Call number: LD2668 .T4 1978 S27 / Master of Arts

The lexicon of modern Chinese is composed mainly of disyllabic compound words; some of the compounds are separable, while others are not. Hindered by problems with the definition of the Chinese word and by the concept of separate grammatical levels on which morphological, syntactic and semantic processes occur, previous linguistic studies have been unable to fully account for the separability of some compounds and for the relationship of compound separability to phrase separability. This dissertation finds that, with morphemes having the same syntactic association with other morphemes that words or phrases have with other words or phrases, categorial rules logically explain the common syntax of Chinese words and phrases. In categorial grammar analysis based on the work of Ajdukiewicz (1935), Montague (1974), Partee (1972; 1975), and Bach (1983; 1984), categories are determined by functions associating the expressions in component sets, and syntactic operations build categories up into larger derived categories according to specified functor-argument relations. In the present analysis of Chinese, to the set of the non-verb general category belong morphemes, words and phrases whose form classes are not verbs and which are generic names. Argument expressions, both compound words and verb phrases which belong to this category, combine with the intransitive/non-verb general functor to form the IV category. Rules operating by concatenation, cliticization and wrapping account for the occurrence of resultative expressions, aspect markers, and expressions of time duration or time frequency between the components of separable compounds. Further, the hierarchy of thematic roles devised by Jackendoff (1972) is applied to account for cases in which the functors in IV combine with more than one argument. In this way, an analysis which combines principles of morphology, syntax and semantics is able to account for the identity of compound and phrase separability and derive grammatical sentences for the language.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study aims to investigate the speech act of complimenting in Xhosa. The study constitutes of six chapters with respective to execute this aim. Chapter one provides special details regarding the aim of this study, the method that has been followed, and the organisational structure of the study. Chapter two focuses on both speech act and politeness theories. The central notion relates to (a) the acts of locution, (b) illocution and (c) perlocution. These elements of speech acts entail the notion that utterances that are produced by participants in a conversation comprises of (a) the actual sounds and words uttered, and those words and sounds (b) are intended towards the fulfilment of the force or intention behind them and (c) the effect of that force is intended to the hearer. Although there are other related elements, this notion is prominent in this chapter. Chapter three examines speech acts of complimenting in Xhosa along with their responses. This examination is informed by various ideas from respective researchers. For an effective and successful investigation of speech acts, a guideline which serves as a base follows a model of ethnography of communication. Almost all these researchers are putting emphasis on this view. This chapter takes this issue further by exploring the differences in compliments and responses with reference to gender, along with other qualities that have been mentioned. The elements of the responses the principles, their nature, structure and appearance in general conversations with specific reference to complimenting, are other key properties examined in this chapter. Chapter four focuses on the functions of the compliments. For example, almost all the researchers in the field are in agreement that compliments serve to revitalize, establish or create or encourage solidarity. Although there are other functions relating to this speech act, such as replacing other conversational formulas, e.g. greetings, softening criticism, the function of solidarity is perceived to be central. Another area which receives attention is the structural qualities of the compliment, along with syntactic and lexical features. This analysis explores the syntactic categories that relate to this work, together with the formulaic nature of this speech act. In addition, the status and gender of the participants in an interaction, as informed by situations or friends who like to be complimented, are all matters that receive scrutiny in this chapter. Chapter five constitute the central part of the study. The differences in compliments and responses receive attention with the aim of establishing possible difference between compliments given by males and females. Chapter six is the last chapter, it presents the findings and conclusion of the study. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie het as doelstelling die ondersoek van die spraakhandeling van komplimentering in Xhosa. Die tesis beslaan ses hoofstukke wat gestruktureer is om uitvoering te gee aan hierdie doelstelling. Hoofstuk een gee spesifieke besonderhede betreffende die doelstelling van die studie, die metode wat gevolg word, en die organisasie van die studie. Hoofstuk twee fokus op spraakhandelingsteorie en hoflikheidsteorie. Die sentrale konsep hou verband met (a) die handelinge van lokusie, (b) ilokusie en (c) perlokusie. Hierdie elemente van spraakhandelinge behels die begrip dat die uitinge wat deur deelnemers in 'n gesprek geproduseer word bestaan uit (a) die werklike klanke en woorde wat geuiter word, en wat (b) die intensie het om uitdrukking te gee aan die fors daaragter, en (c) die effek is gerig op die hoorder. Hierdie oorweging is sentraal in die hoofstuk. Hoofstuk drie ondersoek die spraakhandeling van komplimentering in Xhosa tesame met die response daarop. Hierdie ondersoek word ingelig deur sieninge van verskillende navorsers. Vir die effektiewe ondersoek van spraakhandelinge, is 'n rigtinggewende basis vanuit die etnografie van kommunikasie nodig. Hierdie hoofstuk ondersoek die verskille in komplimente en die response daarop met betrekking tot gender en ander eienskappe. Die aspekte van die response, hulle beginsels, aard, en struktuur, en die gebruik daarvan in gesprekke wat komplimente bevat, word ondersoek. Hoofstuk vier fokus op die funksies van komplimente. Feitlik al die navorsers in die veld van komplimentering stem saam dat komplimente die doel het om solidariteit te skep of te versterk. Alhoewel daar ander funksies is van komplimentering, bv. die verplasing van gespreksformules, soos groet, kritiek, is die bevestiging van solidariteit sentraal. 'n Ander area wat aandag kry in die hoofstuk, is die strukturele kenmerke van komplimente, insluitende sintaktiese en leksikale kenmerke. Die analises behels 'n ondersoek na die sintaktiese kategorieë wat komplimente realiseer, tesame met die formule-agtige aard van komplimente as spraakhandelinge. Voorts word die status en gender van die gespreksgenote ondersoek. Hoofstuk vyf vorm die sentrale deel van die studie betreffende die bepaling van moontlike gender verskille in komplimente. Hoofstuk ses bied die samevatting en gevolgtrekkings van die studie. / ISISHWANKATHELO: Esi sifundo sikwiphulo lokuphanda ngezenzo zentetho zezincomo. Kuqulunqwe izahluko ezintandathu ezineenjongo ezahlukiyo ukufezekisa eli phulo. Isahluko sokuqala sinika umkhombandlela malunga nenjongo yesifundo, imethodi elandelweyo kananjalo nolwakhiwo zinikwa ingqwalasela. Isahluko sesibini sinika ingqwalasela kwithiyori yezenzo zentetho kananjalo neyentlonelo. Uluvo olungundoqo nolunika umdla kule ngxelo luqulathe izenzo ze (a) ilokhushini, (b) 1- ilokhushini ne (c) nephelokhushini. Ezi zenzo zixhibe ingcamango yokuba intetho eveliswa ngabo bathatha inxaxheba kunxibelelwano iqulathe (a) izandi zolwakhiwo Iwesigama, ukuze eso sigama (b) sijoliswe kwinjongo ethile ekuyimfuneko ukuba iphunyezwe ekugqibeleni (c) ifuthe laloo mpumelelo lingqale lowo kunxityelelwano naye okanye umphulaphuli. Nasekubeni ekhona namanye amasolotya axhagileyo, kodwa le ngcamango iphawuliweyo iphume izandla kwesi sahluko. Isahluko sesithathu siphonononga izenzo zeentetho zezincomo kananjalo neempendulo zazo. Olu phononongo lungqongwe zizimvo zeengcali eziphuma kwiinkalo ngeenkalo. Umkhombandlela osisikhokhelo kwiphulo lophando Iwezenzo zeentetho naziphi na, ukuze lube yimpumelelo kwaye lusulungeke kufuneka luiandeie imodeli okanye umgaqo weethinografi yonxibelelwano phantse bonke aba baphandi babeke umnwe kule ngcamango. Ngokunxusa oku, esi sahluko, xa sihlabela mgama, siphawula ngeyantlukwano yezincomo neempendulo zazo ngesini, nangezinye iimpawu ezikhankanyiweyo. Uqulunkqo Iwemigaqo yokuphendula, ubunjani, ubume nembonakalo yayo entethweni gabalala ngokunxulumene nezincomo ngamanye amasolotya abalulekileyo nanika umdla kwesi sahluko. Isahluko sesine sinika ingqwalaselo kwimisebenzi yesincomo. Umzekelo, phantse zonke ezi ngcali zikweli phulo ziyayingqina nento yokuba izincomo zivuselela , ziyila okanye zikhuthaza umanyano. Nangona ibonakala ikhona eminye imisebenzi ekhankanywayo engqonge esi senzo sentetho njengokuthabatha indawo yezinye zeefomuia zonxulumano, umz. imibulisi, ukuthomakalisa ugxeko-ncomo, olu luvo lomanyano lubonwa njengoluhamba phambili. Enye indima ephononongwayo ziimpawu zolwakhiwo Iwezincomo, kananjalo neempawu zesintaksi neleksikali. Olu hlalutyo lulo oludulisa izigaba zentetho ezibandakanyekayo kananjalo nobufomula besi senzo sentetho. Ukwaleka, iwonga nesini sabo bathabatha inxaxheba kolu nxibelelwano ngokulawulwa ziimeko okanye izihlobo ezikholisa ukunconywa, konke oku yimibandela efumana ukuphicothwa kwesi sahluko. Isahluko sesihlanu siqulathe umongo wesi sifundo. Uhlalutyo Iwezincomo neempendulo zazo lunikwa ingqwalasela ngamehlo abukhali; ngeenjongo zokufumanisa umahluko ongaba ukhona phakathi kwezincomo zamaduna namabhinqa. Isahluko sesithandathu nesokugqibela sinika iziphumo zophando nesiphelo sesi sifundo.