Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1975. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 254-259).

by Ji Xiaoling. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-104). / Acknowledgment --- p.ii / Abstract --- p.iii / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- The English Middle --- p.7 / Chapter 2.0. --- Introduction --- p.7 / Chapter 2.1. --- General properties of the middle construction --- p.8 / Chapter 2.2. --- The semantics of the middle construction --- p.15 / Chapter 2.3. --- Some syntactic issues of the middle construction --- p.21 / Chapter 2.4. --- The scope of the middle construction --- p.33 / Chapter 2.5. --- Summary --- p.37 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- The Chinese Middle --- p.39 / Chapter 3.0. --- Introduction --- p.39 / Chapter 3.1. --- Previous work on the Chinese middle --- p.39 / Chapter 3.2. --- Functions of qilai --- p.42 / Chapter 3.3. --- General properties of the Chinese middle marked by qilai --- p.46 / Chapter 3.4. --- The relationship between qilai and de --- p.54 / Chapter 3.5. --- Arguments against qilai as a middle marker --- p.67 / Chapter 3.6. --- Functions of qilai revisited --- p.71 / Chapter 3.7. --- Summary --- p.75 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- The Syntax of Evaluational qilai --- p.77 / Chapter 4.0. --- Introduction --- p.77 / Chapter 4.1. --- Two types of evaluational qilai --- p.77 / Chapter 4.2. --- Re NP <V-qilai1 > adjunct VP --- p.81 / Chapter 4.3. --- Re<NP V-qilai2>S VP --- p.84 / Chapter 4.4. --- Summary --- p.90 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Conclusion --- p.93 / Notes --- p.95 / Reference --- p.100

This study is an attempt to construct a theoretical and descriptive framework for the analysis of lexicogrammatical, semantic and semiotic cohesion, called the Extended Systemic Cohesive Model. This model is an extension of the Halliday-Hasan model (1976) whose descriptive range is limited to lexicogrammatical cohesion. The classical hypothesis that cohesion is realized through the lexicogrammatical system is proved to be inadequate. An alternative thesis is proposed and justified: that cohesion is captured at lexicogrammatical, semantic and semiotic levels. As a result, a linguistic framework is constructed which explicitly accounts for the properties that make a text hang together at these three particular levels, and its applicability is tested against given empirical data. The discussion is focused on how and why the above three types of cohesion contribute to the unity of a text plus a critical review of previous relevant work.

From Background to the thesis: It has been said that 'educational failure is language failure'. It can be argued here that there are many other factors which could cause educational failure and that language failure does not necessarily result in lack of academic success. However, it is no doubt true that the schoolchild who does not attain a certain type of language competence will be handicapped as regards academic performance. The underlying reason for this is the fact that our educational system is heavily reliant on language - and espacially the written language - as a medium of learning as opposed to the 'direct learning' experiences advocated by certain educationists today such as Ivan Illich in America and John Holt in Britain. Language is the basis both of learning and of communicating what has been learnt. From the moment the child steps into his first period class in the morning till he leaves the last five hours later the child is involved in what is primarily a verbal experience.

