This paper discusses the different mechanisms of membership recruitment in the zero-Secondary Pre... more This paper discusses the different mechanisms of membership recruitment in the zero-Secondary Predicate Construction (or zero-SPC). The zero-SPC (or ‘small clause’, see Williams 1980, 1983; Aarts 1992, 1997; Haegeman & Guéron 1999; Hoekstra 2004; Los 2005) consists of a [Verb + Noun Phrase + XPhrase]sequence and involves a (secondary) predicative relation between the ‘predicand’ Noun Phrase (NP) and the ‘predicate’ XPhrase (XP). Examples from PresentDay English are given in (1). The ‘zero’-element in the category label ‘zeroSPC’ indicates that the secondary predicate XP is not introduced by a dedicated marker, unlike the XP introduced by as in the as-SPC in I regard him as my brother.
The semantics of prepositions: from mental …, 1993
Page 39. The Dutch spatial preposition" in' A cognitive-semantic analysis Hubert Cuycke... more Page 39. The Dutch spatial preposition" in' A cognitive-semantic analysis Hubert Cuyckens 1. Setting the scene This paper provides a lexical-semantic analysis of the spatial senses of the Dutch preposition in, or, in short, of the ...
... E. Joseph (Edinburgh) Manfred Krifka (Berlin); Hans-Heinrich Lieb (Berlin) E. Wyn Roberts (Va... more ... E. Joseph (Edinburgh) Manfred Krifka (Berlin); Hans-Heinrich Lieb (Berlin) E. Wyn Roberts (Vancouver, BC); Hans-Jiirgen Sasse (Koln) Volume ... Constructions: A False Dichotomy William Croft 49 Schemas and Lexical Blends Suzanne Kemmer 69 Valency and Diathesis Heinz ...
In this article, we account for the preservation of the English inseparable prefix be- beyond ear... more In this article, we account for the preservation of the English inseparable prefix be- beyond early Middle English, and for its productive capacity, by making use of the construction grammar model (CxG) as mainly developed by Goldberg (1995, 2006), and based on research on constructions by, for instance, Lakoff (1987), Fillmore, Kay, O’Connor (1988), and Michaelis (1994). We discuss be-’s frequency history in detail and contrast it with another prefix, to-, whose frequency history is taken to be representative of inseparable prefixes other than be-. Next, we describe the Construction Grammar approach to verb prefixes, and describe the two types of prefix constructions that are relevant for our study, namely, predicative and non-predicative prefix constructions (Blom 2004). On the whole, predicative prefix constructions can be defined as those constructions in which the prefix functions as a secondary predicate denoting the result of the action of the verb (the primary predicate). Non-predicative prefixes refer to another set of prefixes, among which those at play here, which license a direct object and have a function similar to that of a preposition in a prepositional phrase. It will be seen that the differences in life span and development of the various prefixes depends on the distinct syntactico-semantic properties of each of these prefix constructions.While predicative prefixes could easily be replaced by functionally and semantically equivalent phrasal particles during the transitory period when English shifted from an OV-language to aVO-language, the salient syntactico-semantic makeup of the non-predicative construction marked by the prefix be- largely prevented a similar replacement. It is precisely this salient non-predicative construction that will serve as the prototype for various extensions. In three of the resulting new constructions, be- assumes a more grammatical function. It will be shown that the highly salient constructional properties of these major grammaticalized uses together with the spatial prototype on which they are based, and their high degree of type entrenchment are major factors in the conservation of the prefix be-.
Applying the framework of Radical Construction Grammar to diachronic phenomena, the present paper... more Applying the framework of Radical Construction Grammar to diachronic phenomena, the present paper examines Copular Constructions in Old and Middle English, with special attention to the loss of the Copula weorðan ‘become’. First we reconstruct the extension of the OE Verbs is, beon, weorðan and becuman to various types of Copular Constructions. We further argue that schematic Copular Constructions emerge in overlapping usage areas resulting from these developments, in which abstraction is made of the Copulas’ particular aspectual semantics. These schematic Copular Constructions in turn undergo some changes themselves. In Middle English a Passive Construction developed out of an original Copula Construction involving Adjectival Participles. However, the constructional profile of weorðan comprised an association between Participial and Adjectival Subject Complements much stronger than in other copulas, and this conflicted with this development, with the archaisization of weorðan as a result. This process of archaisization was further strengthened by the takeover of Weak Verbs in -ian (type ealdian ‘become old’) by new copulas like becuman. In general, we show how diachronic construction grammar might account for the loss of a function word otherwise difficult to account for.
