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Psych-verbs have been a touch-stone to linking-theories, which assume that case selection is determined by thematic roles. Though psych-verbs share the same thematic grid (experiencer and stimulus), they show different case frames. Different syntactic (structural) and semantic (event- or causal structure) approaches exist, but at least in German we will show that none of the several approaches to psych-verbs cover all differences and similarities of the several formal classes of psych-verbs in that language. In this paper we argue that the case selection of psych-verbs does not depend on their psychical reading at all. While Functional Expressivity requires that different thematic roles are expressed by different forms, Lexical Economy states that lexical entries should be minimally, i.e. verbs should only provide one case frame. Thus, the case frame of a verb must be compatible to the thematic requirements of all readings of this verb. Researchers paid little attention to the fact that polysemy is characteristic for psych-verbs. Psychverbs have (or have had) other, more specific readings, as well, and occasional psychical readings are possible for most verbs. According to the proto-role approach of Dowty (1991) and its modifications by Primus (1999b, 2002a, 2002b, 2002c), case selection is determined by the grade of agentivity or patientivity of arguments. Concrete readings have stronger agents and patients and make therefore stronger restrictions to case selection, and the psychical reading of a verb is always compatible with this reading. Thus, the case selection of psych-verbs is not affected by its psychical reading.
The article deals with morphosyntactic, semantic, and prosodic characteristics of depictive secondary predication in Laz. We show that Laz adjunct expressions generally cannot be divided into depictive and adverbial constructions on the basis of their morphosyntactic properties. We also deal with some prosodic characteristics of adjuncts expressing manner and state, and discuss to what extent depictive expressions may be delimited from manner adverbials on the grounds of intonational patterns.
In Spoken Egyptian, the form of a linguistic sign is restricted by rules of root structure and consonant compatibility as well as word-formation patterns. Hieroglyphic Egyptian, however, displays additional principles of sign formation. Iconicity is one of the crucial features of a part of its sign inventory. In this article, hieroglyphic iconicity will be investigated by means of a preliminary comparative typology originally developed for German Sign Language (Kutscher 2010). The authors argue that patterns found in Egyptian hieroglyphic sign formation are systematically comparable to patterns of German Sign Language (DGS). These patterns determine what types of lexical meaning can be inferred from iconic linguistic signs.
This paper deals with the constructional variation of emotion predicates in Estonian. It gives an overview on the constructional types, including information of their quantitative distribution. It is shown that one characteristic of Estonian is the formation of pairs of converses, i.e. pairs of emotion verbs, which have the same emotion semantics but different argument realisation patterns. These converses are based on derivational morphology such as the causative morphem –ta ‘CAUS’. Causative derivation has been adduced in the theoretical literature as support for the assumption that the cross-linguistically wide-spread constructional variation in emotion predicates has its origin in a difference of the causal structure in the verbal semantics. This paper shows that the data of Estonian contradicts this assumption.
In der Forschung zu Grammatikalisierungsphänomenen wurden die Untersuchungsergebnisse häufig in Form grafischer Schemata dargestellt. Die einschlägige Forschungsliteratur spricht daher von 'grammaticaiization paths', 'chains' und 'channels'. Die vorliegende Arbeit möchte erstens einen Überblick darüber bieten, welche Grammatikalisierungspfade - und zu welchen traditionellen grammatischen Domänen - bisher vorgeschlagen wurden. Zweitens wird mittels der Zusammenstellung der Pfade in einem Gesamtbild veranschaulicht, wie ein Grammatik-Modell aussehen könnte, dem die Grammatikaiisierungstheorie zugrundeliegt.
Nomen und nominales Syntagma
(1995)
Psych-verbs, exhibiting a wide range of construction types, challenge the assumption that verbs sharing the same theta-grid and event structure select the same case patterns. Consequently, previous research has tried to trace back the constructional variants of these verbs to differences in deep syntactic or semantic (event- or causal) structure. However, in German a construction type may exhibit semantically distinct subclasses, and a semantic subclass may have different syntactic realizations. Thus, it is difficult to find general linking patterns of psych-verbs. On the other hand, it is characteristic of psych-verbs to have non-psych-readings as well. We argue that these readings determine case selection. In the centre of our argumentation is the principle of Lexical Economy according to which entries in the mental lexicon are as simple as possible. The case frame must be compatible with all readings of the verb. Thus, the reading with the strongest thematic distinctiveness of each argument is crucial for case selection, typically a reading with a volitional agent and a strongly affected patient. Such readings impose stronger restrictions on case selection than psych-readings. The linking theory of our approach is based on Dowty’s theory of proto-roles (1991) and its modification and implementation in Optimality Theory in Primus (2002).
