The aim of this thesis has been to analyze German light verb constructions with the light verb leisten and their translations into Swedish. From the identified types containing a nominalization + leisten as parts of a light verb construction, three construction types were examined more closely, namely Beitrag leisten, Arbeit leisten and Hilfe leisten. These light verb constructions showed a higher representation in the material and were hence selected for a further in-depth study. As for the translations into Swedish, three main translation strategies were identified: word-for-word translations, full-verb replacements, and paraphrases/omissions.  The results show that paraphrasing is the preferred strategy, although the result is quite even between all the strategies. The results also show that each of the three constructions preferred one each of the three translation strategies, which opens for further studies in this area. One explanation for this is, relating to the semantic meaning of the nouns and to their flexible characteristics into Swedish, that nouns with a narrower semantic meaning are more inclined to be translated word-for-word, but also depending on whether the nominalization has a function as a direct object in the sentence, is modified by an adjective, or is merely part of a predicative.

Diese Dissertation bietet eine empirische Untersuchung deutscher Verben auf der Grundlage statistischer Beschreibungen, die aus einem großen deutschen Textkorpus gewonnen wurden. In einem kurzen Überblick über linguistische Theorien zur lexikalischen Semantik von Verben skizziere ich die Idee, dass die Verbbedeutung wesentlich von seiner Argumentstruktur (der Anzahl und Art der Argumente, die zusammen mit dem Verb auftreten) und seiner Aspektstruktur (Eigenschaften, die den zeitlichen Ablauf des vom Verb denotierten Ereignisses bestimmen) abhängt. Anschließend erstelle ich statistische Beschreibungen von Verben, die auf diesen beiden unterschiedlichen Bedeutungsfacetten basieren. Insbesondere untersuche ich verbale Subkategorisierung, Selektionspräferenzen und Aspekt. Alle diese Modellierungsstrategien werden anhand einer gemeinsamen Aufgabe, der Verbklassifikation, bewertet. Ich zeige, dass im Rahmen von maschinellem Lernen erworbene Merkmale, die verbale lexikalische Aspekte erfassen, für eine Anwendung von Vorteil sind, die Argumentstrukturen betrifft, nämlich semantische Rollenkennzeichnung. Darüber hinaus zeige ich, dass Merkmale, die die verbale Argumentstruktur erfassen, bei der Aufgabe, ein Verb nach seiner Aspektklasse zu klassifizieren, gut funktionieren. Diese Ergebnisse bestätigen, dass diese beiden Facetten der Verbbedeutung auf grundsätzliche Weise zusammenhängen. / This dissertation provides an empirical investigation of German verbs conducted on the basis of statistical descriptions acquired from a large corpus of German text. In a brief overview of the linguistic theory pertaining to the lexical semantics of verbs, I outline the idea that verb meaning is composed of argument structure (the number and types of arguments that co-occur with a verb) and aspectual structure (properties describing the temporal progression of an event referenced by the verb). I then produce statistical descriptions of verbs according to these two distinct facets of meaning: In particular, I examine verbal subcategorisation, selectional preferences, and aspectual type. All three of these modelling strategies are evaluated on a common task, automatic verb classification. I demonstrate that automatically acquired features capturing verbal lexical aspect are beneficial for an application that concerns argument structure, namely semantic role labelling. Furthermore, I demonstrate that features capturing verbal argument structure perform well on the task of classifying a verb for its aspectual type. These findings suggest that these two facets of verb meaning are related in an underlying way.

I denna studie diskuteras användningen av de intransitiva positionsverben stå, sitta och ligga, samt deras olika betydelser och användningsområden. Dessa verb kan användas för att beskriva kroppslig position och plats. Tidigare studier har undersökt deras användning i svenska (inklusive engelska, franska, tyska och finska) med fokus på vanliga användningar och mönster, prototyper, typer av subjekt och lokativa komplement, samt skillnader i användningen av intransitiva verb med olika typer av subjekt. En användning som intransitiva verb har i skandinaviska språk är att de kan uttrycka progressiv aspekt vilket kan förklaras utifrån det grammatiska fenomenet pseudokoordination. Syftet med denna undersökning är att undersöka de semantiska egenskaperna hos intransitiva positionsverb i de nordiska språken danska och svenska. Studien bygger på korpusdata från Sketch Engine för att kategorisera förekomster av de tre positionsverben i svenska och danska. Dessa baseras på taggar som beskriver användning av positionsverb, semantiska egenskaper av subjektet och inanimata subjektets orientering. Uppsatsen utmynnar i att beskriva användningen av positionsverben i svenska och danska. Vissa förekomster visade sig sakna semantiska egenskaper. De semantiska egenskaperna mellan svenska och danska gällande positionsverb visar inte en uppenbar skillnad. Vidare forskning kan eventuellt framhäva en möjlig skillnad / This study discusses the use of the intransitive posture verbs stand, sit and lie, as well as their different meanings and areas of usage. These verbs can be used to describe bodily position and location. Previous studies have investigated their use in Swedish (including English, French, German and Finnish) focusing on common uses and patterns, prototypes, types of subjects and locative complements, as well as differences in the use of intransitive verbs with different types of subjects. In Scandinavian languages, one usage of intransitive verbs is that they can express progressive aspect, which can be explained based on the grammatical phenomenon of pseudo-coordination. The purpose of this study is to investigate the semantic properties of intransitive posture verbs in the Nordic languages Danish and Swedish. The study is based on corpus data from Sketch Engine to categorise occurrences of the three positional verbs in Swedish and Danish. These are based on tags that describe the use of positional verbs, semantic properties of the subject, and the orientation of the inanimate subject. The essay results in describing the use of posture verbs in Swedish and Danish. Some occurrences turned out to lack semantic properties. The semantic properties between Swedish and Danish posture verbs do not show an obvious difference. Further research may highlight a possible difference.

