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<p>This dissertation sheds light on the semantic domain of causation in Arabic. The aim is to examine two Arabic causative verb forms, Form I and Form II, and their associations with (in)directness of causation. The central working hypothesis throughout this work is the verb-semantics hypothesis by Shibatani and Pardeshi (2002), which posits that autonomy of the causee, degree of directed causation, requirement for an external causer, and merger of two subevents into one conceptual event are factors that predict the morpho-syntactic complexity of a causative construction. Following the lead of Ambridge et al. (2020) on their operationalization of the verb-semantics hypothesis by Shibatani and Pardeshi (2002), two experiments were conducted. In both experiments, 60 animations for 60 verbs were used to depict various causative scenarios. The first experiment explored how Arabic speakers mentally perceived 60 events that depicted various degrees of causativity. This was achieved through collecting ratings from 20 Arabic speakers on four semantic variables: autonomy of the causee, degree of directed causation, degree of event-merge, and the requirement for an external causer. The second experiment obtained judgments of the relative acceptability of the less- and more-transparent causative forms of the same 60 verbs from 24 native-speaking Arabic adults. </p> <p>Three analyses were conducted on the results to better understand how causatives manifest in language use cross-linguistically, with a dedicated focus on the Arabic language.The first analysis addressed whether the four semantic variables of the verb-semantics hypothesis of Shibatani and Pardeshi (2002) account for the restrictions on the use of Arabic verb Form I and Form II. It was found that the variables autonomy of the causee, degree of directed causation, and the requirement for an external causer each showed strong positive correlations with Form I. The variable degree of event-merge showed a weak positive correlation with Form I. No correlations were noticed between any of the four variables and Form II. The second analysis addressed whether Arabic speakers perceive events in a similar way to speakers of other languages. Because this study followed the methodology Ambridge et al. (2020) used to examine causatives in English, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese and Kʼicheʼs, the results could be directly compared. It was discovered that yes, Arabic speakers conceptualize the events tested similarly to speakers of the five other comparison languages. Twenty-three verbs (>38.3%) were rated the same by all speakers (120 speakers, 20 from each language) on all four semantic variables. From the remaining thirty-seven verbs, twenty-three verbs received the same ratings in three of the semantic variables, but not in event-merge. The remaining fourteen verbs were associated with numerous disagreements among the participants. The third and final analysis addressed the claim that all human languages use morphosyntax to mark the difference between direct versus indirect causative events by testing whether this holds true for Arabic. Across-linguistic computational model developed by Aryawibawa et al. (2021) was used to answer this question on the reasoning that if the principle is truly cross-linguistic, then the universal model should be able to utilize speaker semantic judgements to make accurate predictions about the grammatical acceptability of the different morphosyntactic forms. The model accurately predicted Arabic speaker judgments by a moderate correlation of 0.05, suggesting that Arabic conceptualizes directness of causation in a similar way to other languages, which supports the view that the underlying semantic distinction of more versus less direct causation maps onto and manifests as a morphosyntactic distinction. </p>

<p>Motion events have been argued to be decomposable into a subeventive structure. The aim of this dissertation is to provide a formal syntactic analysis of motion predicates in Limonese Creole, an endangered Creole language spoken in Costa Rica. Motion predicates denote a motion event in which a figure traverses a given space, with or without an endpoint (TELIC/ATELIC). On the structure of these events, Ramchand (2008, p. 39) among others, suggests that even if the event is analyzed as a single one, its syntax can contain three important subeventive components: a causing subevent, a process denoting subevent and a subevent corresponding to result state (yielding the TELIC interpretation). Contrastive analyses (especially Osei-Tutu, 2019; and Taherkhani, 2019), however, have found that a division between a TELIC and a RESULTATIVE subevent is possible as well. For encoding those different subcomponents of complex motion predicates, serial verb constructions (SVCs) have been attested in different languages, including other Pidgins and Creoles e.g., Ghanaian Student Pidgin, Jamaican Creole. However, those findings contrast with the presence of certain linking elements in Limonese Creole, conceptually related to elements like the “linker” (in terms of den Dikken, 2006). It is precisely this difference what motivates this study, since the presence of