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The break and bend verbs in Xitsonga forms part of the larger verb class of verbs of change of state. Such verbs show two events, i.e. a process and a transition. These verbs have been investigated in Xitsonga with regard to the following properties: the syntactic categories within which they may appear, the levels of representation within lexical semantics and their semantic features. The break verbs in Xitsonga appear in three syntactic categories, i.e. transitive verbs, verbal roots with transitive and intransitive suffixes and ideophones, which may appear as derived verbs with transitive and intransitive suffixes. The bend verbs appear only as transitive or intransitive verbs, but they may have a shadow argument with the phrase [hi NP] which gives rise to instrument-subject alternation. Most of the bend verbs may also appear in structures with inalienable possession. The break verbs have five semantic features: break, split and crack, smash and crush, demolish, tear. The bend verbs have six semantic features: bend, bend or fold, bend or twist, be crooked, lean over, kneel. The break verbs, which may also appear, as ideophones are clear examples of ergative verbs in Xitsonga. Such verbs denote a change of state and they occur as both transitive and intransitive verbs. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die breek- en buigwerkwoorde in Xitsonga vorm deel van die groter klas van werkwoorde, bekend as verandering-van-toestand ('change-of-state') werkwoorde. Hierdie soort werkwoorde vertoon twee tipes gebeure ('events'), naamlik proses en oorgang ('transition'). Hierdie werkwoorde word vir Xitsonga ondersoek met betrekking tot die volgende eienskappe: die sintaktiese kategorieë waarin hulle mag verskyn, die vlakke van representasie in die leksikale semantiek, en die semantiese kenmerke van hierdie werkwoorde. Breekwerkwoorde in Xitsonga verskyn in drie sintaktiese kategorieë, naamlik transitiewe werkwoorde, werkwoordstamme met transitiewe en intransitiewe suffikse, en ideofone, wat as afgeleide werkwoorde met transitiewe en intransitiewe suffikse mag verskyn. Die buigwerkwoorde mag slegs as transitiewe of intransitiewe werkwoorde verskyn, maar hulle mag 'n skadu-argument neem met die frase [hi NP], wat die instrument-subjek alternasie kan realiseer. Die meeste buigwerkwoorde kan ook in strukture verskyn wat onvervreembare besit illustreer. Die breekwerkwoorde het vyf semantiese kenmerke: breek, kloof, kraak, slaan en druk, verwoes en skeur. Die buigwerkwoorde het ses semantiese kenmerke: buig, vou, draai, gebuig wees, oorleen en kniel. Die breekwerkwoorde, kan ook as ergatiewe werkwoorde verskyn in Xitsonga. Sulke werkwoorde dui verandering-van-toestand aan, en hulle mag as beide transitiewe en intransitiewe werkwoorde verskyn.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Relational nouns are dependent on one another in terms of how they themselves denote e.g. brother and neigbour denote individually standing in relation to at least one other individual in specific nouns. This study has established how relational nouns are treated in Xhosa. The study has focused on horizontal relations with a semantic feature of [± sibling] and hierarchical relations with two distingualising semantic features: [± dependent] and [± kinship]. According to these two types of relations the study has then been divided into two main sections, i.e. non-kinship relational nouns with vertical and horizontal relation with and without any dependency. The second part concentrated on kinship terms with emphasis on names such as marriage, lineal and collateral descent and in-laws. Various semantic features for kinship terms have been developed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Relasionele naamwoorde is afhanklik van mekaar in terme van hoedanig hulle self betekenis aandui, bv. Broer en buurman dui individue aan wat in verhouding staan met ten minste een ander individu op spesifieke maniere. Hierdie studie het vasgestel hoe relasionale naamwoorde in Xhosa behandel word. Die studie het gefokus op horisontale verhoudings met 'n semantiese kenmerk van [± verwantskap] en hiërargiese verhoudings met twee onderskeie semantiese kenmerke: [±afhanklik] en [± verwantskap]. Volgens hierdie twee tipes verhoudings is die studie verdeel in twee hoofafdelings, dit is relasionele naamwoorde met geen verwantskap met vertikale en horisontale verhoudings met en sonder enige afhanklikheid. Die tweede deel konsentreer op verwantskapsterme met nadruk op sake soos die huwelik, bloedverwante in die regstreekse linie en in die syline sowel as die aangetroude familie. Verskeie semantiese kenmerke vir verwantskapsterme is ontwikkel.