Community colleges serve a diverse population of learners including many older students counting on the community college for enhanced skills or personal enrichment. Many of these colleges target this population with programs designed specifically to meet the needs and goals of the older adult but may not consider this population when designing a website. Older users of a community college website have similar needs to the traditional student; however, little was known about the impact of the typical navigational links on the successful completion of tasks and obtaining information for this type of user. It is essential for educational institution website designers to understand which navigational links will provide the best usability for older adults with differing levels of experience. Previous research has found that usage-oriented links and pages that offer both usage and subject-oriented links yield statistically higher performance than subject-oriented links. Other research has found that presenting navigational links in the form of an action enhances usability. For this study, three websites were created utilizing navigational links in the form of usage-oriented links, subject-oriented navigational links, and then a combination of both to conduct a usability study to expand on previous work. This study was designed to determine the impact of such navigation on obtaining the correct answer, time on task, and the user's perception of the navigation. The research question, Does website usability and the user's perception of usability vary for older users based on navigational links, task type, and audience type? was addressed through two hypotheses and data which were obtained during the study. The first hypothesis: Website navigation, task type, and audience type significantly affect usability, was based on performance, and was measured on the two components, correct answer ratio (CAR) and navigation time (NT). The results indicated that the older user's ability to complete tasks faster and more accurately depended on the user's experience level, the difficulty of the task, and the types of navigational links presented, with usage-based navigation being the more effective solution. The second hypothesis: Website navigation, task type, and audience type significantly affect perceptions of usability, was based on perception questions presented after task completion and was measured by a four question post-test questionnaire, which used a 7-point Likert scale. This study found the older user's perception of usability varied based on the navigational links presented, but the experience level of the participant or the task type did not have a significant effect on the perception of usability. Therefore, it is recommended that designers of educational sites present navigational links in a goal-oriented, action-based format to support the end users of all ages and to enhance usability of the institution's website. This research found that if developers emphasize accuracy and the need to navigate quickly as a goal of an educational website for the older user, the website should be designed using a usage-based navigation structure. This research provides the detail to support a better understanding of which navigation type results in higher usability for the older user and enhances the guidelines of website design for this population.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study explores the lexical semantic analysis of motion verb - phuma in Xhosa. In Chapter 1 the aim of the study is stated. Properties about the lexical semantic analysis of the verb -phuma as well as the generative lexicon theory by Pustejovsky (1996) are discussed. The theoretical framework and the organisation of study are also discussed in this chapter. Chapter 2 addresses in more detail the type system for semantics. A generative theory of the lexicon includes multiple levels of representation for different types of lexical information needed. Among such levels are Argument Structure, Event Structure, Qualia Structure and Inheritance Structure. Chapter 2 also represent in more detail the structure of qualia and the role they play in distributing the functional behaviour of words and phrases in composition. Chapter 3 examines the lexical semantic analysis of the verb -phuma to account for the range of selectional properties of the NP subject argument of the verb -phuma and the various interpretations that arise in terms of composition with its complement arguments. The polysemous behaviour of the verb -phuma is examined in sentence alternation constructions with respect to event structure properties. The lexical representation in terms of argument structure and the event structure of the verb -phuma in different sentences is also investigated. Chapter 4 is the conclusion, summarising the findings of all the previous chapters in this study on lexical semantic analysis of the motion verb -phuma in Xhosa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek die leksikaal-semantiese analise van die bewegingswerkwoord -phuma in Xhosa. In hoofstuk 1 word die doelstellings van die studie uiteengesit. Die teorie van Generatiewe Leksikon van Pustejovsky word ook kortliks bespreek, wat die teoretiese raamwerk is van die studie. Laastens word die organisasie van die studie bespreek. Hoofstuk 2 bespreek in groter besonderhede die model van Generatiewe Leksikon teorie. 'n Generatiewe teorie van die leksikon sluit in veelvuldige vlakke van representasie vir die verskillende tipes leksikale inligting wat benodig word. Hierdie vlakke van representasie sluit in die Argument struktuur, Gebeure ('Event') struktuur, Qualia struktuur en Leksikale Erf (Inheritance) struktuur. Hoofstuk 2 bied ook in meer detail die struktuur van qualia en die rol wat dit speel in die verspreiding van die funksionele gedrag van woorde en frases in kombinasie. Hoofstuk 3 ondersoek die leksikaal-semantiese analise van die werkwoord -phuma en die verskeidenheid interpretasies wat beskikbaar is vir -phuma in kombinasie met die komplement argumente daarvan. Die polisemiese gedrag van die werkwoord -phuma word ondersoek in sinsalternasiekonstruksies ten opsigte van die gebeure ('event') struktuur. Die leksikale representasie in terme van argument struktuur en die gebeurestruktuur van die werkwoord -phuma ill verskillende sinne met verskillende seleksiekenmerke van die subjek, word ook ondersoek. Hoofstuk 4 is die Samevatting van die studie, wat 'n opsomming bied van die vernaamste bevindings van al die vorige hoofstukke van hierdie studie oor die leksikaal-semantiese analise van die werkwoord -phuma in Xhosa. / ISISHW ANKA THELO: Esi sifundo siphonononga uhlalutyo lwesemantiki yelekhisikoni yesenzi sentshukumo u-phuma. ISahluko 1 umongo wesifundo uxeliwe kwisahluko 1. Iziphumo zohlalutyo lwesemantiki yelekhisikoni yesenzi u-phuma ngokukaPustejovsky (1996) ZIXOXlwe. zikwaxoxiwe kwesi sahluko. ngokunjalo nengcmgane yelekhisikoni evelisayo Ubume bengcingane kunye nolungiselelo lwesifundo ISahluko 2 siyila indlela ermsrweyo yohlobo lwesemantiki yethu. Ingcingane evelisayo yelekhisikoni iquka imigangatho imininzi yenkcazelo ngokwentlobo ezahlukeneyo ezifuna ulwazi lwesemantiki. Eminye yale migangatho lulwakhiwo lwe-Adyumenti, uLwakhiwo IweSiganeko, uLwakhiwo IweKhwaliya kunye noLwakhiwo Lobalo. ISahluko 2 sikwabonisa ngokucace kakhulu ngolwakhiwo lwekhwaliya ngendima edlaliweyo ekusasazeni impatho yomsebenzi wamagama kunye namabinzana kwindibaniso. ISahluko 3 sivavanya ngohlalutyo lwesemantiki yelekhisikoni yesenzi u-phuma ngokwengcaciso yodweliso lweempawu ezikhethiweyo ze-adyumenti yebinzana lesibizo esiyintloko sesenzi uphuma kunye notoliko olwahlukeneyo oluvela ngokwamagama endibaniso ngokwe-adyumenti yemfezekiso. Impatho yentsingiselo ezininzi yesenzi u-phuma ivavanyiwe kulwakhiwo lotshintshwano lwezivakalisi ngokuhlonela iimpawu zolwakhiwo lwesiganeko. Inkcazelo yelekhisikoni ngokwamagama olwakhiwo lwe-adyumenti kunye nolwakhiwo lwesiganeko sesenzi u-phuma kwizivakalisi ezahlukeneyo zikwaphengululiwe. ISahluko 4 sisiqukumbelo, esishwankathela iziphumo zezahluko ezingaphambili kwesi sifundo kuhlalutyo lwesemantiki yelekhisikoni yesenzi sentshukumo -uphuma kwisiXhosa.

