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published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Linguistics / Master / Master of Philosophy

When translating from English into Swedish long sentences may be a problem. In this paper an academic text with long sentences and an abstract content is translated and adapted for a larger target reader group. The strategies used in this process of translation and adaptation to make the text more readable are analysed regarding changes in sentence structure, noun phrases and connectors. The terminology of Vinay and Darbelnet’s theoretical model for translation strategies is used to describe some of the changes found. Transposition, such as changes from nouns to verbs and modulation, such as changing from abstract to concrete are frequently used strategies in the process of making the translation adapted for new readers. Furthermore, long sentences have been broken into two or more shorter ones and in this process the importance of connectors has increased to keep the information together. To see the effects of the changes LIX and the ratio between number of nouns and verbs have been used. The LIX value decreased from 64 till 56 for the whole text and the noun verb ratio decreased in all the sentences analysed.

This dissertation studies leftward dislocation of object Noun Phrases in Mandarin Chinese within the framework of Government and Binding theory. Although the canonical word order in Chinese is S(ubject)-V(erb)-O(bject), it also exhibits OSV and SOV word orders. After an introduction in Ch. 1, I discuss OSV constructions in Ch.2. I argue that the S-initial object NP is moved there, since its association with a gap in the canonical object position obeys the subjacency condition. Based on several diagnostic tests, I propose that Chinese has two kinds of short-distance NP fronting: one is A’-movement and the other is A-movement. Adopting the Split Infl Hypothesis, I postulate a fully articulated clause structure for Chinese. In particular, I propose that the fronted NP in A-movement lands in [Spec AgrOP] as a kind of overt raising, while the one in A’-movement further leaves that spec position and is CP-adjoined. I also examine long-distance NP fronting, showing that it is invariably A’-movement. In Ch. 3, I investigate object shift, which yields SOV constructions. I argue that this syntactic process represents a type of A-movement, not A’-movement as concluded in previous studies. Specifically, I propose that the subject NP and the object NP in this construction overtly raise to [Spec AgrSP] and [Spec AgrOP] respectively. In Ch.4, I examine the interactions between an object wh-NP and dou, the adverb of universal quantification. I propose that wh-phrases, like indefinites, can be either presuppositional or existential. If they are within VP (i.e. remain postverbal), they are subject to existential closure and get an existential/interrogative reading. If, however, they are outside VP (i.e. shifted to the left of dou), they define the range of the quantifier dou and obtain the presuppositional/universal reading. The conclusion is that there is a strict correlation between the S-structure positions of the wh-phrase and its interpretations. The exhaustive list reading of the in-situ wh-object associated with the interrogative reading is derived from the fact that it is in the scope of dou at S-structure. In Ch. 5, I summarize the major findings of this dissertation and raise several issues for future research.

The objective of the thesis is to synchronically analyze the morphological structure of noun suffixes: analyze phonemes distribution and demonstrate their joining possibilities and limits in noun suffixes. The structure of morphemes is the least analyzed part of morphology. Linguists have mostly analyzed morphologic alteration of phonemes (vowel alteration, metathesis, consonant alteration). More comprehensive analyses of the phonetic structure of the root of the word of modern Lithuanian have not been performed till today. Affixes have not been analyzed at all. This is the first attempt aiming to show the structural peculiarities of Lithuanian noun suffixes. The thesis sets the following tasks: a) To identify and define the noun suffixes phonemic component parts and their relations. b) To identify structural models and productivity of noun suffixes. c) To calculate statistic characteristics of phonemes used in noun suffixes. The noun suffix nr. 571 has been selected to serve as an empiric material from “Lithuanian Grammar” volume 1 (LKG, 1965, p.251-423) by Vincas Urbutis chapters on composition of the noun. The thesis follows the defined limits of suffixes in V. Urbutis grammar. International words have been completely disregarded. While analyzing the structure of noun suffix, the analyzed suffixes are divided into 3 groups for convenience and clarity: monosyllabic, polysyllabic and non-syllabic suffixes. Each group is analyzed separately. The following components are... [to full text]

Recent developments in linguistic theory carried out within the Minimalist Program (Chomsky 1995; Adger 2003;) provide a functional and concrete framework for an analysis of noun phrases in the Indonesian language, a Western-Malayo Polynesian sub-branch of the Austronesian language family. An analysis of Indonesian noun phrase structure within this framework demonstrates that the head noun occurs in a base-generated position, at the bottom of a DP, while pre- and post-nominal modifiers are contained within a number of additional projections that merge above the head noun. In this thesis, the proposal is made for a relatively unrestricted adjunction analysis, whereby head adjunction via Merge allows for the direct expansion of the head N at various levels of the Indonesian DP. Evidence is presented to show that the adjoined status of attributive nouns and adjectives, a plural feature [PL], and the feature [DEF] generates a complex hierarchical structure in which there is no predefined order between a specifier or complement and the head noun. In addition, it is argued that bare nouns are neutral with respect to number and, given that number-marking, possession and (in)definiteness are optional, all projections that merge above the head N are optional and context is needed to accurately interpret an Indonesian bare noun.

