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Natural languages are systems of forms and meanings; language understanding and language production are processes of establishing mappings between linguistic forms and meanings. The principles and rules governing the mapping between semantic roles and syntactic positions have long been a fundamental topic in contemporary linguistics. Such a mapping is usually called argument realization, argument mapping or argument linking. On the basis of the previous language specific and cross linguistic researches on this issue, this thesis picks out two tasks. One is the empirical task of the investigating the principles and rules governing the mapping between semantic roles and linear syntactic positions in Mandarin Chinese. The other is the theoretical task of the exploration of how argument realization principles and rules play their roles in the live temporal linear comprehension and production of sentences. On the empirical side, this thesis mainly investigates the phenomenon of argument alternation, that is, the non-one-to-one mapping between semantic roles and syntactic forms (linear positions) in Mandarin and argues that alternative syntactic forms in which semantic roles are realized are not arbitrary but semantically motivated. More specifically, it proposes that alternative patterns of argument realization encode different types of events. This thesis concentrates on three major cases of argument alternation. The first is the argument alternation in the resultative verb construction (RVC) that involves two verbs and expresses a complex event consisting of a first (activity) subevent and a second (resultative) subevent. The arguments of the two verbs are mapped onto the subject and the object alternatively and the argument sharing between the verbs results from syntactically constrained pragmatic inference. The argument realization principles and rules of RVC are used to account for two puzzling cases of argument alternation in Mandarin, i.e. the locative alternation and the agentive alternation. This account of inverse argument realizations has the implication that argument alternations are semantically motivated rather than the result of arbitrary syntactic operation. To facilitate the discussion of how different semantic representations arise in different process of comprehension, I adopt Dynamic Syntax (Kempson et al 2001; Cann et al 2005) which provides a package of working hypotheses about human language grammars and the formal tools for representing how grammars work. It is hypothesized in Dynamic Syntax that the grammar of a natural language is a set of constraints over language comprehension; sentences are understood and produced in context through left-to-right word-by-word parsing processes. Parsing processes are driven by the axiomatic requirement of establishing complete logical forms that can be enriched to full propositions. Such processes have the characteristic of semantic underspecification, including underspecified semantic relationships and underspecified semantic contents; semantic underspecification can and must be updated through non-demonstrative inference implemented in linguistic and nonlinguistic contexts. Using the framework I hypothesize that in RVC constructions the first verb provides a condition on the sort of event expressed by the second verb, encoding this in terms of event semantics. It is argued that only the argument of the latter are required to be realized in the string (or be contextually strongly determined) through pro-drop. Those of the activity predicate, however, are inferred through pragmatic means given the arguments that are realized. This directly accounts for the attested patterns of argument realization in RVC and explain the apparent gaps. This analysis is extended to locative and agentive inversion constructions where it is hypothesized that there is null resultative predicate that explains why a non-agent can be realized as subject, even in the presence of a more agentive noun phrase in the string. This thesis thus maintains the hypothesis that the mapping between semantic roles and syntactic positions is direct though not one-to-one. Although there is no one-toone mapping between syntactic forms, the argument mapping rules can ensure efficient comprehension and production when they are applied in context. This thesis provides a uniform account of different argument alternation phenomena that have been seen as unrelated to each other in the literature. The successful uniform explanation of the ‘unrelated’ phenomena of argument alternation can be generalized as a methodology: a thorough semantic analysis of various alternative syntactic constructions can reveal the subtle semantic differences between them and the importance of these subtle semantic difference for a theorectic account of argumenty alternation has been largely underestimated in the literature. This constitutes the foundation of a uniform explanation of syntactic phenomena that seem to be unrelated to each other. This success lights the hope of seeking semantics-based uniform accounts of other different kinds of syntactic phenomena in a single language and across languages in future research.

