Thematic Relations
Thematic Relations

Author: Wendy Wilkins

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2020-01-13

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 9004373217

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Thematic Relations provides information pertinent to thematic relations, which focus both on what sematic roles are expressible in the grammar and how these roles come to be associated with noun phrases. This book presents the interaction of components of the language faculty and other aspects of cognition. Organized into 13 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the semantic relations involved in verb-argument structure. This text then examines the predicate-argument representations, which have come to figure prominently in all current generative theories of syntax. Other chapters consider the generalizations about thematic relations that are most insightfully captured at the level of syntax of at the level of semantics. This book discusses as well the importance of thematic roles to the grammar. The final chapter deals with the central role of thematic roles in language comprehension. This book is a valuable resource for linguists, syntacticians, and semanticists with an active involvement in research on natural language.

Thematic Relations
Thematic Relations

Author: Mário A. Perini

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2019-10-23

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 3030285383

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book presents a proposal to better define thematic relations by exploring the relation between language and cognition. It analyzes the relation between grammatically defined roles such as agent and patient (semantic roles), and elaborate thematic relations (ETRs) actually accessible to language users. It shows that many phenomena previously analyzed as grammatical can be described in a more simple and convenient way by postulating direct connection between syntactic complements and cognitive relations present in the schema evoked by the verb. The volume focuses on a topic which has been the object of much discussion in the recent literature, namely the definition and delimitation of semantic roles, proposing new solutions to some important theoretical and practical problems in the description of the lexicogrammatical structure of languages, and in particular of verb valency. It shows that in many cases a direct relation can be established between morphosyntactic units and functions, on one hand, and ETRs, on the other, without the intermediation of grammatically defined semantic roles. This makes it possible to analyze thematic relations that have been traditionally problematic, such as the patient, in a linguistically simple and cognitively well-motivated way. Thematic Relations – A Study in the Grammar-Cognition Interface will be a useful resource for practicing linguists working on the analysis of natural languages, in particular on verb valency; verb subcategorization and thematic structure; semantic (thematic) roles, their definition and syntactic coding; the relation between grammatical structure and cognitive schemata (frames); and the structure of the lexicon.

Cases and Thematic Roles
Cases and Thematic Roles

Author: Beatrice Primus

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter

Published: 2010-09-03

Total Pages: 301

ISBN-13: 3110912465

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book is concerned with the mapping of thematic roles, such as agent and patient, onto syntactic cases, such as nominative or ergative, or onto structural relations. It shows that cases and structural relations code different aspects of thematic structure. The thematic determination of the structural relation of an argument is confined to its position in the thematic structure of the predicate. Case mapping is determined by the number of basic thematic concepts involved in this structure. This fact and other facts presented in the book presuppose an approach to thematic roles that decomposes them into more basic concepts involving volitionality, causation, activity, sentience, possession, etc., and motivate the hypothesis that syntactic cases cannot be derived from structural relations in universal grammar. The phenomena pertaining to relational typology that classifies languages into ergative, accusative and active languages are shown to be restricted to case mapping. The specific thematic determination of case mapping and the hierarchical organization of case systems explain not only the existence of these types of mapping, but also the fact that ergative and active phenomena are typically case-based. The book provides a global cross-linguistic perspective, but German data recurrently serve as an illustration of the main theoretical assumptions.

The Structure of Modern English
The Structure of Modern English

Author: Laurel J. Brinton

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing

Published: 2000-01-01

Total Pages: 357

ISBN-13: 9027225672

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This text is designed for undergraduate and graduate students interested in contemporary English, especially those whose primary area of interest is English as a second language. Focus is placed exclusively on English data, providing an empirical explication of the structure of the language.

An Introduction to Syntax
An Introduction to Syntax

Author: Robert D. Van Valin

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2001-04-26

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 9780521635660

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The book guides students through the basic concepts involved in syntactic analysis and goes on to prepare them for further work in any syntactic theory, using examples from a range of phenomena in human languages. It also includes a chapter on theories of syntax.

Arguments in Syntax and Semantics
Arguments in Syntax and Semantics

Author: Alexander Williams

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2015-01-29

Total Pages: 395

ISBN-13: 0521190967

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A guide to the relations between a predicate and its arguments, for researchers and advanced students in linguistics. Engages foundational issues in both syntax and semantics, with attention to the correspondence between structure at the two levels. Chapters include discussion questions and suggestions for further reading.

The Psychology of Learning and Motivation
The Psychology of Learning and Motivation

Author:

Publisher: Academic Press

Published: 2011-04-01

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 0123855284

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Psychology of Learning and Motivation series publishes empirical and theoretical contributions in cognitive and experimental psychology, ranging from classical and instrumental conditioning to complex learning and problem solving. Each chapter thoughtfully integrates the writings of leading contributors, who present and discuss significant bodies of research relevant to their discipline. Volume 51 includes chapters on such varied topics as emotion and memory interference, electrophysiology, mathematical cognition, and reader participation in narrative. - Volume 54 of the highly regarded Psychology of Learning and Motivation series - An essential reference for researchers and academics in cognitive science - Relevant to both applied concerns and basic research

Case Grammar Theory
Case Grammar Theory

Author: Walter A. Cook

Publisher: Georgetown University Press

Published: 1989

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 9780878402762

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

By analyzing seven concrete models, the author examines each in regard to its logical structure, list of cases, derivational system, and use of covert case roles.

A Concise Introduction to Syntactic Theory
A Concise Introduction to Syntactic Theory

Author: Elizabeth A. Cowper

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2009-06-15

Total Pages: 219

ISBN-13: 022616022X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This textbook is intended to give students a quick start in using theory to address syntactic questions. At each stage, Cowper is careful to introduce a theoretical apparatus that is no more complex than is required to deal with the phenomenon under consideration. Comprehensive and up-to-date, this accessible volume will also provide an excellent refresher for linguists returning to the study of Government-Binding theory. "Cowper exhibits the analytical devices of current principles-and-parameters approaches, takes readers carefully through the central elements of grammatical theory (including very recent work), and ushers them selectively into the technical literature. . . . A serious introduction for those who want to know the nuts and bolts of syntactic theory and to see why linguists are so excited these days."—David Lightfoot, University of Maryland "An excellent short introduction to the Government and Binding model of syntactic theory. . . . Cowper's work succeeds in teaching syntactic argumentation and in showing the conceptual reasons behind specific proposals in modern syntactic theory."—Jaklin Kornfilt, Syracuse University