Recent developments in linguistic theory carried out within the Minimalist Program (Chomsky 1995; Adger 2003;) provide a functional and concrete framework for an analysis of noun phrases in the Indonesian language, a Western-Malayo Polynesian sub-branch of the Austronesian language family. An analysis of Indonesian noun phrase structure within this framework demonstrates that the head noun occurs in a base-generated position, at the bottom of a DP, while pre- and post-nominal modifiers are contained within a number of additional projections that merge above the head noun. In this thesis, the proposal is made for a relatively unrestricted adjunction analysis, whereby head adjunction via Merge allows for the direct expansion of the head N at various levels of the Indonesian DP. Evidence is presented to show that the adjoined status of attributive nouns and adjectives, a plural feature [PL], and the feature [DEF] generates a complex hierarchical structure in which there is no predefined order between a specifier or complement and the head noun. In addition, it is argued that bare nouns are neutral with respect to number and, given that number-marking, possession and (in)definiteness are optional, all projections that merge above the head N are optional and context is needed to accurately interpret an Indonesian bare noun.

<p>This essay deals with the issue of readability, the term <em>readability</em> referring to what it is that makes a reader perceive a text as difficult or easy. Some factors are related to the reader but there are also those which depend on the text as such, one such factor being style which is the one that will be focused on in this essay.</p><p>The investigation is based on the analysis and comparison of a complete version and an abridged version of Charlotte Brontë’s <em>Jane Eyre, </em>and the questions to be investigated are whether the author of the abridged version has succeeded in making it less complicated, and<em> </em>if he or she has done so by considering stylistic features said to be affecting readability.</p><p>Further, this essay is divided into four chapters. The first chapter contains the background for the analysis and is divided into 4 parts dealing with the following aspects: the definition of readability, early research on readability, later research on readability, and difficult and easy language. Chapter two describes the limitations made and the method used for the analysis which involves looking at the noun phrase, the verb phrase, and the clause. Chapter three gives a detailed description of the corpus investigated. Moving on to chapter four, this is where the results of the investigation are presented. This is done by dividing it into four different subchapters, each of them dealing with issues related to the different areas described in the method. Each of the subchapters then begins with the presentation of the results for each edition which is then followed by a comparative discussion. The essay ends with a conclusion part where conclusions regarding the four areas presented in the analysis are made along with the answering of research questions.</p>

Gumuz is a Nilo-Saharan dialect cluster spoken in the river valleys of northwestern Ethiopia and the southeastern part of the Republic of the Sudan. There are approximately 200,000 speakers, the majority of which reside in Ethiopia. This study is a phonological and grammatical analysis of two main dialects/languages: Northern Gumuz and Southern Gumuz. The study provides an overview of the Gumuz people and culture, including historical accounts of the language(s) and migration patterns. Most major aspects of the language are described and analyzed in detail: phonology, nouns, pronouns, demonstratives and other noun phrase constituents, verbs and verbal morphology, noun incorporation, verbal classifiers, noun categorization, basic clauses, and subordinate clauses. Northern and Southern Gumuz varieties are contrasted throughout. Gumuz tone has two levels, High and Low, with tonal downstep of High. The tonal melody on bound pronominals on verbs indicates transitivity. Nouns are divided into two basic types: relational and absolute. Relational nouns have an inherent relationship with another nominal element, either within a noun-noun compound or with a (historical) possessive affix. Two sets of relational nouns --attributive and relator nouns-- obligatorily take an inherent possession suffix if not in a compound. Gumuz has two noun-noun constructions: the Associative Construction and the Attributive Construction. The first is left-headed with `noun of noun' semantics. The second is right-headed with the initial noun expressing an inherent quality of the second. Certain body part terms have grammaticalized as a variety of other morphosyntactic categories, in particular as relator nouns, verbal classifiers, and class morphemes, the final two of which are noun categorization devices. Many of these same body part terms can be incorporated into the verb or form part of lexicalized verb-noun compounds. Deverbal nominalizations with /ma-/ are found throughout the language structures. These /ma-/ nominalizations serve as both subject and object complements. They are also commonly found in other subordinate clauses such as relative and adverbial clauses. Purpose clauses are formed with the dative preposition plus a /ma-/ nominalization. Finite purpose clauses take pronominal inflection and have further grammaticalized as future tense main clause verbs in Southern Gumuz.

