published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Philosophy

This thesis investigates the second language acquisition of Japanese relative clauses (RCs) by native speakers of English or Korean. Researchers have argued that Universal Grammar (UG) can be accessed in adult second language (L2) acquisition. The Full Transfer Full Access (FTFA) Hypothesis (Schwartz and Sprouse 1994, 1996) claims that after initial transfer from L1, learners reset their parameter values and are able to acquire L2 properties that are different from their L1. Japanese and English relativization: while Japanese relativization does not involve movement in the syntax (Kuno 1973, Saito 1985, etc.), English relativization involves obligatory operator movement and is subject to movement constraints like Subjacency. Because of Subjacency, certain RC structures are prohibited in English. In Japanese, on the other hand, a zero pronominal, pro, is base-generated in the gap position of an RC and coindexed with the relative head noun, and thus long distance relativization is possible. I argue that the presence or absence of pro is also a parametric difference between Japanese and English; pro is present in Japanese, but not in English. In order for English speakers to acquire Japanese RCs, they need to reset the values of these two parameters. / Experimental studies were conducted with high-intermediate and advanced learners of Japanese (15 English speakers and 18 Korean speakers). Tests examined the learners' knowledge of the two grammatical properties in Japanese---namely, the lack of wh-movement and the presence of pro. Korean is different from English but similar to Japanese with respect to the parameters in question. Following FTFA, it is hypothesized that English-speaking learners initially transfer their L1 values, and that eventually they are able to switch parameters to the L2 values by accessing UG. The results of several tasks (including interpretation tasks and judgment tasks) confirm this hypothesis; while Korean speakers generally performed well irrespective of proficiency levels, English-speaking intermediate learners transferred their L1 values, failing to accept grammatical Japanese sentences that are not possible in English. English-speaking advanced learners, on the other hand, performed better than intermediate learners, and exhibited evidence that they had acquired the two properties of Japanese, supporting FTFA.

The general area of developing, applying and studying new and parallel models of computation is motivated by a need to overcome the limits of current Von Neumann based architectures. A key area of research in understanding how new technology can be applied to Al problem solving is through using logic languages. Logic programming languages provide a procedural interpretation for sentences of first order logic, mainly using a class of sentence called Horn clauses. Horn clauses are open to a wide variety of parallel evaluation models, giving possible speed-ups and alternative parallel models of execution. The research in this thesis is concerned with investigating one class of parallel logic language known as Committed Choice Non-Deterministic languages. The investigation considers the inherent parallel behaviour of Al programs implemented in the CCND languages and the effect of various alternatives open to language implementors and designers. This is achieved by considering how various Al programming techniques map to alternative language designs and the behaviour of these Al programs on alternative implementations of these languages. The aim of this work is to investigate how Al programming techniques are affected (qualitatively and quantitatively) by particular language features. The qualitative evaluation is a consideration of how Al programs can be mapped to the various CCND languages. The applications considered are general search algorithms (which focuses on the committed choice nature of the languages); chart parsing (which focuses on the differences between safe and unsafe languages); and meta-level inference (which focuses on the difference between deep and flat languages). The quantitative evaluation considers the inherent parallel behaviour of the resulting programs and the effect of possible implementation alternatives on this inherent behaviour. To carry out this quantitative evaluation we have implemented a system which improves on the current interpreter based evaluation systems. The new system has an improved model of execution and allows several