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本論文從詞彙語義的角度探討二語英語中的低被動化現象。本文將就常見的低被動化英語動詞，以動詞語義為基礎，進行類型劃分及解析。通過審視一個香港學習者語料庫中的低被動化結構，本文將確定二語英語中低被動化結構的性質以及分佈情況。基於一組因果及物性的語義特徵，語料庫中經常被學習者低被動化的動詞，將劃分為四類型：一）改變位置動詞，二）三方動詞，三）動態效應動詞，及四）非施事動詞；四主類型再劃分為九次類型。本論文將以語義特徵，例如力傳遞、因果關係和結束點，詳細解析每個低被動化動詞。這項就二語英語中低被動化動詞的類型劃分，不單能夠從語義的角度解析低被動化現象，亦可以用作分析其他與語態有關的二語現象，如泛被動化，以及應用於語言教學。 / This dissertation is a lexical semantic study of underpassivized verbs in L2 English. By adopting a verb-oriented and meaning-based approach to underpassivization, this study produces a lexical semantic classification and analysis of frequently underpassivized verbs. A Hong Kong learner corpus is examined in order to determine the nature and extent of underpassivized constructions in L2 English. Based on a set of semantic features of cause-effect transitivity, underpassivization-prone verbs in the corpus are classified into four types, namely 1) Change of position verbs, 2) Tripartite verbs, 3) Dynamic effect verbs and 4) Non-agentive verbs. A total of nine sub-types are identified, and each verb is analyzed according to semantic features such as force transmission, causation, affectedness and telicity. The typology not only provides a lexical semantic account of L2 underpassivization but can also be applied to analyze other voice-related L2 phenomena such as overpassivization and to inform pedagogical practices. / The present study is an initial attempt to apply findings from lexical semantics to the description and explanation of learner errors. Previous studies mainly regard L2 underpassivization as a syntactic phenomenon that can be accounted for using transfer, and argue that L2 underpassivization is the result of the transfer of the topic-comment structure in L1s such as Chinese and Japanese to English (Yip 1995). The transfer theory overlooks the role verb meaning plays in voice-related errors, and is limited in its ability to explain the L2 phenomenon fully. This study investigates underpassivization as a lexical semantic phenomenon, drawing from previous works on proto-roles (Dowty 1991), event structure (Croft 1994) and transitivity (Hopper & Thompson 1980; Tsunoda 1985), and following the tradition in lexical semantics of analyzing verb meaning based on argument alternations (Pinker 1989; Levin 1993). It is believed that when learners underpassivize verbs, they are detransitivizing and decausativizing an originally transitive event. Using the features of cause-effect transitivity, the study shows that reduced transitivity will cause problems for learners in their construal of the event’s cause-effect relation and hence their allocation of thematic roles in the verb’s argument structure, resulting in underpassivization. It is hoped that by focusing on argument structure and event dynamics, this study can offer insights into the impact of verb meaning in the construal of transitivity and the use and misuse of grammatical voice. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Wong, Suzanne Shu-Shan. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 225-235). / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Wong, Suzanne Shu-Shan.

Within a theoretical framework that combines generative X-bar syntax (Chomsky 1986), a compositional interpretive semantics and elements of Aristotelian logic, this thesis studies the nature of the syntactic and semantic constituents involved in the subject-predicate relations of elementary sentences containing 'be'. Interpretation is characterized in terms of the entities of various types that speakers intend to refer to and the various ontological types that the referents are said to belong to. 'Be' is analyzed as a single lexical item. This analysis unifies all syntactic functions (e.g., auxiliary, copula, main verb) and all "senses" of 'be' (e.g., definitional, equative, predicative, etc.). Conceptually, 'be' in English is an explicit sign of attribution. The propositional content of simple sentences of the form (NP be XP) is the attribution of a certain ontological type or types to the referent(s) of the subject NP. Although the value of postulating a single ontological category to account for all the entities that speakers can refer to and talk about (such as an Aristotelian substance) is questionable, nevertheless, such categories and types seem pertinent for linguistic analysis. With respect to linguistic inference, pronominalization, and question words, an analysis based on ontological types is shown to be more explanatory than one based on the assignment of a fixed set of thematic relations to arguments.

This thesis has explored the problems of non-native speakers of English in listening and reading comprehension. Through analysis o f tests designed around particular features of the language which were thought to cause comprehension problems, the investigator was able to substantiate several factors of difficulty. These factors areA. knowing the meaning of vocabulary items,B. noting markers that; show relationships,C. ability to handle difficult sentence structures, D. answering questions where the answer is indirectly stated,E. drawing conclusions.The investigator also found that two additional factors strongly affected comprehension:F. answering questions where the wording is different from that of the original passage,G. finding answers when there is intervening material that interrupts the idea..The thesis has discussed formulation of the test questions, explaining what was expected from each question. It has also discussed results of the test questions in detail, suggesting possible problems that were working in each question.

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Call number: LD2668 .T4 1978 A457 / Master of Arts