Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Melbourne, Dept. of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, 2007. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 307- 317).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 134-145). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

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Thesis(PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2012 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Theories of lexical semantics have undergone an evolutionary development for centuries. Geeraerts (2010) has traced their development from the historical-philological era (circa 1880) until the early 21st century. The current situation finds two basic approaches to lexical studies, with scholars positioned on a continuum from a minimalist position to a maximalist position. The former makes a demarcation between linguistics and pragmatics, relegating word meaning to pragmatics and a separation of word knowledge from world knowledge. The latter argues that there can be no separation made between lexical meaning and contextual meaning (word knowledge and world knowledge). The study is based on insights from the maximalist perspective. Second, it proposes that it is necessary to approach semantical studies with a composite approach taking into consideration frames, conceptual metaphor and metonymy, prototype, Idealized Cognitive Models, grammar and figurative uses of language (including non-verbal expressions and symbolic gestures) in order to have a full understanding of the concept a word or expression symbolizes. Third, all of the occurrences of a word or expression that appear in a corpus are analyzed in order to determine a possible range of polysemy as it is expressed in actual language usage. Finally, the context of the research is Bible Translation. One question asked in the investigation is, what information gleaned from the composite model can be appropriately presented in a specialist bilingual lexicon based on a frame model? The results of the research using the eclectic model provided a very broad understanding of some of the lexemes associated with JOY in biblical Hebrew. It was determined that these lexemes were associated with a concept of JOY that was very similar to the five-stage EVENT STRUCTURE metaphor proposed by Kövecses (2010) for emotions in English. Second, the investigation was able to verify the core features of JOY—volition, desire, determination and satisfaction—and to indicate how different construal operations activated specific features of the meaning potential in each linguistic frame. Third, the differences and similarities of each of the specific lexemes that were studied were determined and described. Fourth, it was demonstrated how the appropriate information needed by translators could be described and suggested for entry into a bilingual (biblical Hebrew-English) lexicon designed specifically for Bible Translators. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Teoriee van leksikale semantiek het deur die eeue ‘n evolusionere proses deurloop. Geeraerts (2010) het hierdie ontwikkeling vanaf die histories-filologiese era (ongeveer 1880) tot vroeg in die 21ste eeu nagespoor. Huidiglik kan leksikale studies in twee kampe verdeel word, en geleerdes bevind hulle tipies op ‘n kontinuum tussen ‘n minimalistiese en maksimalisties posisie. Eersgenoemde maak ‘n duidelike onderskeid tussen linguistiek en pragmatiek en religeer woordbetekenis tot pragmatiek en onderskei kennis van ‘n woord van kennis van die wereld. Laasgenoemde argumenteer dat daar geen onderskeid gemaak kan word tussen leksikale betekenis en kontekstuele betekenis nie (woordkennis en kennis van die wêreld). Hierdie studie berus op insigte van die maksimalistiese perspektief. Tweedens, dit stel voor dat dit nodig is om semantiese studies te benader met ‘n meervoudig saamgestelde benadering. So ‘n benadering neem in ag die raamwerk (“frame”), konseptuele metafoor en metonomie, prototipe, “Idealized Cognitive Models”, grammatika en figuurlike gebruike van taal (insluitend nie-verbale uitdrukkings en simboliese gebare) sodat by ‘n deeglike verstaan van die konsep wat ‘n woord of uitdrukking simboliseer, gekom kan word. Derdens, al die gebruike van ‘n woord of uitdrukking wat in ‘n korpus voorkom, word ontleed om te bepaal of ‘n polisemiese verband gepostuleer kan word tussen die uitdrukkings soos dit gebruik word. Ten slotte, die konteks van hierdie studie is Bybelvertaling. Een vraag wat konsekwent in die ondersoek gevra is, is welke informasie wat verkry is deur die meervoudig saamgestelde benadering kan op ‘n gepaste manier aangebied word in ‘n tweetalige leksikon wat rus op ‘n raamwerkmodel (“frame model”). Die resultate van die navorsing waarin die eklektiese model gebruik is, het tot ’n bree verstaan van die konseptualisering van VREUGDE in Bybelse Hebreeus gelei. Daar is vasgestel dat die emosie VREUGDE in Bybelse Hebreeus ooreenstem met die vyf-fase GEBEURTENIS-STRUKTUUR metafoor wat deur Kovecses (2010) voorgestel is vir emosies in Engels. Tweedens, die ondersoek was in staat om die kern-eienskappe van vreugde te verifieer—wil, begeerte, determinasie and satisfaksie—asook om aan te dui hoe verskillende konstruerende (“construal”) operasies aspekte van die betekenispotensiaal in spesifieke raamwerke aktiveer. Derdens, die verskille en die ooreenkomste van elke spesifieke lekseem wat na vreugde verwys, is vasgestel en beskryf. Vierdens is daar gedemonstreer hoe inligting wat ter sake is vir vertalers, beskryf kan word.

