This thesis undertakes to refine our understanding of the syntactic properties of sentential negation. The proposed analyses operate at the juncture of recent innovations to Case, Agreement, and X-bar theories, within a Government and Binding framework. Case is checked in a Specifier/Head configuration whenever possible, and agreement is analyzed as the reflex of a Case-checking operation at S-structure. The proposal that the inventory of functional categories available in Universal Grammar includes a Negation Phrase (NegP) is adopted as a point of departure. / In the context of this investigation, certain syntactic properties are attributed to the head and specifier of NegP. It is proposed that the specifier of NegP provides an A-position in which NPs may be Case-checked. S-structure Case-checking is reflected in agreement marking on the negative head. Evidence for LF Case-checking in this position is derived from the Case-licensing of direct objects in negated clauses in Colloquial Welsh and Russian. Definiteness effects are analyzed as due to constraints on an additional Case-licensing option required if negation blocks Case assignment under government. Variations in agreement patterns in affirmative and negative relative clauses in Literary and Colloquial Welsh are attributed to the barrier status of the head of NegP.

This thesis examines constructions known as resultative constructions. In addition to the well-known adjectival resultative construction in English, I investigate the resultative V-V compound, found in Japanese, and the resultative serial verb construction, found in Edo. / I propose a new classification of these constructions, which focuses on the argument structure of the construction. In Japanese resultative V-V compounds, the argument structure of a compound reflects the argument structure of the second verb only, while in Edo, the argument structure of the construction reflects the argument structure of both verbs involved. With this criterion, English resultative constructions are divided into two classes---a resultative construction containing an intransitive verb is classified with Japanese resultative V-V compounds, and a resultative construction containing an object-selecting verb is classified with Edo resultative serial verb constructions. / Based on the classification provided here, I investigate two types of syntactic operations which license the concatenation of the predicates in resultative constructions. I argue that English intransitive resultative constructions and Japanese resultative V-V compounds are formed by adjoining one of the predicates on the other. The adjunction structure is then interpreted as conjunction called event identification. In contrast, English transitive resultative constructions and Edo resultative serial verb constructions are licensed by treating one of the predicates as a causative predicate. I argue that one of the predicates in these constructions undergoes lexical coercion, and acquires a causative meaning. The newly-formed causative verb takes the other predicate of the construction as its complement. This structure is then interpreted with function-application. I hence argue that the structural difference between the two types of resultative constructions also mirrors the difference in the type of semantic operations used to interpret these constructions.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1982. / Bibliography: leaves 216-224. / Microfiche. / xiii, 224 leaves, bound 29 cm

The main aim of this thesis is to gain a deep understanding of the meanings of Korean conjunctive verbal suffixes from a pragmatic viewpoint, using real, not constructed data. In order to attain the purpose, this thesis conducts an in-depth analysis of the nature of the meanings, and the use, of six Korean conjunctive verbal suffixes: -ko, -nuntey, -nikka, -se, -ciman, and -to. The term the use refers to the truth-functionality of suffixes, i.e., whether they conjoin or disjoin the two propositions, which are recovered from two segments, truth-functionally. The data are obtained from 360 minutes of audio-taped Korean natural conversations. It adopts as its reasoning tool four major pragmatic theories - Gricean theory, neo-Gricean theory, Relevance Theory, and Default Semantics. However, it does not use the data to compare the four theories. The thesis emphasises how to elucidate the meanings of Korean conjunctive verbal suffixes that modern pragmatic theories cannot neatly explain. In Chapter 1 previous approaches on the six suffixes are analysed. It is pointed out that while these studies correctly equate the meanings of a given suffix with propositional relations that obtain between the two segments (linked by the suffix), they fail to see the importance of the use of the suffix. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the four pragmatic theories. The focus is on strengths and weaknesses of the four theories. In Chapter 3, we introduce propositional relations and the notions of encoding and inferred. What is meant by conjoining and disjoining truth-conditionally is also explained. Chapter 4 specifies the data. In Chapter 5, propositional relations between two propositions which are recovered from two conjoined segments are characterised. Chapter 6 applies the scope test to meanings of the six suffixes and distinguishes encoded and inferred meanings. It discusses encoded meanings of the six suffixes, which conjoin the two propositions truth-functionally, and discusses inferred meanings of only four of the six suffixes, which disjoin the two propositions truthfunctionally. In Chapter 7, we discuss the nature of the meanings of the six suffixes from two theoretical angles, Relevance Theory and Default Semantics, and in particular we argue against a unitary procedure hypothesis. Chapter 8 concludes the thesis and also includes suggestions for future studies.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington. / Bibliography: l. [319]-323.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Full text release at OhioLINK's ETD Center delayed at author's request

Univ. of California Los Angeles, Diss.--Los Angeles, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 367-402) and index.

Thesis (Honors)--College of William and Mary, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 52).

Thesis (doctoral)--University of Helsinki, 1984. / Added thesis t.p. inserted. Includes bibliographical references (p. 138-144).