the linker an in Limonese Creole does not affect the monoeventivity of the macro-eventive structure of the motion predicate as defined by Bohnemeyer et al. (2007, p. 502). This dissertation proposes that subevents are assembled within the motion event in a layered complement structure (Larson 1991; Benedicto et al., 2020), and that the linker an does not involve coordination, rather it marks the structural border between subeventive components. </p> <p><br></p> <p>CHAPTER 1 introduces the main objective of this project: to provide a formal syntactic analysis of motion predicates in Limonese Creole. Then it refers to relevant issues on motion predicates, namely, a contrast between the approaches that have been used to study motion predicates. Additionally, the gap that the study fills and its contribution to the field are discussed. The study also serves the purpose of visibilizing Limonese Creole as a language and empowering its speakers. Finally, the main sociohistorical features of Limonese Creole are analyzed. </p> <p><br></p> <p>CHAPTER 2 outlines the hypothesized structure for motion predicates in Limonese Creole with all its subcomponents. I provide supporting evidence for the hypothesis by proving the monoeventivity of the complex predicate, the complement relation among subcomponents, and the structural connection between subevents with the LINKER that serves as boundary between subcomponents of motion predicates.</p> <p><br></p> <p>CHAPTER 3 describes the methodological procedures that were implemented for this study. Participants, data collection, and data analysis are described for each of the two stages from which the findings of this dissertation stem. The first stage consisted of a controlled data collection with an instrument of 175 clips with figures in motion with the participation of four speakers. This stage elicited contrasts between parameters of motion predicates. Complementarily, a second stage of  qualitative data collection was conducted to look for clarification, evaluation, and validation of items previously elicited or designed during the first stage. </p> <p><br></p> <p>CHAPTER 4 deals with the vectorization of the trajectory, which corresponds to the PROCESS subevent. I discuss how the vectorization is represented, what elements are present within the vectorization and what elements are prioritized or discarded. Based on this information, I identified the structural conditions behind the combinations in which the subcomponents of MANNER (verbs) and PATH (verbs, particles, and prepositional phrases) are expressed within this PROCESS subcomponent, namely the operations triggered by the [_u +V] feature in v. </p> <p><br></p> <p>CHAPTER 5 discusses the structure of the TELIC and RESULTATIVE subcomponents within the motion predicate in Limonese Creole. Even though this dissertation claims that TELIC and RESULTATIVE are two separate subcomponents, this chapter comprises the two of them as they are intricately related. First, I define TELICITY as a compositionally determined subcomponent which brings an event to its endpoint, then I introduce the hypothesis for the TELIC subcomponent, a semi-grammaticalized VP which I name EndP. The chapter discusses the conditions for TELICITY, more specifically, an interpretation that is returned by the functional projection AspQ after being assigned range by EndP. Additionally, I analyze the role of the outer aspect in the TELIC interpretation of motion predicates. Lastly, I examine the structure of the RESULTATIVE subcomponent by defining it and contrasting it with the TELIC subcomponent. There, I present the hypothesized structure for the subcomponent and examine the positions of the RESULTATIVE projection. </p> <p><br></p> <p>CHAPTER 6 discusses the conclusions, contributions, and areas for future research of this project.</p> <p><br></p>

<p>Modal notions have been an intriguing topic in terms of capturing their crosslinguistic behaviors which have been analyzed as quantifiers (Hacquard, 2006; Kratzer, 1977), free choice items (Rullmann et al., 2008), or degrees (Lassiter, 2017). These typological patterns become more interesting when the simultaneous nature of sign languages has been added to the typology. By adding another dimension to the crosslinguistic patterns, sign languages have been reported to have different realizations for modals. Some of them have nonmanual markers alone for epistemic modals (Bross, 2018; Herrmann, 2013) while some have both manual signs and nonmanual markers (Karabüklü et al., 2018; Shaffer, 2004).</p> <p><br></p> <p>Bringing new data for the modal typology in spoken and sign languages, this dissertation analyzes the functions of modal signs and cooccurring nonmanual markers in Turkish Sign Language (TID). Even though manual signs and nonmanual markers appear together in modal sentences, nonmanual markers are shown to be neither lexical nor structural parts of modal signs. Manual signs are analyzed for their modal force and flavor with experimental studies. Results have shown that TID shows two typological patterns in its modal system: modals with specified modal force and flavor, and modals with specified force and unspecified flavor.  </p> <p><br></p> <p>One of manual signs, lazim ‘necessary’, along with epistemic signs were further investigated for their evidential requirement in epistemic contexts. Results showed that lazim requires a strong inference to be felicitous in epistemic contexts. Different than other languages, LAZIM in TID requires not only the right kind of context, but also the right morphological combination. It is interpreted as a deontic sign when it appears after verb by itself. In order to be interpreted as epistemic, it needs to appear after another sign ol which encodes the change of state.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Effects of nonmanual markers are investigated on perception of the signer’s certainty with an experimental study. Signer certainty is rated lower when the squint accompanies the sentence. In contrast, it is rated higher when head nod accompanies the sentence. The effect of increased perception of certainty with head nod is argued to result from the focus on the verb or the modal, yielding verum focus. Squint is analyzed as the uncertainty marker which can be anchored to the signer, the subject, or the addressee based on the structure in which it appears. Systematic analysis of nonmanual markers brings a new piece of evidence to the long-lasting discussion on where nonmanual markers function in sign languages’ grammars.</p>

Fostering innovation, managing the innovation process, and promoting entrepreneurial activities have long been identified as critical elements of successful economic and social systems. By their very nature, both innovation and entrepreneurship relate to the creation of novelty and the introduction of change, i.e., dynamics. This means that despite the considerable progress that has been made in our understanding of both the theoretical characteristics as well as practical applications of innovation and entrepreneurship, many aspects of these analyses require constant updating. Further, the evidence increasingly suggests that many relevant aspects are not only context specific but also undergoing significant structural change. These include the micro and macro stimuli of innovation and entrepreneurship processes, the factors that contribute to start-up and innovative firm performance, as well as the broader effects of innovation and entrepreneurship on economies and societies. This dissertation explores how innovation and entrepreneurial processes and outcomes vary across linguistic, geographic, regulatory and technological contexts. The empirical evidence regarding all of these aspects remains mixed and ambiguous, indicating a need for more nuanced conceptualizing. The relevance of contextual idiosyncrasies to innovation and entrepreneurial processes of these aspects remains understudied, presenting an opportunity to extend theory and make a valuable contribution. In the first chapter of this dissertation, I introduce the groundwork for the dissertation, and review the conceptual foundations of each of the three dissertation studies. I also summarize the findings and insights, braiding them together to show how my findings reinforce each other, forming an organic whole. Each subsequent chapter addresses different aspects of innovation and entrepreneurial processes mentioned above. In the second chapter, I evaluate how linguistic variability relates to cross-national innovation processes and outcomes. In the third chapter, I assess how different forms of connectivity across geographic space among innovators contribute to the development of regional innovation systems across Italy’s core and peripheral areas. In the fourth and final chapter, I evaluate the relevance of regulation and technological change to the entrepreneurial process in a specific context within the financial services industry. / Business Administration/Strategic Management

<div>Comparisons provide an important tool for exploring the syntax and semantics of gradable properties. American Sign Language (ASL) appears to have several such constructions, but they have yet to receive much linguistic analysis. This study establishes basic empirical facts concerning clausal boundaries, constituency structure, compatibility with various indicators for the presence of degrees, and composition of the standard of comparison for the MORE- and BEAT-construction in ASL. Such facts are needed for any formal syntactic or semantic treatment of the constructions. Motivated by typological observations, this study proposes that a reasonable set of initial hypotheses is that the ASL MORE-construction is a comparison of degrees and that the BEAT-construction is a comparison of individuals (as both terms are defined in Kennedy 2007). Results from the tests conducted in this study are largely consistent with those analyses, but also show where there is room for further refinement. Results additionally demonstrate that both more and beat qualify as explicit rather than implicit comparatives, confirming previous work in Wilbur et al. (2018) concerning the latter. An incidental finding of this study involves the distributional patterns for</div><div>two modifiers frequently used with gradable properties, intensive aspect and Y-OO, indicating both have a semantics distinct from that of the English very even though</div><div>frequently translated between English and ASL with that modifier. Finally, this study contributes to the discussion of comparison constructions cross-linguistically by illustrating</div><div>the need to conduct cross-linguistic work that looks beyond what is considered the default comparison of the languages under investigation.</div>

