Prototypical Predicate Constructions: Evidence from Slavic

Roczniki Humanistyczne, 2015

Acta Linguistica Hungarica, 2003

This paper focuses on predicate formation operations which affect the value and determination of lexical properties associated with Hungarian phrasal periphrastic predicates and, hence, on lexeme-formation (Aronoff 1994). Recent work, following the word and paradigm morphological models of Robins (1959), Matthews (1972), among others, has argued that periphrasis or multi-word expression is often best viewed as a type of morphological exponence, i.e., as the product of morphological rather than syntactic operations, contra many current theoretical proposals. In line with this morphological perspective, I argue that, as in inflection, periphrasis is a type of morphological exponence for lexeme-formation. In support of this claim I explore lexeme-formation for several sorts of phrasal predicates in Hungarian (Ackerman 1987; Komlósy 1992; Kiefer-Ladányi 2000, among others), in particular causative formation, causal predicate formation, so-called reiterated activity formation expressed by reduplicated preverbs, and the interaction of these operations with category changing derivation. The general background for the analysis will be the Realization-based Lexicalist Hypothesis (Blevins 2001) and realizational approaches to morphology (Stump 2001) which are compatible with theories subscribing to representational modularity (Jackendoff 1997; 2002). ½º ÁÒØÖÓ Ù Ø ÓÒ Hungarian, like several other Uralic languages (see Kiefer-Honti 2003) contains phrasal predicate constructions in which a syntactically separable preverb (PV) combines with a verbal stem (Vstem). The basic properties of such constructions have been characterized as follows: "In verbal constructions the preverb may keep its original adverbial meaning (e.g., * I thank the participants at the 10th International Conference on Morphology at Szentendre, Hungary as well as two anonymous and very helpful reviewers for comments on an earlier version of this paper.

The Slavic and East European Journal, 1996

Prof. Marin Drinov Publishing House of Bulgarian Academy of Sciences eBooks, 2022

This study deals with the syntactic features of predicates describing stative eventualities. We present an overview of the possibilities for syntactic realization of verbal arguments within a framework of a semantic (thematic) classification of Bulgarian verbs based on their primary lexical meanings. Following the main principles of Role and Reference Grammar (RRG), we test the hypothesis that predicates belonging to a given thematic group have similar syntactic behavior. The analysis is focused on one-, two-and three-place predicates. Verbs such as седя (sit), лежа (lie), стоя (stand), спя (sleep), блестя (shine), мириша (smell) have oneargument structure. Their single argument occupies the subject position. Two-place predicates are represented by verbs from two subgroups: predicates with a subject and a direct object, e.g. обичам (love), харесвам (like), виждам (see), чувам (hear), чувствам (feel), усещам (sense), желая (wish), искам (want), мразя (hate), помня (remember), and predicates with a subject and an indirect object, e.g. вярвам (believe), надявам се (hope), нуждая се (need), тревожа се (worry), жадувам (crave), радвам се (be happy), вълнувам се (be excited), притеснявам се (worry), гордея се (be proud), срамувам се (be ashamed), плаша се (be afraid), страхувам се (fear). Besides these two groups of predicates, we also consider the possibility for some of the verbs to have three-argument realization. With знам (know)-type verbs, the direct object must be expressed and the indirect object may remain syntactically implicit, while with мисля (think)-type verbs the indirect object has to be represented overtly, but the direct object does not. The alternation of prepositions is also discussed in the text.

This chapter provides a description of generative syntax as a discipline within Slavic linguistic research from a theoretical, methodological and scientific-historical viewpoint, including those descriptive models and theoretical approaches which are preferred in Slavic generative linguistics working within the Principles and Parameters framework (Chomsky 1995 passim). A general comprehensive description of generative syntax, syntactic levels and methods of description is followed by a short overview of the current state of the art and the goals and targets of syntactic theory and the description of some syntactically relevant categories (such as negation, see also Błaszczak in this volume, and clitics, see Franks) resulting from my own research on word order (see also Kosta/Schürcks on Word Order, Art. 63, in this volume). In chapter 2, I will introduce some basic notions of the Minimalist framework. I will concentrate on the question of how syntactic levels have to be represented ...

The present article deals with clause-initial syntactic reduplications involving verbs, adjectives and nouns in Hungarian. Structurally, they appear to be cases of left-dislocation of a copy of a predicate, their function being contrastive topicalization. After outlining the scope of the phenomenon of reduplication in the system of the present-day Hungarian language, we turn to the so-called contrastive topicalization reduplication construction (CTR) in Hungarian and demonstrate that there are several subtypes of this construction, all of which lend themselves to concessive interpretation. In explaining how concessivity arises, we start from their categorizing function. We argue that what all these constructions of variable size and form have in common is dynamic, online categorization, i.e. they set up mental spaces that either narrow or widen a category, placing the events, properties and participants in the centre of the category, or at its very periphery (within a category, or even outside the category). This cluster of Hungarian constructions is also contrasted with similar reduplication phenomena on the syntactic-lexical continuum in a number of languages,

2001

Journal of Slavic Linguistics, 2017

This paper explores the connection between Slavic languages and the theoretical tenets of construction grammar, a cognitively and functionally oriented approach to linguistic analysis. The strengths of traditional Slavic linguistics consist particularly in its focus on diachronic concerns, lexical semantics, and on issues of morphology. Constructional analysis provides a firm theoretical grounding for these traditional areas and also draws attention to phenomena and issues that have been less prominently pursued by Slavic linguists. This concerns various kinds of syntactic patterning but also the domain of discourse organization and grammatical devices that serve specific discourse functions, be it the nature of pragmatic particles, specific clausal structures, expressions of subjective epistemic stance, etc. Of interest is also the origin and evolution of such devices. This area has been generally left just about untouched in Slavic linguistics, yet it represents an enormous pool of interesting data and relates directly to theoretical questions that are presently in the forefront of general linguistic research. With respect to the evolutionary perspective, the present paper also comments on the role of pragmaticization and constructionalization and their manifestations in particular instances, including suggestions for how they can be conceptualized with the contribution of construction grammar.