published_or_final_version / Computer Science and Information Systems / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Speech and Hearing Sciences / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Chinese Language and Literature / Master / Master of Arts

Under the framework of dual-route theory of speech comprehension, two neurological routes are simultaneously active during speech decoding, the dorsal stream and the ventral stream. The dorsal stream is argued to be a sound processor whereas the ventral stream is a meaning processor, hence in cognitive terms, they are called the sound component and the meaning component respectively. Hypotheses concerning the processing speed and response accuracy of these two cognitive components were tested on compound words in Modern Mandarin Chinese. Four experiments were run contrasting, the sound-based task and the meaning-based task, corresponding to each of the two cognitive components. In Experiment 1 and 2, the Task effect was tested on one set of words in which the word-level and word-initial-syllable frequencies were controlled. In Experiment 3 and 4, the Task effect was tested on a different set of words in which semantic transparency was controlled. Multiple regression analyses integrating the data collected in Experiment 1-4 were conducted to test which language theory was preferred, the probability-based theory, the rule-based theory or the integrative theory. The probability-based theory suggests that speech comprehension of compound words relies only on the probability distribution of linguistic units. The rule-based theory suggests that speech comprehension of compound words relies only on phrase-structural rules. The integrative theory suggests that speech comprehension of compound words relies on both the probabilities of linguistic units and phrase-structural rules. It was suggested that the integrative theory explains the data best, but further data testing is needed to confirm this hypothesis. The results of the present study provide evidence for functional trade-off of the sound and meaning components, garden path effects during parsing opaque words and the possibility of the role of a mirror system in human speech comprehension.

Situated in the changing context of Mandarin learning in the United States, Mandarin these days is changing from a less commonly taught language to a more commonly offered foreign language option in American secondary schools. However, in the applied linguistic literature, "few empirical studies have focused on pre-college CFL learning" (Ke, 2012, p.98). Moreover, the transition from high school to university often entails complex social, cultural, and emotional changes (e.g., Nathan, 2006). The goal of this dissertation project, therefore, is to investigate how students' investment in Mandarin is socially and historically constructed at these three levels: personal, familial, and institutional, as they transition from high school to university. This study draws upon the theory of identity and investment (Norton, 1995) to examine how these teenage language learners are multidimensional beings with multiple desires, and how their investment is produced or reproduced from social interactions, and is subject to change. Three high school campuses were chosen, because Mandarin classes are now offered from kindergarten through twelfth grade in these schools. Six students who expressed their intentions to continue learning Mandarin in university consented to participate in this study. Data collection for this study lasted from March to December 2015, which covered these students' last semester of high school, their first semester of college, and the period between. Data were collected from interviews and monthly informal Skype chats, and supplemented with class documents. Using qualitative analysis methods, the findings show the following factors as salient to their investment in Mandarin learning at the high school stage: 1) the students' personal interest, and 2) the influence from their families and their institutions. In the university setting, these students' investment in Mandarin was mostly mediated at the personal and the institutional levels. The results reveal the identity shift from childhood to adulthood these adolescent learners experienced during the transition. Specifically, the adolescent learners became more independent in making their own decisions, and less dependent on their families, both financially and symbolically. Second, the findings also highlight how these individuals' investment in Mandarin could be constrained at the institutional level. This points to the need for L2 educators to pay attention not only to individual students' personal interests and motivations in language learning, but also to a better understanding of how students perceive their own identities and whether foreign language learning is accessible to learners institutionally.