Full text to be digitised and attached to bibliographic record. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The thesis is organized into five chapters: the first chapter deals with the aims of the study, the theoretical framework that has been assumed in this study as well as the organisation of the thesis. The second chapter gives an overview of the assumptions of lexical semantics with specific reference to the Generative Lexicon. Chapter 3 is concerned with the break verbs while chapter 4 deals with the bend verbs in Tshivenda. Chapter 5 gives the conclusions of the study. With regard to the break verbs in Tshivenda: these verbs have been classified into seven subgroups with regard to specific semantic features. Syntactically, the break verbs in Tshivenda are mainly transitive verbs while a large group have a transitive-intransitive alternation with the suffixes [-I-/-w-]. The break verbs may also regularly appear with the iterative suffixes [Vkan- Nkany-]. Most of the break verbs also regularly appear in two other alternations i.e. the possession alternation and the instrument-subject alternation. The bend verbs in Tshivenda are organized into five subgroups with regard to their semantic features. All bend verbs in Tshivenda are transitive verbs, but it has been shown that these verbs are in reality ergative verbs which assign two internal theta-roles. These verbs also regularly appear in the possession alternation and the instrument-subject alternation. Both the break and bend verbs have furthermore been treated within the main components of the Generative lexicon, i.e. argument structure, event structure, lexical conceptual paradigm and lexical inheritance structure. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die verhandeling is verdeel in vyf hoofstukke: die eerste hoofstuk handeloor die doelstellings van die studie, die teoretiese raamwerk wat aanvaar is as uitgangspunt vir hierdie studie asook die organisasie van die verhandeling. Die tweede hoofstuk gee 'n oorsig oor die aannames van die leksikale semantiek met spesiale verwysing na die Generatiewe leksikon. Hoofstuk drie bestudeer die breek werkwoorde terwyl hoofstuk vier handeloor die buigwerkwoorde in Tshivenda. Hoofstuk vyf gee die konklusies van die studie. Met betrekking tot die breek werkwoorde in Tshivenda: hierdie werkwoorde is geklassifiseer in sewe subgroepe met verwysing na spesifieke semantiese kenmerke. Sintakties is die breek werkwoorde in Tshivenda grotendeels transitiewe werkwoorde terwyl 'n groot groep deelneem aan 'n transitieweintransitiewe alternasie met die suffikse [-I-/-w-]. Die breek werkwoorde kan verder ook reëlmatig voorkom met die iteratiewe suffikse (Vkan-Nkany-]. Meeste van die breek werkwoorde verskyn ook reëlmatig in twee ander alternasies nl. die possessiewe alternasie en die instrument-subjek alternasie. Die buig werkwoorde in Tshivenda is verdeel in vyf subgroepe na aanleiding van hulle semantiese kenmerke. Alle buig werkwoorde in Tshivenda is transitiewe werkwoorde maar dit is aangetoon dat hierdie werkwoorde in werklikheid ergatiewe werkwoorde is wat twee interne theta-rolle toeken. Hierdie werkwoorde kom ook reëlmatig voor in die possessief alternasie en die instrument-subjek alternasie. Beide die breek en buig werkwoorde is verder behandel binne die hoofkomponente van die Generatiewe leksikon, nl. Argument struktuur, gebeurtenis struktuur, leksikaal konseptueie paradigma en leksikaal erfenis struktuur.