Este trabalho, ao analisar a expressividade do substantivo em João Cabral de Melo Neto, objetiva contribuir para um ensino produtivo de língua materna ao conceber a gramática concretizada em textos. O substantivo, visto pela tradição gramatical dentro dos limites da morfologia e da sintaxe, passa a ser resgatado como elemento responsável e criador de uma cadeia referencial ao construir um determinado objeto de discurso conforme postulam os pressupostos da Linguística Textual. Sirvo-me disso para redimensionar a análise estilística a que me propus, observando a classe em questão, sobretudo, como fator estético responsável pela dicção nua e expressiva sobre a qual se debruçou o poeta. No labor de seu fazer poético, esteve avesso ao comum do gênero poesia: o apreço pela rima e pela musicalidade, a exploração de conotações abstratas, a imersão pelo interior, o ritmo métrico, a autoconfissão marcada pelo emprego da primeira pessoa do singular. Ao se distanciar de tal perspectiva, Cabral ganha notoriedade entre os modernistas atentos à liberdade de pensamento e expressão artística, bem como entre os poucos poetas brasileiros que conseguiram atingir singularidade ao produzir uma estética baseada no menos e na subtração das formas linguísticas, privilegiando um léxico mais concreto na fronteira com o abstrato, a opção pela macroestrutura descritiva na materialização da realidade exterior e a imersão pelo ritmo sintático sobreposto às sílabas métricas no rompimento entre as fronteiras da poesia e da prosa. Diante de tantos aspectos, detive-me na morfossintaxe do substantivo como recurso largamente aproveitado na tradução do pensamento obsessivo acerca dos canaviais pernambucanos e de bailadoras espanholas. Em O cão sem plumas (1950), privilegiei a figura do sujeito na condição de tópico informacional que coincide, no texto, com as funções formal, semântica e estilístico-discursiva. Em Uma faca só lâmina (1955), o substantivo é analisado sob a perspectiva das inversões, desmembrada na literatura linguística como hipérbato, anástrofe, sínquise e prolepse. Já em Quaderna (1959), última obra do corpus, selecionei oito poemas que tratam da mulher, algo incomum em Cabral, e dediquei-me ao estudo do substantivo como núcleo de sintagmas nominais ligados a sintagmas preposicionados no intuito de projetar, na inteireza, a caracterização do termo referente, contagiada pelas crenças e pelo olhar do poeta-enunciador / This dissertation, while analyzing the expressiveness of the noun in João Cabral de Melo Netos work, aims to contribute to a productive teaching of the mother tongue when it conceives grammar materialized in texts. The noun, as seen by traditional grammar within the limits of morphology and syntax is now perceived as a creative element of a referential net as it builds a determined discourse object, as postulated by the assumptions of Textual Linguistics. I assume this point of view to put the stylistic analysis into a new perspective. I aimed to develop, observing the word class in question, specially as an aesthetic factor responsible for the expressive naked diction which the poet look into. In his poetic labour, the poet was against the common poetic genre, the appreciation for the rhyme and musicality, the exploration of abstract connotations, the immersion in the individuals self , the metrics, the self-confession stressed by the usage of the first person singular. Getting far from this perspective, Cabral becomes notorious among the modernists that were attentive to the freedom of speech and of thought and to the artistic expression, as well as being one of the few to produce an aesthetics based on the less and on the subtraction of the linguistics forms, focusing on a more concrete lexicus in the border of the abstract, the option for the descriptive macro structure in the materialization of the exterior of reality and the immersion in the syntactic rhythm overlapping the metric syllables in the breakthrough of the frontiers between prose and poetry. All these things considered, I privileged the morphosyntax of the noun as a resource vastly appreciated when translating the obsessive thinking in regards to the sugar cane fields in Pernambuco and Spanish dancers. In A Dog Without Feathers (1950), I privileged the subject as an informative topic that coincides, in the text, with the formal, semantic and stylistic-discursive functions. In A Knife All Blade (1955), the noun is analyzed in the perspective of inversions, split in linguistics literature as hiperbaton, anastrophe, and procatalepsis, whereas in Quaderna (1959), the last work of the corpus, I selected nine poems that talk about women, something unusual in Cabrals work, and I focused on the study of the noun as a nuclei of noun phrases linked to prepositional phrases in order to project, in wholeness, the characterization of the referred term, infected by the beliefs and by the eye of the enunciator-poet