Proceedings Published by the LSA (Linguistic Society of America)
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Interpreting causee in a ‘permissive’ causative: A case study on Teochew
Get PDFThe verbal domain has been long argued to be a strong phase, of which the origin can be traced back to the discussions on theta role assignment in Chomsky (2000). This study contributes to the phasehood issue at the understudied LF by exploring the argument thematic interpretation in the verbal domain. I argue that in Teochew permissive bun-causative, the interpretation of causee as an understudied external argument is not listed as syntactic primitives, but rather as post-syntactic derivatives derived from syntactically-oriented causal event structure. Such a causal event structure is first affected by the eventuality of the embedded predicate and then influenced by two modalities sublexically encoded in the embedding causative verb, namely a volitional modality in the at-issue meaning and a deontic modality in the presupposition. Such a two-step contextualization mechanism constrains the final interpretation of causee, and, for the first time, sheds light on discussions on the domain sensitivity at LF
Derive the biased reading of A-not-A questions in Mandarin
Get PDFAmong many forms of A-not-A questions in Mandarin Chinese, the shi-not-shi question is found to be unique in that it obligatorily gives rise to a biased reading toward its prejacent, so-called positive bias. The previous pragmatic approach by Ye (2020) establishes a link between focus in polar questions and question bias to explain this biased reading. However, the current study finds that two other A-not-A questions formed by epistemic modals, hui-not-hui and keneng-not-keneng which are not focus markers, obligatorily produce positively biased readings as well. I propose that biased A-not-A questions are a type of high-negation questions with A-not-A residing outside of TP. shi, hui and keneng should all be analyzed as epistemic modals which are the overt realization of Goodhue’s (2019) epistemic operator scoped by the negator. The positively biased reading is derived from the resulting unbalanced partition based on general pragmatic principles. This analysis from the semantic aspect provides new evidence for the argument that the first A has reality only in PF. Furthermore, the Mandarin Chinese data lends evidence to Goodhue’s (2019) argument that there exists a doxastic speech operator between NegP and TP in high negation questions. The paper also provides explanations for previously remaining questions on bias cancelation by the stress marker daodi and factive predicates like zhidao (“know”)
Perception of the question tune in Guanzhong Mandarin
Get PDFThis study investigates the perception of the question tune in Guanzhong Mandarin and the interaction between tone and tune using the AX paradigm. Our findings reveal a complex interplay between lexical tones and question tunes, in which when the lexical tone is rising, it is more difficult to perceive question tunes. Furthermore, the research argues that the question tune retrieval requires extra working memory load and cognitive processing, because of the tune information brought by a high register and a high boundary tone
Rule ordering is free: A case study of extraction out of ellipsis
Get PDFThis paper examines Bošković’s (2014) idea that extraction out of an ellipsis site is impossible when a phase is elided. One of the empirical problems with this analysis is that there is a case, pointed out in Takahashi (2020), where focus movement out of an elided CP (a phase) is possible in Japanese. By reformulating Bošković’s (2014) system in terms of Obata, Epstein and Baptista’s (2015) view that that ordering of rule-application is underspecified in UG, we demonstrate that the ordering between Internal Merge (IM) and Bošković’s ‘Marking for Ellipsis’ (ME) is crucial: in Bošković’s system, ME needs to precede IM, which makes extraction out of CP impossible. If IM precedes ME, on the other hand, extraction out of CP should be equally possible, which enables us to generate Takahashi’s (2020) focus movement case. As a consequence, our analysis clarifies what roles labels play in the interfaces, which supports Chomsky’s (2013) view that labels are necessary for interface interpretation
Rigor and accessibility: Attitudes towards syntax pedagogy in higher education
Get PDFWe report on early stages of a large study on syntax pedagogy, and particularly on perceptions of “gatekeeping”. We present the results of a pilot study to explore this theme and others that arose, such as inequality and discrimination in the classroom, as well as the results of an ongoing program survey. Together, these results show that there are widespread experiences of bias in syntax classrooms, that syntax occupies a privileged space within linguistics, and that syntax is perceived to be a particularly difficult subject which some people have an innate talent for and others do not. The findings, especially in the context of current work on social justice in linguistics, have serious implications for inclusivity in the field and on how we as syntax educators can make changes for the benefit of future syntax scholars
Mỹky interlocutor exponence and the syntax of the speech act
No full textMỹky is an isolated polysynthetic language spoken in southern Amazonia, in the western area of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso (Monserrat 2010; Bardagil 2023). One of the morpheme slots on the right edge of the polysynthetic verb displays a morphological alternation, with one form corresponding to a speaker and addressee of the same category, and another form to interlocutors of different categories. I lay out a proposal to account for this alternation as an instance of morphological indexing of speech act-level participants, rather than event- or clause-level, by adopting a Par- ticipant Structure Analysis (Portner et al. 2019, 2022) and reframing Status as a broader notion called Sameness
Disjunction in Ket
Get PDFWe explore how disjunction is expressed in Ket, an understudied and highly endangered Yeniseian language of Siberia. We show that Ket has multiple strategies of disjunction, which share morphological resources with indefinites and which differ in their scope-taking properties. We present a preliminary analysis and discuss the broader typology, showing that while Ket’s system of disjunction resembles those of Sinhala (Indic; Sri Lanka) and Tiwa (Tibeto-Burman; India), it differs from these systems in several respects. We conclude that multiple disjunction strategies appear to be widespread, but show significant variation, and require additional investigation cross-linguistically
We’ve seen the future (of teaching linguistics): It’s inclusive and just for everyone
Get PDFOur session, organized by the LSA’s Special Interest Group on Scholarly Teaching in Linguistics, brought together in-person and online participants for an exploration of linguistics pedagogy as an avenue for sustaining and advancing the continued growth of our field across a variety of academic institution types and student populations – from community colleges, small liberal arts colleges, and Tribal Colleges, to large-scale public and private universities
More exceedingly comparative: Adverbial and attributive Exceed comparatives
Get PDFNovel fieldwork data from Shan (Kra-Dai) adds to the cross-linguistic account of comparative constructions, especially Exceed-type comparatives. Shan can form comparative expressions from adverbs, which had not been analyzed in previous accounts of Exceed-type comparatives (Bochnak 2013; Howell 2013; Clem 2019; a.o.). Synthesizing previous semantic accounts of phrasal comparatives can account for the presented data
Homogeneity and the illocutionary force of rejection
Get PDFHomogeneity inferences arise whenever an assertion implies a universal positive (every/both) and its denial implies a universal negative (no/neither). I present an account of homogeneity inferences based on two assumptions which together constrain the behavior of negation: rejection is non-classical, and vacuous models may be omitted (Neglect Zero). If both assumptions are enforced, the only definable negatives are universal (no/neither), predicting the homogeneity gap