published_or_final_version / abstract / Linguistics / Master / Master of Philosophy

Argument marking prepositions in German are part of more complex structures referred to here as verb-preposition combinations (verb-PPs), e.g. warten auf ('to wait for') and pochen auf ('to insist on'). The preposition auf ('on') attaches to a wide range of verbs to form such combinations in which auf encodes different semantic relations that elude concrete description. Nevertheless, previous research in valency theory and related approaches could identify patterns in the distribution of verb-PP[subscript 'auf'] combinations (Eroms 1981, 1991, Lerot 1982, Bouillon 1984, Domínguez Vázquez 2005), based on perceived similarities in the meaning of the governing verbs. Cognitive linguistics provides insights into seemingly opaque senses of prepositions by analyzing them as motivated by metaphorical meaning extension (Brugman 1988, Lakoff 1987, Meex 2001, Liamkina 2007). Finally, generative approaches scrutinize the semantic relationships between verbs and their PP-arguments and systematize them under the concept of semantic roles (Fillmore 1968, Rauh 1993). However, none of these approaches can fully account for the distribution of verb-PPauf combinations in German. This dissertation proposes a novel approach towards identifying and analyzing the distributional patterns of verb-PP[subscript 'auf'] combinations by applying insights from Frame Semantics (Fillmore 1982, 1985) and Construction Grammar (Goldberg 1995, 2006). Goldberg's theory of argument structure constructions already served as a model for analyzing auf as a partially schematic argument structure construction encoding the meaning 'future orientation/future event' (Rostila 2007). Based on a large amount of corpus data, I show that such generalizing accounts are better arrived at by employing a usage-based bottom-up approach to verb-PP[subscript 'auf'] combinations. I argue that the detailed semantic and syntactic information provided by the lexical database FrameNet for each lexical unit can be used to identify distributional patterns and to describe them in detail. Furthermore, I argue that integrating the verb-PP[subscript 'auf'] combinations and the frames they evoke into a hierarchical lexical-constructional network allows us to discover substantiated generalizations about these combinations while at the same time preserving the description of their idiosyncratic features. / text

The aim of this thesis is to analyze how post-nominal of-phrases are translated from English to Swedish in a non-fiction text about the musician Dave Grohl and his band Foo Fighters. The analysis is both quantitative and qualitative. The of-phrases are categorized according to Keizer’s (2007) categories, and the results show that most of-phrases are translated to prepositional phrases, although it differs which prepositions are used, depending on the type of ofphrase. For of-phrases of the possession-type, i is the most common preposition, and for compound-like of-phrases, av is the most common preposition. Of-phrases of possession-type are also frequently translated into genitive constructions, especially if the possessor is animate or syntactically light. Other structural changes also occur in the translation, although no pattern was found for this strategy in the analysis.

Diploma thesis is concentrated on the phenomenon called coocurance of primary prepositions. It is a construction of two prepositions directly standing next to each other, where each of them is part of another prepositional phrase. The first preposition is not directly in front of its phrases, but there is the second prepositional phrase inserted between the first preposition and its phrases. The aim of the thesis was to find these structures in the corpus SYN2009PUB, and their description of the semantic and formal aspects. Inserted phrase is in most cases syntactically incorporated into sentence, where takes the adverbial or object distinction. Comparison in length (in number of words) of inserted phrase with the phrases, which can be inserted, showed that during insertion depends on the length of the transferred phrases. The paper outlines other factors affecting coocurence, e. g. pronounceability.

in English This thesis focuses on the spatial and temporal prepositional phrases (PP) and their positioning in French and Dutch. Both languages have different sentence structures, and it was therefore presumed that the positions of the PPs would vary in both languages. The purpose of this thesis was to do an analysis in this field, to describe the possible positions of spatial and temporal PPs and to compare them. The research was done within the functionalist theory of André Martinet. This theory is based on the fact that the main objective of language is communication and that people use various strategies to interpret messages on different levels. It also must be taken into account that various principles influence word order. Sentence structure, strategies and principles are factors that create a complex word order system must be considered when forming each sentence. On this basis, the purpose of this thesis is to describe these factors and demonstrate their usage through analysis of concrete, practical examples.

This doctoral dissertation is concerned with the dynamic processes that are at play in the development of the system of prepositions in contemporary Czech. In the first part, I review different treatments of prepositions as a word class in the Czech linguistic tradition. I use available descriptive accounts to discuss the features of two main subtypes of this category, i.e. primary and secondary prepositions, focusing in particular on the process of 'prepositionalization' of secondary prepositions, i.e. the grammaticalization path that leads to their emergence. The primary focus of the first part of the dissertation is the role of meaning and the semantic features of prepositions as function words, as well as the meaning which prepositions contribute to more complex linguistic items, i.e. the interrelation of prepositions and case marking and valency patterns derived from verbs. I also draw attention to prefixed words which are, in the majority of cases, derived from primary prepositions. I approach meaning mainly from the perspective of cognitive linguistics, employing also the view of construction grammar which treats prepositions both as constructions in their own right and as parts of higher order constructions. Chapter three is concerned with the processes of language change with regards to...