A citricultura brasileira está fundamentada predominantemente sobre apenas um cultivar porta-enxerto, o limoeiro Cravo, e explora poucos cultivares copa, de uma maneira geral. Desse modo, o setor citrícola fica limitado na abertura de suas fronteiras de exportação para frutas frescas por estar baseado em um pequeno número de cultivares. Além disso, ao redor de 80% dos plantios estão reunidos em uma região compreendida por quase 600 mil ha, de forma concentrada, no Estado de São Paulo e sul do Triângulo Mineiro. Esses fatos também acarretam em grande vulnerabilidade fitossanitária, com ameaças crescentes de pragas e doenças, levando à redução da produtividade e ao acréscimo dos custos de implantação e condução dos pomares. A Clorose Variegada dos Citros (CVC) ou amarelinho, causada pela bactéria Xylella fastidiosa, é um exemplo destas ameaças. De elevada severidade em laranjas doces, causa redução no tamanho dos frutos, tornando-os inaptos para a comercialização in natura ou para produção de suco concentrado. Recentemente, as perdas em produção causadas pela CVC têm sido estimadas em até 10-14% da safra comercializável. Atualmente, o manejo da CVC está baseado na utilização de mudas sadias, poda de ramos afetados, e controle dos vetores. Além dessas medidas, é importante manter os tratos culturais exigidos no pomar. Entretanto, a utilização de cultivares resistentes é estratégia imprescindível para convivência com a doença em longo prazo. Este trabalho buscou avaliar o desempenho horticultural da laranjeira Folha Murcha, da tangerineira Satsuma cv. Okitsu e da limeira ácida Tahiti sobre doze porta-enxertos. Tangerina Satsuma cv. Okitsu e lima ácida Tahiti são espécies não sintomáticas em relação à CVC e tornam-se opções com potencial de exploração em pequenas propriedades. A laranjeira Folha Murcha tem demonstrado maior tolerância à CVC comparativamente aos demais cultivares de laranja doce. Os experimentos foram conduzidos na Estação Experimental de Citricultura de Bebedouro, EECB, (SP), e instalados em 2001. Em todos os experimentos foram avaliados o desenvolvimento vegetativo, produção e qualidade dos frutos (por no mínimo três safras) em cada combinação copa/porta-enxerto. Avaliações adicionais a respeito da tolerância à CVC foram realizadas no experimento de laranjeira Folha Murcha. Nos experimentos conduzidos sem irrigação, foi avaliada a tolerância ao déficit hídrico das copas usando duas metodologias: avaliação visual subjetiva e medição direta da coloração das folhas. Na limeira ácida Tahiti, a coloração externa dos frutos de exportação foi quantificada em função de variáveis colorimétricas, definindo-se uma metodologia quantitativa alternativa ao sistema atual de classificação dos frutos, baseado apenas na apreciação visual subjetiva. A avaliação horticultural de copas de laranjeira Folha Murcha, limeira ácida Tahiti e tangerineira Satsuma cv. Okitsu em doze porta-enxertos permitiu identificar porta-enxertos alternativos ao limoeiro Cravo, sendo estes os trifoliatas Flying Dragon, FCAV e Rubidoux. / Brazilian citriculture is mainly based on one rootstock cultivar, the Cravo Rangpur lime, exploring a restricted number of scion cultivars. This situation limits the expansion of citrus production for fresh fruit export, due to the limited number of cultivars in use. Besides, near 80% of citrus orchards are located in an area of approximately 600,000 ha, in the São Paulo State and the southern region of the Minas Gerais State. These facts also impose a large phytossanitary vulnerability to citrus production, due to the increasing threats of pests and diseases outbreaks, that cause productivity decrease and higher costs for orchard establishment and management. The Citrus Variegated Chlorosis (CVC), caused by the xylem-limited bacterium, Xylella fastidiosa, is one example of such threats. This disease is extremely severe in sweet oranges, causing size reduction ad quality deterioration of fruits, that become unsuitable for fresh consume or juice processing. The losses associated to CVC have been recently estimated in 10-14% of the total comercial crop in São Paulo State. CVC management is currently based on the use of healthy nursery plants, pruning of injured branches and control of the vectors. In addition to these strategies, it is important to maintain adequate cultural practices for orchard management. Nonetheless, the utilization of resistant cultivars is an indispensable strategy to co-exist with the disease in the long term. This study was aimed to evaluate the horticultural performance of Folha Murcha sweet orange, Okitsu Satsuma mandarin and Tahiti lime grafted onto twelve rootstocks. Okitsu Satsuma mandarin and Tahiti lime are assymptomatical species in relation to CVC, with potential to be produced in small areas. The Folha Murcha sweet orange has demonstrated high tolerance to CVC, when compared with other sweet orange cultivars. The trials were conducted at the Estação Experimental de Citricultura de Bebedouro, (EECB), and were planted in 2001. Evaluations of plant growth, yield and fruit quality were carried out in all the trials, during three years. In the Folha Murcha trial, additional evaluations of CVC tolerance were conducted. In the non-irrigated trials, tree water deficit tolerance was evaluated by two methods: visual assessment of water stress and direct leaf color measurements. In Tahiti lime, peel color of export fruits was measured and a quantitative methodology was defined as an alternative for current classification criteria, which are based on the subjective visual inspection of external fruit aspect. The horticultural evaluation of Folha Murcha sweet orange, Okitsu Satsuma mandarin and Tahiti lime onto twelve rootstocks allowed to identify the trifoliate rootstocks Flying Dragon, Rubidoux and FCAV as alternatives to Cravo Limeira.

