzle about identity sentences As Frege says at the outset of “On sense and reference,” identity “gives rise to challenging questions which are not altogether easy to answer.” The puzzle raised by identity sentences is that, if, even though “the morning star” and “the evening star” have the same reference — the planet Venus — the sentences [1] The morning star is the morning star. [2] The morning star is the evening star. seem quite different. They seem, as Frege says, to differ in “cognitive value.” [1] is trivial and a priori; whereas [2] seems a posteriori, and could express a valuable extension of knowledge — it, unlike [1], seems to express an astronomical discovery which took substantial empirical work to make.