Papers by Gudrun Vanderbauwhede
Special issue of Languages in Contrast (late 2010) ... Peter Lauwers ([email protected]... more Special issue of Languages in Contrast (late 2010) ... Peter Lauwers ([email protected] .be) Assistant Professor at the University of Ghent & University of Leuven (KULeuven) / postdoctoral fellow of the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO) ... Stijn Verleyen (Stijn.Verleyen@ ...
Benjamins Current Topics, 2012
French Syntax in Contrast, 2010
In this paper, we intend to show that grammaticalization can effectively be used as a parameter i... more In this paper, we intend to show that grammaticalization can effectively be used as a parameter in language comparison by proposing a corpus-based account of the difference in distribution between demonstratives and definite articles in French and Dutch. Taking cases of literal but non-equivalent translation as a starting point, our study revealed that French demonstratives are very often translated by definite articles in Dutch, indicating a different semantico-grammatical function of demonstratives and definite articles in both languages. We propose to account for this bleaching of the French demonstrative by hypothesizing that Dutch demonstrative determiners have a much stronger ‘defining function’ than their French equivalents, and that the latter are in fact evolving towards definite articles, which would be an instantiation of the cyclical evolution from demonstrative to article, also found in the development from Latin to French.
Languages in Contrast, 2010
Conference Presentations by Gudrun Vanderbauwhede
![Research paper thumbnail of Degrees of adverbialization. A cross-linguistic corpus study of [far from X] constructions](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/37619303/thumbnails/1.jpg)
In language change, parallel source constructions can undergo cross-linguistically divergent deve... more In language change, parallel source constructions can undergo cross-linguistically divergent developments. The focus of this paper is on one such case, the development of degree modifiers from markers of physical distance. Specifically, we will compare the semantic and syntactic properties of FAR FROM constructions in three Germanic languages and one Romance language: English [far from X], Dutch [ver(re) van X], Swedish [långt ifrån X] and French [loin de X]. In all four languages, the spatial construction consists of an adjective or adverb and a preposition, followed by an NP. Further, in all four languages, the construction tends to develop adverbial degree modifying uses (as a downtoner), as illustrated for English in (1), and for Swedish in (2). Its X-slot then tends to open up to other phrase types (VP, AP, PP).
(1) Nutty was far from sure, and Biddy looked doubtful. (BNC)
(2) de långt ifrån marginella förändringar landet genomgår. (SECOW2014)
‘the far from marginal changes the country is going through.’
However, the four languages differ in the extent to which their [FAR FROM X] construction has grammaticalized into a full-blown adverbial degree modifier. The central purpose of our study is to analyze the differences between the languages and to account for them.
It is shown that, semantically, degree modifying senses develop from metaphorical extensions of spatial senses, as in (3-4).
(3) Nous voilà loin de la mondialisation heureuse! (FRCOW2011)
‘Here we are far from happy globalization!’
(4) men det är så långt ifrån sanningen man kan komma. (SECOW2014)
’but it is as far from the truth as one can get’
The availability of the same metaphorical senses supports a gradient of meanings that continue to integrate degree modifying senses and spatial senses into a single semantic network. In French and English, this appears to hinder the development of full-blown adverbial uses. In French, loin de combines spatial, metaphorical and downtoner uses, but does not develop into an adverb. In English, it is found that new adverbial uses appear around the time metaphorical senses decline. In Swedish, by contrast, långt ifrån is always adverbial (as evidenced by the adverbial suffix t in långt), but as in the other languages, it occurs in both spatial, metaphorical and downtoner constructions.
Formally, variation is found to facilitate form-meaning realignment. In Dutch, the variation between ver van and verre van licensed functional specialization of ver van as a spatial expression and verre van as a degree modifying adverb (5). The fact that the -e ending in verre van is an opaque relic obscured its relation to the adjective/adverb ver and as such further disrupted form-meaning unity.
(5) Dit was een verre van marginaal verschijnsel. (NLCOW2012)
‘This was a far from marginal phenomenon.’
The comparison of the respective fates of FAR FROM constructions in four different languages highlights the structural preconditions that favour or hinder syntactic change. Differences between the languages, then, are not explained by the random character of change, but by unevenly spread favouring conditions.
Corpora
BNC = British National Corpus: http://corpus2.byu.edu/bnc/
COW = Corpora from the Web: http://hpsg.fu-berlin.de/cow/colibri/
Cf. Schäfer, R. & F. Bildhauer. (2012). Building large corpora from the web using a new efficient tool chain. N. Calzolari, K. Choukri, T. Declerck et al. (Eds), Proceedings of the Eight International Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation, Istanbul, 486-493.