O presente estudo busca fazer uma comparação entre dois sistemas de transliteração do mandarim, o pinyin e o zhuyin fuhao, no contexto do ensino de chinês no Brasil. Para tanto, a pesquisa baseou-se na dissertação de Lin (2007) e, por meio de pesquisa qualitativa, entrevistou cinco alunos que estudaram por meio de cada sistema. A análise dos resultados sugere que os alunos que estudaram por meio do sistema pinyin apresentam maior dificuldade na pronúncia de fonemas aspirados e não aspirados do mandarim em comparação com alunos do sistema zhuyin fuhao. / The research aims to compare two Mandarin transliteration systems, pinyin and zhuyin fuhao, in the current situation of Chinese teaching in Brazil. The study was based on the dissertation of Lin (2007) and, using qualitative research, interviewed five mandarin students for each system. The results suggest that those who have studied by pinyin had greater difficulty in pronouncing aspirated and unaspirated consonants of Mandarin in comparison with zhuyin fuhao students.

by Wai-Hoo Au Yeung. / Thesis submitted in 1997. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves i-v (3rd gp.)). / Abstract also in Chinese. / Acknowledgments / Abstract / Contents / Abbreviations & Tables / Chapter 1. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1. --- What is a parameter? / Chapter 1.2. --- Parameter resetting in SLA / Chapter 1.3. --- Parameter as feature checking / Chapter 1.4. --- Research goals and outline of the thesis / Chapter 2. --- PARAMETERIZATION IN CHINESE NOMINALS --- p.18 / Chapter 2.1. --- DP-analysis and its parameterization / Chapter 2.2. --- Evaluation of the four models of Chinese nominal structures / Chapter 2.3. --- Parameterization in Cantonese and Mandarin nominals / Chapter 2.4. --- The Lexical CL Parameter / Chapter 3. --- METHODOLOGY --- p.86 / Chapter 3.1. --- The subject / Chapter 3.2. --- Timing of recording / Chapter 3.3. --- What is recorded / Chapter 3.4. --- The corpus / Chapter 3.5. --- Criteria of counting utterances and point of acquisition / Chapter 4. --- THE ACQUISITION OF CANTONESE NOMINALS --- p.92 / Chapter 4.1. --- Overall development of Cantonese nominal structure / Chapter 4.2. --- Acquisition of Cantonese-specific CLP properties / Chapter 4.3. --- Comparison with native Cantonese children's data / Chapter 4.4. --- Acquisition by resetting the Lexical CL Parameter / Chapter 5. --- AN INFORMAL EXPERIMENT ON GENERIC di AND di-N PHRASES --- p.118 / Chapter 5.1. --- Design of the experiment / Chapter 5.2. --- Materials / Chapter 5.3. --- Procedures and results / Chapter 5.4. --- Comparison between Ching's and native children's results / Chapter 6. --- CONCLUSION --- p.134 / Chapter 6.1. --- Theoretical and acquisition findings / Chapter 6.2. --- Further evidence for parameter resetting / Chapter 6.3. --- Implications for future research / Chapter 6.4. --- Concluding remarks / References / Appendix A: 3 sample files of the corpus