We explore the language production process by eliciting subject-verb agreement errors. Participants were asked to create complete sentences from sentence beginnings such as The elf's/elves' house with the tiny window/windows and The statue in the eirs/elves' gardens. These are subject noun phrases containing a head noun and controller of agreement (statue), and two nonheads, a "local noun" (window(s)/garden(s)), and a possessor noun (elf's/elves'). Past research has shown that a plural nonhead noun (an "attractor") within a subject noun phrase triggers the production of verb agreement errors, and further, that the nearer the attractor to the head noun, the greater the interference. This effect can be interpreted in terms of relative hierarchical distance from the head noun, or via a processing window account, which claims that during production, there is a window in which the head and modifying material may be co-active, and an attractor must be active at the same time as the head to give rise to errors. Using possessors attached at different heights within the same window, we are able to empirically distinguish these accounts. Possessors also allow us to explore two additional issues. First, case marking of local nouns has been shown to reduce agreement errors in languages with "rich" inflectional systems, and we explore whether English speakers attend to case. Secondly, formal syntactic analyses differ regarding the structural position of the possessive marker, and we distinguish them empirically with the relative magnitude of errors produced by possessors and local nouns. Our results show that, across the board, plural possessors are significantly less disruptive to the agreement process than plural local nouns. Proximity to the head noun matters: a possessor directly modifying the head noun induce a significant number of errors, but a possessor within a modifying prepositional phrase did not, though the local noun did. These findings suggest that proximity to a head noun is independent of a "processing window" effect. They also support a noun phrase-internal, case-like analysis of the structural position of the possessive ending and show that even speakers of inflectionally impoverished languages like English are sensitive to morphophonological case-like marking.