Thesis (DLitt)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this dissertation, the semantic and syntactic properties of deverbatives are analyzed in the context of Generative Lexicon theory, which is a model of lexical semantics. The aim of the analysis relates to the existence of the relationship between nominals derived directly from an event description and their inheritance of the properties of that event. The deverbal nouns in Sesotho are analyzed semantically within specific parameters taking into account the deverbal noun as a whole. This is done by viewing how word meaning interact with a set of generative mechanisms to account for the creative use of language. These mechanisms involve the levels of representations (i.e. argument, event and qualia structures) which provides information about the number and type of arguments; the event type of a lexical item and how these events are tied together within different relations. There are correlations between lexically encoded base forms and morphological derived forms. These correlations provide a need for a representational structure to distinguish between stage-level and individual-level nominals. Focusing on the role of events in the semantics of nouns, it is shown that stage-level and individual-level nouns differ in the type and the quantification of their defining event. This led to the adoption of the view that that nominals in general should be named after the events they each fulfil. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie proefskrif word die semantiese en sintaktiese eienskappe van deverbatiewe in Sesotho ontleed binne die raamwerk van Generatiewe Leksikonteorie, ‘n model van leksikale semantiek. Die doel van die analise hou verband met die verhouding tussen nominale direk afgelei vanaf ‘n gebeurtenis (‘event’) beskrywing en die oorerwing van die eienskappe van daardie gebeurtenis (‘event’). Die Sesotho deverbatiewe word semanties ontleed binne spesifieke parameters met inagneming van die semantiese eienskappe van die deverbatief as geheel. Dit word gedoen deur ‘n ondersoek te doen na hoe woordbetekenis in interaksie is met ‘n stel generatiewe meganismes om ‘n verklaring te bied vir die kreatiewe gebruik van taal. Hierdie meganismes betrek die vlakke van representasie (nl. argumentstruktuur, gebeurtenis (‘event’) struktuur en qualia-struktuur) wat inligting voorsien omtrent die getal en tipes argumente (dit is, uitdrukkings wat tematiese rolle het), die gebeurtenis (‘event’) tipe van ‘n leksikale item, en hoe hierdie gebeurtenisse (‘events’) saamhang binne verskillende verbande. Daar is korrelasies tussen leksikaal ge-enkodeerde basisvorme en morfologiesafgeleide vorms. Hierdie ko-relasies bied ‘n behoefte vir ‘n verteenwoordigende struktuur om te onderskei tussen fase-vlak (‘stage-level’) en individuele-vlak nominale. Daar word aangetoon, met fokus op die gebeurtenisse (‘events’) in die semantiek van naamwoorde, dat fase-vlak en individuele-vlak verskil in die tipe en die kwantifisering van hulle definieerbare gebeurtenis. Dit lei tot die aanvaarding van die siening dat nominale in die algemeen benoem moet word na die gebeurtenisse waaraan elk voldoen.