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Papers by Gudrun Vanderbauwhede
Conference Presentations by Gudrun Vanderbauwhede
(1) Nutty was far from sure, and Biddy looked doubtful. (BNC)
(2) de långt ifrån marginella förändringar landet genomgår. (SECOW2014)
‘the far from marginal changes the country is going through.’
However, the four languages differ in the extent to which their [FAR FROM X] construction has grammaticalized into a full-blown adverbial degree modifier. The central purpose of our study is to analyze the differences between the languages and to account for them.
It is shown that, semantically, degree modifying senses develop from metaphorical extensions of spatial senses, as in (3-4).
(3) Nous voilà loin de la mondialisation heureuse! (FRCOW2011)
‘Here we are far from happy globalization!’
(4) men det är så långt ifrån sanningen man kan komma. (SECOW2014)
’but it is as far from the truth as one can get’
The availability of the same metaphorical senses supports a gradient of meanings that continue to integrate degree modifying senses and spatial senses into a single semantic network. In French and English, this appears to hinder the development of full-blown adverbial uses. In French, loin de combines spatial, metaphorical and downtoner uses, but does not develop into an adverb. In English, it is found that new adverbial uses appear around the time metaphorical senses decline. In Swedish, by contrast, långt ifrån is always adverbial (as evidenced by the adverbial suffix t in långt), but as in the other languages, it occurs in both spatial, metaphorical and downtoner constructions.
Formally, variation is found to facilitate form-meaning realignment. In Dutch, the variation between ver van and verre van licensed functional specialization of ver van as a spatial expression and verre van as a degree modifying adverb (5). The fact that the -e ending in verre van is an opaque relic obscured its relation to the adjective/adverb ver and as such further disrupted form-meaning unity.
(5) Dit was een verre van marginaal verschijnsel. (NLCOW2012)
‘This was a far from marginal phenomenon.’
The comparison of the respective fates of FAR FROM constructions in four different languages highlights the structural preconditions that favour or hinder syntactic change. Differences between the languages, then, are not explained by the random character of change, but by unevenly spread favouring conditions.
Corpora
BNC = British National Corpus: http://corpus2.byu.edu/bnc/
COW = Corpora from the Web: http://hpsg.fu-berlin.de/cow/colibri/
Cf. Schäfer, R. & F. Bildhauer. (2012). Building large corpora from the web using a new efficient tool chain. N. Calzolari, K. Choukri, T. Declerck et al. (Eds), Proceedings of the Eight International Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation, Istanbul, 486-493.
(1) Nutty was far from sure, and Biddy looked doubtful. (BNC)
(2) de långt ifrån marginella förändringar landet genomgår. (SECOW2014)
‘the far from marginal changes the country is going through.’
However, the four languages differ in the extent to which their [FAR FROM X] construction has grammaticalized into a full-blown adverbial degree modifier. The central purpose of our study is to analyze the differences between the languages and to account for them.
It is shown that, semantically, degree modifying senses develop from metaphorical extensions of spatial senses, as in (3-4).
(3) Nous voilà loin de la mondialisation heureuse! (FRCOW2011)
‘Here we are far from happy globalization!’
(4) men det är så långt ifrån sanningen man kan komma. (SECOW2014)
’but it is as far from the truth as one can get’
The availability of the same metaphorical senses supports a gradient of meanings that continue to integrate degree modifying senses and spatial senses into a single semantic network. In French and English, this appears to hinder the development of full-blown adverbial uses. In French, loin de combines spatial, metaphorical and downtoner uses, but does not develop into an adverb. In English, it is found that new adverbial uses appear around the time metaphorical senses decline. In Swedish, by contrast, långt ifrån is always adverbial (as evidenced by the adverbial suffix t in långt), but as in the other languages, it occurs in both spatial, metaphorical and downtoner constructions.
Formally, variation is found to facilitate form-meaning realignment. In Dutch, the variation between ver van and verre van licensed functional specialization of ver van as a spatial expression and verre van as a degree modifying adverb (5). The fact that the -e ending in verre van is an opaque relic obscured its relation to the adjective/adverb ver and as such further disrupted form-meaning unity.
(5) Dit was een verre van marginaal verschijnsel. (NLCOW2012)
‘This was a far from marginal phenomenon.’
The comparison of the respective fates of FAR FROM constructions in four different languages highlights the structural preconditions that favour or hinder syntactic change. Differences between the languages, then, are not explained by the random character of change, but by unevenly spread favouring conditions.
Corpora
BNC = British National Corpus: http://corpus2.byu.edu/bnc/
COW = Corpora from the Web: http://hpsg.fu-berlin.de/cow/colibri/
Cf. Schäfer, R. & F. Bildhauer. (2012). Building large corpora from the web using a new efficient tool chain. N. Calzolari, K. Choukri, T. Declerck et al. (Eds), Proceedings of the Eight International Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation, Istanbul, 486-493.