This paper discusses the different mechanisms of membership recruitment in the zero-Secondary Pre... more This paper discusses the different mechanisms of membership recruitment in the zero-Secondary Predicate Construction (or zero-SPC). The zero-SPC (or ‘small clause’, see Williams 1980, 1983; Aarts 1992, 1997; Haegeman & Guéron 1999; Hoekstra 2004; Los 2005) consists of a [Verb + Noun Phrase + XPhrase]sequence and involves a (secondary) predicative relation between the ‘predicand’ Noun Phrase (NP) and the ‘predicate’ XPhrase (XP). Examples from PresentDay English are given in (1). The ‘zero’-element in the category label ‘zeroSPC’ indicates that the secondary predicate XP is not introduced by a dedicated marker, unlike the XP introduced by as in the as-SPC in I regard him as my brother.
The semantics of prepositions: from mental …, 1993
Page 39. The Dutch spatial preposition" in' A cognitive-semantic analysis Hubert Cuycke... more Page 39. The Dutch spatial preposition" in' A cognitive-semantic analysis Hubert Cuyckens 1. Setting the scene This paper provides a lexical-semantic analysis of the spatial senses of the Dutch preposition in, or, in short, of the ...
... E. Joseph (Edinburgh) Manfred Krifka (Berlin); Hans-Heinrich Lieb (Berlin) E. Wyn Roberts (Va... more ... E. Joseph (Edinburgh) Manfred Krifka (Berlin); Hans-Heinrich Lieb (Berlin) E. Wyn Roberts (Vancouver, BC); Hans-Jiirgen Sasse (Koln) Volume ... Constructions: A False Dichotomy William Croft 49 Schemas and Lexical Blends Suzanne Kemmer 69 Valency and Diathesis Heinz ...
In this article, we account for the preservation of the English inseparable prefix be- beyond ear... more In this article, we account for the preservation of the English inseparable prefix be- beyond early Middle English, and for its productive capacity, by making use of the construction grammar model (CxG) as mainly developed by Goldberg (1995, 2006), and based on research on constructions by, for instance, Lakoff (1987), Fillmore, Kay, O’Connor (1988), and Michaelis (1994). We discuss be-’s frequency history in detail and contrast it with another prefix, to-, whose frequency history is taken to be representative of inseparable prefixes other than be-. Next, we describe the Construction Grammar approach to verb prefixes, and describe the two types of prefix constructions that are relevant for our study, namely, predicative and non-predicative prefix constructions (Blom 2004). On the whole, predicative prefix constructions can be defined as those constructions in which the prefix functions as a secondary predicate denoting the result of the action of the verb (the primary predicate). Non-predicative prefixes refer to another set of prefixes, among which those at play here, which license a direct object and have a function similar to that of a preposition in a prepositional phrase. It will be seen that the differences in life span and development of the various prefixes depends on the distinct syntactico-semantic properties of each of these prefix constructions.While predicative prefixes could easily be replaced by functionally and semantically equivalent phrasal particles during the transitory period when English shifted from an OV-language to aVO-language, the salient syntactico-semantic makeup of the non-predicative construction marked by the prefix be- largely prevented a similar replacement. It is precisely this salient non-predicative construction that will serve as the prototype for various extensions. In three of the resulting new constructions, be- assumes a more grammatical function. It will be shown that the highly salient constructional properties of these major grammaticalized uses together with the spatial prototype on which they are based, and their high degree of type entrenchment are major factors in the conservation of the prefix be-.
Applying the framework of Radical Construction Grammar to diachronic phenomena, the present paper... more Applying the framework of Radical Construction Grammar to diachronic phenomena, the present paper examines Copular Constructions in Old and Middle English, with special attention to the loss of the Copula weorðan ‘become’. First we reconstruct the extension of the OE Verbs is, beon, weorðan and becuman to various types of Copular Constructions. We further argue that schematic Copular Constructions emerge in overlapping usage areas resulting from these developments, in which abstraction is made of the Copulas’ particular aspectual semantics. These schematic Copular Constructions in turn undergo some changes themselves. In Middle English a Passive Construction developed out of an original Copula Construction involving Adjectival Participles. However, the constructional profile of weorðan comprised an association between Participial and Adjectival Subject Complements much stronger than in other copulas, and this conflicted with this development, with the archaisization of weorðan as a result. This process of archaisization was further strengthened by the takeover of Weak Verbs in -ian (type ealdian ‘become old’) by new copulas like becuman. In general, we show how diachronic construction grammar might account for the loss of a function word otherwise difficult to account for.
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