In this article, we discuss the meaning and use of positional verbs in the South-Caucasian language Laz. Positional verbs are defined as those verbs which — in combination with one of several locational verbal prefixes (preverbs) — may appear in the basic construction that functions as an answer to a “where” question, the so-called basic locative construction (BLC). Within this class of verbs, we pay particular attention to those positionals which are used regularly in our data to describe the configuration of inanimate movable objects. Laz is shown to be a multiverb language, i.e., a language that uses a comparatively large set of verbs in the BLC. The fourteen verbs in question are PRV-dgun ‘stand’, PRV-ren ‘stand’, PRV-zun ‘lie’, PRV-xen ‘sit, stay’, PRV-bɣun ‘be located as mass’, PRV-mpiy ‘be spread’, PRV-sun ‘be smeared’, PRV-tun ‘cover’, PRV-bun ‘hang’, PRV-nʒoy ‘stick, be stuck’, PRV-n un ‘be dipped’, PRV- abun ‘stick to, be sticky’, PRV- orun ‘be bound’, PRV-gzun ‘burn’. The semantics and the use of these verbs are described in some detail including nontypical configurations, which trigger variation among speakers due to alternative categorizations and prototype effects.
In this paper we will investigate the meaning and use of positional verbs in colloquial Standard German. Positional verbs are defined as those verbs which may appear in the basic construction that functions as an answer to a “where”-question, the so-called Basic Locative Construction (BLC). Within this class of verbs, we focus on those positionals which are used to describe the configuration of inanimate movable objects. We will demonstrate that German exhibits the characteristics of a positional (or “multiverb”) language, i.e., a language that uses a comparatively large set of verbs in the BLC. The ten positionals used most frequently in our data are stehen ‘stand’, liegen ‘lie’, hängen ‘hang’, lehnen ‘lean’, stecken ‘be in tight fit, be stuck’, klemmen ‘be stuck, be jammed’, kleben ‘stick by means of glue’, haften ‘adhere’, schwimmen ‘be afloat in liquid’, and schweben ‘be afloat’. We will identify the conditions under which the positional verbs are used and provide a semantic characterization for each of them, paying particular attention to alternative categorizations, fuzzy boundaries and prototype effects.
Laz, a sister language of Georgian spoken on the southeastem coast of the Black Sea, is the only member of the South Caucasian family which is spoken primarily in Turkey. Due to the socio-political circumstances all Speakers of Laz living in Turkey are bilingual and use Laz primarily in private communication. Using these observations as a starting point, the paper looks at the question of whether Laz is an endangered language. In order to clarify the sociolinguistic Situation of Laz in Turkey, the different levels involved in the process of gradual language loss (language-extemal factors, speech behaviour and structural consequences within the language system) are dealt with in detail. To determine which data should be taken as basis for the documentation of the language, the paper also discusses linguistic criteria for differentiating between fully competent Speakers of Laz and Speakers who show signs of language attrition.
Ikonizität und Indexikalität im gebärdensprachlichen Lexikon – Zur Typologie sprachlicher Zeichen
(2010)
The paper deals with the iconic and indexical relations of lexical signs in German Sign Language (DGS). It is argued that the theory of signs as established by Charles S. Peirce is particular fruitful with respect to the description and classification of signs in the visual-gestural modality, but also needs some additional discussion on the nature of the relation between sign and reference object. As will be demonstrated, motivated signs in German Sign Language are more complex with respect to indexicality and iconicity as is recognized in contemporary research. Accordingly, the paper discusses the necessity to modify the typology of linguistic signs with respect to sign languages. It will be demonstrated that there has to be established a class of schematic signs within the group of hypoicons. Secondly, it is argued that DGS has a class of motivated but non-iconic signs, which show a designative-indexical relation which relates to the spoken or written form of a word of the oral contact language German. In sum, a modified typology of lexical signs is established which not only includes the sign types symbol, index and (image)icon but also the new types schematic icon and indicator (‘Hinweis’).
This paper deals with morphosyntactic and semantic characteristics of the spatial case called motative in the Ardeşen-variety of Laz. The motative can be used to mark the ground-nominal in allative as well as in ablative spatial expressions, while the ground-nominal in static spatial expressions is unmarked for case. Hence, the motative case shows a conflation of the allative with ablative spatial semantics, while at the same time excluding locative spatial meaning. Given that this kind of syncretism has been claimed to be non-existent, the findings for Ardeşen-Laz are of special relevance for the refinement of the typology on spatial case-systems.
This paper gives an overview of the means of expression which are used in descriptions of spatial scenes in Laz. With motion verbs, Laz uses the satellite-framed strategy with motion-manner conflation in the verbal root. Path information is given in preverbal satellites. With respect to locative expressions it belongs to the multi-verb-type languages. Hence, considering the lexical properties of the verb roots, Laz is a rather ordinary language. However, with respect to the semantics of its spatial case system and the semantics of the satellites, i.e. its system of spatial preverbs, it will be shown that Laz is typologically rather unusual.