Thesis (M. Environmental Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Thesis (M. Environmental Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Gegenstand dieser Arbeit sind sog. nicht-kanonische bzw. unintegrierte Nebensätze. Diese Nebensätze zeichnen sich dadurch aus, dass sie sich mittels gängiger Kriterien (Satzgliedstatus, Verbletztstellung) nicht klar als koordiniert oder subordiniert beschreiben lassen. Das Phänomen nicht-kanonischer Nebensätze ist ein Thema, welches in der Sprachwissenschaft generell seit den späten Siebzigern (Davison 1979) diskutiert wird und spätestens mit Fabricius-Hansen (1992) auch innerhalb der germanistischen Linguistik angekommen ist. Ein viel beachteter Komplex ist hierbei – neben der reinen Identifizierung nicht-kanonischer Satzgefüge – meist auch die Erstellung einer Klassifikation zur Erfassung zumindest einiger nicht-kanonischer Gefüge, wie dies etwa bei Fabricius-Hansen (1992) und Reis (1997) zu sehen ist. Das Ziel dieser Studie ist es, eine exhaustive Klassifikation der angesprochenen Nebensatztypen vorzunehmen. Dazu werden zunächst – unter Zuhilfenahme von Korpusdaten – alle potentiellen Subordinationsmerkmale genauer untersucht, da die meisten bisherigen Studien zu diesem Thema die stets gleichen Merkmale als gegeben voraussetzen. Dabei wird sich herausstellen, dass nur eine kleine Anzahl von Merkmalen sich wirklich zweifelsfrei dazu eignet, Aufschluss über die Satzverknüpfungsqualität zu geben. Die anschließend aufgestellte Taxonomie deutscher Nebensätze wird schließlich einzig mit der Postulierung einer nicht-kanonischen Nebensatzklasse auskommen. Sie ist darüber hinaus auch in der Lage, die zahlreich vorkommenden Ausnahmefälle zu erfassen. Dies heißt konkret, dass auch etwaige Nebensätze, die sich aufgrund bestimmter Eigenschaften teilweise idiosynkratisch verhalten, einfach in die vorgeschlagene Klassifikation übernommen werden können. In diesem Zuge werde ich weiterhin zeigen, wie eine Nebensatzklassifikation auch sog. sekundären Subordinationsmerkmalen gerecht werden kann, obwohl diese sich hinsichtlich der einzelnen Nebensatzklassen nicht einheitlich verhalten. Schließlich werde ich eine theoretische Modellierung der zuvor postulierten Taxonomie vornehmen, die auf Basis der HPSG mittels Merkmalsvererbung alle möglichen Nebensatztypen zu erfassen imstande ist. / This study focuses on so-called non-canonical or unintegrated clauses in German. These clauses cannot easily be categorized as either subordinate or coordinate by using classical criteria like the syntactic function or the position of the finite verb. In linguistics in general, this phenomenon has been discussed since the seventies (Davison 1979) and Fabricius-Hansen (1992) brought this topic to German linguistics. Apart from the mere identification of non-canonical clause types, previous studies mostly deal with classification approaches in order to be able to subsume at least some non-canonical clause types under the same category, see Fabricius-Hansen (1992) or Reis (1997). This study aims at providing an exhaustive classification of non-canonical clause types. In order to do so, I will first look at all potential diagnostics that could be used to distinguish between different clause linkage patterns. This needs to be addressed because most previous studies simply assume a certain set of diagnostics to be relevant and valid. Eventually, it will turn out that only a very limited number of criteria can serve as clear diagnostics with regard to a certain clause linkage status. After that, I will present a taxonomy of German clauses that is able to cover all non-canonical clauses only with postulating one additional subcategory. Furthermore, this classification is also able to cover the numerous cases of non-canonical clauses that show idiosyncratic behavior. Besides, I will further show how such a classification can address so-called secondary diagnostics. Finally, the previously established taxonomy will be embedded in a generative framework. By using HPSG and its default inheritance principle, it is possible to capture all non-canonical clause types within one simple classification.

This dissertation investigates the structure of Internally Headed Relative Clauses (henceforth, IHRCs) within the framework of Government and Binding Theory. I propose that the structure of IHRCs involves a modifying clause predicted of a head. We provide empirical as well as conceptual arguments showing that the head of an IHRC is a pro licensed by coindexation with the internal head. Following Safir's (1986) LCR, this licensing must be mediated by A$ sp prime$-Binding, which is effected by operator-movement to COMP within the modifying clause. Island Constraints provide evidence for operator-movement in IHRCs. IHRCs pattern with other Wh-constructions in this way. Correlatively, if there are no Island effects in IHRCs, there are no Island effects with other Wh-constructions (cf. Lakhota, Mojave). In this case an Unselective Binding relation is established in the language. Other properties such as the Definiteness Effect and the occurence of Switch-reference markers in IHRCs in Choctaw are also shown to follow from independent parameters. / The consequences of our analysis for Baker's (to appear) theory of Configurationality are explored. We propose to expand Baker's theory to allow "discontinuous" constituents of the type (Wh$ sb1$ ... OP$ sb1$) to account for Island effects in IHRCs of pronominal languages like Mohawk and Navajo. / No special rules for the interpretation of IHRCs are required. The LF-Raising rule proposed in Williamson (1987), which raises the internal head at LF to the COMP of the IHRC is shown to derive from the LCR as it is required to create an operator-variable (A$ sp prime$-Binding) relation. We provide further independent evidence for this rule in Chapter 2.

Photocopy of typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1978. / Bibliography: leaves 186-188. / Microfiche. / xii, 188 leaves ill. 28 cm

Originally presented as the author's dissertation--Universität Hannover, Wintersemester 2004/2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. [376]-409) and index.

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