<p dir="ltr">Bilingualism and language acquisition research continually struggle with discerning the disparities and resemblances between heritage speakers and second language learners. Both groups draw considerable attention due to their unique language acquisition trajectories. This study investigates potential differences or similarities between heritage speakers and L2 learners of Spanish in their acquisition of syntax-semantics interface areas, focusing on the present perfect.</p><p dir="ltr">The present perfect denotes a past event relevant to the present, primarily establishing a connection between a current state and a preceding situation. However, it is imperative to note that the present perfect, often confused with the perfect aspect, encompasses more than this singular function. It represents merely one aspect within the perfect aspect, encompassing various other uses and functions beyond merely expressing present relevance to past events.</p><p dir="ltr">Despite extensive scholarly interest in studying heritage speakers (HS), including examinations of their distinctive morpho-syntax and aspectual challenges, limited literature exists regarding their utilization of the present perfect, frequently assumed to mirror its English counterpart. The intricate nuances in grammatical aspect when employing the present perfect remain largely unexplored.</p><p dir="ltr">This study aims to investigate the production and intuition of the aspectual values of the present perfect tense by Spanish heritage speakers and Spanish L2 learners, assessing potential divergences between the two groups given their differing levels of language exposure. To achieve this, an elicited production task and an acceptability judgment task will be employed to triangulate the participants' usage and comprehension of the target structure in various contexts.</p><p><br></p>

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T18:22:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Neuza Bilia Sansanovicz.pdf: 3992376 bytes, checksum: 0ea190dde944c1b55ef9d26693f8d6ed (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-10-22 / This action-research proposes to take action in the teaching and learning process in order to understand how the work with discoursive and linguistic aspects in English classes, based on genre approach, contributes to foreign language teaching. In order to do so, activities providing data were developed through four classes in an English institute. The theoretical basis for data analysis had, as reference, the aspects of learning theories behaviourism, cognitivism and social interacionism, according to the concepts of B. F. Skinner (2006), Piaget ( 1996), and Vygotsky (2007) that ground the main methodologies and approaches in the teaching/ learning of a foreign language audiolingualism, communicative approach, genres and post-methods era, according to Williams e Burden (1997), Larsen-Freeman (2000), Bakhtin (1992), Bronckart (2007),Schneuwly e Dolz (2004).Richards e Rodgers (2001), Kumaravadivelu (2006). From these questions, What does it talk about? and How does teaching/learning take place? , excerpts from transcriptions of classes were analyzed. For the study, some interaction analysis categories, suggested by Orsolini (2005), were used. Orsolini (2005). With the obtained results of the accomplished activities, we arrived at the conclusion that no matter the text to be written, it is necessary that students learn the discoursive and linguistic structures in order to develop a cohesive and coherent text / Esta pesquisa-ação propôs intervir no processo de ensino-aprendizagem para compreender como o trabalho com aspectos linguístico-discursivos em aulas de inglês baseadas em gêneros contribui para o ensino de língua estrangeira. Para isso, foram desenvolvidas atividades que proporcionaram dados produzidos no decorrer de 4 aulas em uma escola de idiomas. A base teórica para análise dos dados teve como referência aspectos das teorias de aprendizagem behaviorismo, cognitivismo e socioconstrutivismo, de acordo com as concepções de B. F. Skinner (2006), Piaget (1996), Vygotsky (2007) que embasam as principais metodologias e abordagens no ensino-aprendizagem de língua estrangeira audiolingualismo, abordagem comunicativa, gêneros textuais e era pós-método, segundo Williams e Burden (1997), Larsen-Freeman (2000), Bakhtin (1992), Bronckart (2007), Schneuwly e Dolz (2010), Richards e Rodgers (2001), Kumaravadivelu (2006). A partir das perguntas Sobre o que se fala? e Como se dá o ensino-aprendizagem? , foi feita a análise dos dados apresentados em excertos das transcrições das aulas. Para a análise, foram utilizadas as categorias da análise da interação sugeridas por Orsolini (2005). Pelos resultados obtidos com as atividades realizadas, concluiu-se que qualquer que seja o texto a ser produzido, é necessário que os alunos apreendam, também, as estruturas linguístico-discursivas para desenvolver um texto coeso e coerente