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the properties of selected monotransitive verbs in Northern Sotho as regard their argument structure and event structure. These Northern Sotho verbs will be examined within the general theoretical framework of Generative Lexicon Theory postulated by Pustejovsky (1996). This theory is in essence concerned with the account of word meaning as it relates to lexical semantic properties of lexical items in composition with other lexical items in a sentence. The arguments of the Northern Sotho verbs examined will include an agentive subject argument, the external argument, and a patient/theme object argument, the internal argument. In addition, a locative internal argument occurs in the sentences, which may have the status of a true argument, a shadow argument, or a default argument, in Pustejovsky’s classification of arguments. The Northern Sotho verbs examined demonstrate accomplishment events in that they entail a change of state and are telic (i.e. they have a logical culmination or endpoint). This telicity property of the verb is often the result of the occurrence of the internal arguments, i.e. the patient/theme argument and locative argument of the verb. The verb classes examined for Northern Sotho include (i) verbs of putting, (ii) verbs of removing, (iii) verbs of sending and carrying, (iv) verbs of exerting force/push/pull verbs), (v) verbs of change of possession, (vi) learn verbs, (vii) verbs of throwing, (viii) verbs of contact by impact, (ix) verbs of cutting, (x) verbs of separating and disassembling, (xi) verbs of creation and transformation, (xii) verbs of communication, (xiii) verbs of ingesting, (xiv) verbs of change of state, and (xv) verbs of motion.

The aim of this thesis is to examine the early vocabulary development of a sample of Swedish children in relation to parental input and early communicative skills. Three studies are situated in an overall description of early language development in children. The data analyzed in the thesis was collected within a larger project at Stockholm University (SPRINT- “Effects of enhanced parental input on young children’s vocabulary development and subsequent literacy development” [VR 2008-5094]). Data analysis was based on parental report via SECDI, the Swedish version of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories, and audio recordings. One study examined parental verbal interaction characteristics in three groups of children with varying vocabulary size at 18 months. The stability of vocabulary development at 18 and 24 months was investigated in a larger study, with focus on children’s vocabulary composition and grammatical abilities. The third study examined interrelations among early gestures, receptive and productive vocabulary, and grammar measured with M3L, i.e. three longest utterances, from 12 to 30 months. Overall results of the thesis highlight the importance of early language development. Variability in different characteristics in parental input is associated with variability in child vocabulary size. Children with large early vocabularies exhibit the most stability in vocabulary composition and the earliest grammatical development. Children’s vocabulary composition may reflect individual stylistic variation. Use of early gestures is associated differentially with receptive and productive vocabulary. Results of the thesis have implications for parents, child- and healthcare personnel, as well as researchers and educational practitioners. The results underscore the importance of high quality in adult-child interaction, with rich input fine-tuned to children’s developmental levels and age, together with high awareness of early language development. / SPRINT project

The aim of this thesis is to examine the early vocabulary development of a sample of Swedish children in relation to parental input and early communicative skills. Three studies are situated in an overall description of early language development in children. The data analyzed in the thesis was collected within a larger project at Stockholm University (SPRINT- “Effects of enhanced parental input on young children’s vocabulary development and subsequent literacy development” [VR 2008-5094]). Data analysis was based on parental report via SECDI, the Swedish version of the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventories, and audio recordings. One study examined parental verbal interaction characteristics in three groups of children with varying vocabulary size at 18 months. The stability of vocabulary development at 18 and 24 months was investigated in a larger study, with focus on children’s vocabulary composition and grammatical abilities. The third study examined interrelations among early gestures, receptive and productive vocabulary, and grammar measured with M3L, i.e. three longest utterances, from 12 to 30 months. Overall results of the thesis highlight the importance of early language development. Variability in different characteristics in parental input is associated with variability in child vocabulary size. Children with large early vocabularies exhibit the most stability in vocabulary composition and the earliest grammatical development. Children’s vocabulary composition may reflect individual stylistic variation. Use of early gestures is associated differentially with receptive and productive vocabulary. Results of the thesis have implications for parents, child- and healthcare personnel, as well as researchers and educational practitioners. The results underscore the importance of high quality in adult-child interaction, with rich input fine-tuned to children’s developmental levels and age, together with high awareness of early language development. / SPRINT project