published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts

In orthodox linguistics, the relations between time and language are recognized only to a limited extent. Although there have been abundant and substantial investigations into the two topics of temporal deixis and linguistic change (Harris, 2006, pp. 28-29), questions concerning what integrational linguists call “cotemporality” remain largely unexplored. The principle of cotemporality, in integrational linguistic terms, states that “[t]he chronological integration of language with events in our daily lives requires us to suppose that what is said is immediately relevant to the current situation, unless there is reason to suppose otherwise.”(Harris, 1996, p. 81) The time-bounded nature of language, as spelled out in this principle, is not only of theoretical weight to linguistics, but also valuable to the understanding of time, and it is in this sense that the lack of relevant researches in orthodox linguistics signals the failure to realize the mutual dependence of a proper linguistic theory and a proper temporal theory. The general interest of this thesis is to explore the interrelationship between time and language from an integrational linguistic perspective. To do this, the Saussurean anachronic linguistic model (1983) is called under scrutiny with the conclusion that it is beset by an inadequate notion of time and an inadequate view of history, induced largely by western literacy. Second, the theories against the reality of time put forward by philosopher McTaggart (1908) and physicist Greene (2004, 2011) are examined and I argue that they are built upon the psychocentric and reocentric (Harris, 2005, p. 3) versions of the fixed-code model of language respectively. Lastly, I deal with the very concept of time and take an integrational approach towards its reality, signhood, and in turn the principle of cotemporality. It is by this reflexive analysis that we can finally come to a clearer vision and a deeper understanding of time, language as well as integrational linguistics itself. / published_or_final_version / English / Master / Master of Philosophy

Studies on implicit learning have provided evidence for L2 acquisition of syntactic features, yet limited effort has been made to gauge the applicability of the implicit learning paradigm on syntactic structures that are posited by nativists as innate and need not to be learned. This thesis investigates the implicit learning of the Overt Pronoun Constraint(OPC), a claimed UG-derived constraint (White, 2003a,b; Hawkins, 2008)that prevents overt pronouns from taking quantified NPs as antecedents in null-argument languages(Montalbetti, 1983), and seeks alternative explanations to such knowledge from the usage-based perspective in SLA. In Experiment 1, participants’L1 prior knowledge of the binding constraint of the overt pronoun he in Mandarin Chinese and English was investigated respectively. Results show that Chinese participants accepted the bound variable interpretation of the pronoun他 (he) when the matrix subject (the subject of the main clause) was 有人someone, suggesting that the OPC may not be fully applicable in Chinese, and that the OPC may not be a universal phenomenon in all null-argument languages as claimed by nativists (e.g. Kanno, 1997). In terms of English participants, they rejected bound variable interpretations more often when the matrix subject of the sentence was a quantified NP than when it was a referring NP, indicating some biases of the interpretation towards the reference of the overt pronoun. Potential explanations for these cross-linguistic differences include the popularized use of singular they in English (Bhat, 2004) to refer to gender-ambiguous antecedents, and the degree of consistency in definiteness between the matrix subject and the pronoun as the sub-clause subject. In Experiment 2, Chinese L1 speakers were exposed to a semi-artificial language system that combined the binding constraint of the Japanese pronoun “kare” with Chinese to see whether they could acquire the OPC implicitly. The learning was measured by a timed Grammatical Judgment Test (GJT), and awareness was assessed by confidence ratings, source attributions and verbal reports. Results show that learning effect (both implicit and explicit) was observed in the Chinese group. In Experiment 3, Chinese participants were exposed to a semi-artificial language system that combined the overt pronoun binding constraint with their L2 English, and no learning effect was observed in this group, indicating that implicit learning could be affected by participants’L2 proficiency. In Experiment 4, the implicit learning of the pronoun constraint by English native speakers was investigated and L1 transfer effect was found in this experiment. To sum up, results show that the interpretation bias of the overt pronoun might be learned implicitly, although the learning process could be affected by participants’ prior linguistic knowledge. It also suggests that this bias might be learned without the assumption of UG existence, which show support for the usage-based approach in SLA. / published_or_final_version / English / Master / Master of Philosophy

This thesis introduces of a system of tense logic called nominal tense logic (NTL), and several extensions. Its primary aim is to establish that these systems are logically interesting, and can provide useful models of natural language tense, temporal reference, and their interaction. Languages of nominal tense logic are a simple augmentation of Priorean tense logic. They add to the familiar Priorean languages a new sort of atomic symbol, nominals. Like propositional variables, nominals are atomic sentences and may be freely combined with other wffs using the usual connectives. When interpreting these languages we handle the Priorean components standardly, but insist that nominals must be true at one and only one time. We can think of nominals as naming this time. Logically, the change increases the expressive power of tensed languages. There are certain intuitions about the flow of time, such as irreflexivity, that cannot be expressed in Priorean languages; with nominals they can. The effects of this increase in expressive power on the usual model theoretic results for tensed languages discussed, and completeness and decidability results for several temporally interesting classes of frames are given. Various extensions of the basic system are also investigated and similar results are proved. In the final chapter a brief treatment of similarly referential interval based logics is presented. As far as natural language semantics is concerned, the change is an important one. A familiar criticism of Priorean tense logic is that as it lacks any mechanism for temporal reference, it cannot provide realistic models of natural language temporal usage. Natural language tense is at least partly about referring to times, and nowadays the deictic and anaphoric properties of tense are a focus of research. The thesis presents a uniform treatment of certain temporally referring expressions such as indexicals, and simple discourse phenomena.