The Restriction on Predicative Codas in Existential There-Clauses. Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives

DSpace Repository


Dateien:

URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10900/72092
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:21-dspace-720926
http://dx.doi.org/10.15496/publikation-13504
Dokumentart: MasterThesis
Date: 2016-05-27
Language: English
Faculty: 5 Philosophische Fakultät
5 Philosophische Fakultät
Department: Anglistik, Amerikanistik
DDC Classifikation: 420 - English and Old English
Keywords: Linguistik , Empirie , Philologie , Syntax
Other Keywords:
Predicate Restriction
Existential Sentence
Licensing mechanism
License: http://tobias-lib.uni-tuebingen.de/doku/lic_mit_pod.php?la=de http://tobias-lib.uni-tuebingen.de/doku/lic_mit_pod.php?la=en
Order a printed copy: Print-on-Demand
Show full item record

Abstract:

This thesis investigates the so-called Predicate Restriction (PR) in English existential sentences. The general consensus in the literature is that only stage-level predicates (i.e. predicates denoting temporary properties, like 'sick') can appear in the coda of an existential sentence, while individual-level predicates (i.e. predicates that denote permanent properties, like 'tall') are excluded. After a discussion of the various theoretical approaches to the PR (syntactic, semantic, as well as pragmatic), this thesis pursues two empirical studies, using both corpus data from the BNC and a judgment study. Both studies confirm the theoretical preference for SLP (in a general sense), but also show that the distinction between predicates should not be reduced to a binary SLP–ILP choice. Predicates should rather be analysed in a more fine-grained system with multiple factors, as done in Jäger (2001).

This item appears in the following Collection(s)