This study consists of two methods: textual analysis and interviews, which are based on text from The Uppsala Learner English Corpus (ULEC), and teachers as interview objects. The textual analysis investigates errors made by students in year seven and year nine, regarding the construction of different verb forms in written English essays. A potential difference between errors made in year seven and nine is also examined. Moreover, the interview based analysis investigates professional junior high school teachers’ teaching methods and attitudes towards grammar. The errors investigated in the textual analysis are compared with the responses of the teachers’ perception of common errors in verb forms made by their students.    The textual analysis showed that the most common errors made regard spelling within the verb phrase, auxiliary verbs, subject-verb agreement, and irregular verbs, and that year seven had a higher frequency of errors than year nine in most categories, even if the results differed inconsiderably.    The analysis of the interviews of the teachers found that teachers, in general, enjoy grammar, and aim to have a student-centered approach, however, the teachers testify of characteristics of traditional teacher-centered grammar teaching. It is reasoned that traditional teacher-centered grammar teaching is fundamentally established, where teachers today appear not to acquire the tools to move away from the teacher-centered approach onwards to a student-centered grammar teaching.    We reason that the education of L2 teachers needs to be reformed and provide tools to help teachers achieve a student-centered approach, and therein enable students to become more successful in grammar.

published_or_final_version / English Studies / Master / Master of Arts

Hakka is an under-developed language. compared with Mandrin and taiwanese. Many fields of Hakka such as ststematic studies of syntactic, semantic and pragmatic theories remain unexploited. This thesis aims to exploring some linguistic phenomena of Hakka by means of the studies on the particle to in Hakka. To is a very versatile morpheme in Makka. It may serve as a main verb, a coverb, a presuppositional particle or a verb ending. Chapter Two explores the functions of to as a main verb and as a coverb. It discusses the three functions of to as a coverb respecitvely. To can occur between two portions in a sentence in which to serves to mark the relation between the two portions. Chapter three explores the relatio- ns between the two portions in such a to construcfion. The status of to in such a construction is also investigated. To can be a verb enaing of a verb compound. Chapter Four aiscusses what a verb+to compound is. It explores the productivity of to as a verb ending. It further explicates the structural ambiguity between a coverb to and a verb ending to. Cmapter Five makes a generalization and draws a conclusion. It is hoped t- hat this thesis may provide a more intensive analysis of some Hakka const- ructions involving to and thus may spark a wider interest in the Hakka la- nguage.

<p>This licentiate thesis deals with automatic syntactic analysis, or parsing, of natural languages. A parser constructs the syntactic analysis, which it learns by looking at correctly analyzed sentences, known as training data. The general topic concerns manipulations of the training data in order to improve the parsing accuracy.</p><p>Several studies using constituency-based theories for natural languages in such automatic and data-driven syntactic parsing have shown that training data, annotated according to a linguistic theory, often needs to be adapted in various ways in order to achieve an adequate, automatic analysis. A linguistically sound constituent structure is not necessarily well-suited for learning and parsing using existing data-driven methods. Modifications to the constituency-based trees in the training data, and corresponding modifications to the parser output, have successfully been applied to increase the parser accuracy. The topic of this thesis is to investigate whether similar modifications in the form of tree transformations to training data, annotated with dependency-based structures, can improve accuracy for data-driven dependency parsers. In order to do this, two types of tree transformations are in focus in this thesis.</p><p>%This is a topic that so far has been less studied.</p><p>The first one concerns non-projectivity. The full potential of dependency parsing can only be realized if non-projective constructions are allowed, which pose a problem for projective dependency parsers. On the other hand, non-projective parsers tend, among other things, to be slower. In order to maintain the benefits of projective parsing, a tree transformation technique to recover non-projectivity while using a projective parser is presented here.</p><p>The second type of transformation concerns linguistic phenomena that are possible but hard for a parser to learn, given a certain choice of dependency analysis. This study has concentrated on two such phenomena, coordination and verb groups, for which tree transformations are applied in order to improve parsing accuracy, in case the original structure does not coincide with a structure that is easy to learn.</p><p>Empirical evaluations are performed using treebank data from various languages, and using more than one dependency parser. The results show that the benefit of these tree transformations used in preprocessing and postprocessing to a large extent is language, treebank and parser independent.</p>