The aim of this thesis is to compare the use of postmodifiers in an English source text and its Czech translation. 200 English postmodifiers are contrasted against their 200 Czech translation equivalents. These samples were excerpted from randomly chosen parts of four bilingual books written by British and American authors and translated by native speakers of Czech. 50 English samples and their translations were excerpted from each book. The 400 occurrences of postmodifiers and their equivalents are analyzed from a syntactico-semantic point of view, the aim being to determine the constancy of the syntactic functions of English postmodifiers in translation, as well as the constancy of their realization forms. The theoretical background part will present and compare postmodification and its realization forms in English and in Czech. The actual analysis of all 400 samples will examine both the frequency of individual postmodifier types in English, and the convergent and divergent realization forms of these in the Czech translation. Special heed will be paid to divergences arisen through different language facts, such as English non-finite verb forms or Czech case endings that enable nominal postmodification without a preposition. An attempt will be made to classify the non-postmodifying translation...

Bien que les travaux existants aient montré que les noms sans déterminant étaient particulièrement fréquents dans les syntagmes prépositionnels, les mécanismes régissant leur emploi dans les SP demeurent assez mal connus. Cette thèse présente les résultats d’une étude de corpus synchronique portant sur certains SP spatio-temporels sans déterminant de l’anglais et du français. Nous montrons que ces SP sont extrêmement hétérogènes sur le plan syntaxique, lexical, sémantique et pragmatique ; ils s’inscrivent sur un gradient allant d’expressions pleinement figées et opaques à des séquences transparentes, modifiables et productives. Nos données n’étayent pas l’hypothèse d’un phénomène unifié et strictement grammatical. Cependant, ces SP ne peuvent être simplement considérés comme une collection d’anomalies sans rapport les unes avec les autres ; certains d’entre eux appartiennent à des groupements productifs dans lesquels la syntaxe marquée va de pair avec un sens marqué. Les différences entre les SP anglais et français peuvent tenir soit à la productivité des groupements, soit à leurs caractéristiques sémantiques et/ou pragmatiques, qui reflètent la place et la saillance des noms sans déterminant dans les deux langues. Ce travail montre que l’application de l’analyse constructionnelle à ces SP éclaire leur intégration dans le système linguistique tout en permettant une typologie fine ; il suggère que des interactions plus importantes entre phraséologie et grammaire des constructions seraient particulièrement intéressantes pour l’étude des « moules » phraséologiques et des expressions polylexicales syntaxiquement marquées. / Although previous research has shown that bare nouns are particularly frequent in prepositional phrases, the mechanisms underlying their use in PPs remain a relatively understudied topic. This thesis presents the results of a synchronic, corpus-based analysis of several groups of English and French spatio-temporal PPs. The case studies show that determinerless PPs are syntactically, lexically, semantically and pragmatically highly heterogeneous, ranging from fully fixed, opaque expressions to transparent, modifiable and productive sequences. The corpus data does not support the hypothesis of a unified, strictly grammatical phenomenon. However, these PPs cannot be explained away as a mere collection of unrelated anomalies; some of them cluster into productive sub-groupings in which marked syntax correlates with marked meaning. The differences between the French and English PPs can pertain either to the productivity of the groupings, or to their semantic and/or pragmatic properties. In the latter case, the contrasts reflect the place and salience of bare noun constructions in each language. The application of constructional analysis to the PPs is shown to be an illuminating way of accounting for their integration into the linguistic system whilst allowing for a fine-grained typology. This thesis argues that a greater interaction between phraseology and construction grammar would be of particular interest for the study of phraseological “patterns” and syntactically marked multi-word constructs.

Text in Afrikaans / Tradisioneel is aanvaar dat die indirekte voorwerp nie in Afrikaanse stelsinne kan optree sander die voorkoms van 'n direkte voorwerp in dieselfde sin nie. Hierdie ondersoek het aan die lig gebring dat sekere voorwerpe wat voorheen as "direkte voorwerpe" geklassifiseer is, eerder die eienskappe van indirekte Hulle word dus nou geklassifiseer as en die parameters van die indirekte ooreenkomstig uitgebrei. Aangesien daar geen formele merkers vir die uitkenning en onderskeiding van direkte en indirecte voorwerpe bestaan nie, is parameters vir die doel vasgestel. Skoon indireckte voorwerpe (op enkele uisonderings na) verskyn altyd direk na die SPIL-posisie in 'n stelsin toon 'n groot affiniteit vir voorsetsels (versa vir, aan), en kan in die koers van adjunk afgegradeer word, deur me 'n voorsetsel te verbind, en kan sodoende ook na' 'n adjunk verskyn. Direkte voorwerpe kan daarenteen nie met voorset-: sels verbind nie en kan buitendien na enige adjunk verskyn. / Language Education, Arts and Culture / M.A. (Afrikaans)

Text in Afrikaans / Tradisioneel is aanvaar dat die indirekte voorwerp nie in Afrikaanse stelsinne kan optree sander die voorkoms van 'n direkte voorwerp in dieselfde sin nie. Hierdie ondersoek het aan die lig gebring dat sekere voorwerpe wat voorheen as "direkte voorwerpe" geklassifiseer is, eerder die eienskappe van indirekte Hulle word dus nou geklassifiseer as en die parameters van die indirekte ooreenkomstig uitgebrei. Aangesien daar geen formele merkers vir die uitkenning en onderskeiding van direkte en indirecte voorwerpe bestaan nie, is parameters vir die doel vasgestel. Skoon indireckte voorwerpe (op enkele uisonderings na) verskyn altyd direk na die SPIL-posisie in 'n stelsin toon 'n groot affiniteit vir voorsetsels (versa vir, aan), en kan in die koers van adjunk afgegradeer word, deur me 'n voorsetsel te verbind, en kan sodoende ook na' 'n adjunk verskyn. Direkte voorwerpe kan daarenteen nie met voorset-: sels verbind nie en kan buitendien na enige adjunk verskyn. / Language Education, Arts and Culture / M.A. (Afrikaans)