LINGUIST List 10.681

Thu May 6 1999

Qs: Lang Disfunction, Quotation Types, Ergativity

Editor for this issue: Karen Milligan <karenlinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. paf00865poa01.datacontrol.com.br (, Language Disfunction Research
2. J. Dickinson, Quotation types
3. Arthur Holmer, Raising and ergativity

Hello. Do you know some research relating
mental ilness and language disfuntion using
the implacature calculus of Grice and Sperber/Wilson
theories?
Thank you.
Ricardo H. hodara

In analyzing conversational data from a Ukrainian dialect spoken near the
Romanian and Hungarian borders, I have come across an unusual type of
direct quotation, and am wondering whether anyone has parallel data or can
direct me towards any citations on this type of quotation.

The quotation begins with "kaje," a shortened form of "kazhe" ("says") and
then continues very rapidly, punctuated every four syllables or so with a
repetition of "kaje." The quotation is direct quotation, with no
subordination (indirect quotation as well as direct quotation forms
parallel to those in English or standard Ukrainian also commonly occur in
conversation.) I have some heresay evidence from Romanian speakers that a
similar type of quotation occurs in Romanian.

Any thoughts?

Thanks - J. Dickinson, University of Michigan

Question about raising

I am working on a project in comparative syntax and I have a question for
anybody who is working on a) ergative languages or b) languages with VSO
word order.

Under the rubric of "ergative" I include any kind of language for which
ergative characteristics have been reported, regardless of whether the
language is syntactically ergative, morphologically ergative,
split-ergative, active/stative, split-S, fluid-S or tripartite.

Under the rubric of VSO I am concerned with any language with unmarked (or
preferably obligatory) VSO order if both subject and object are full NP's.


My questions are the following:

a) Does the language have a raising verb such as "seem"?

b) There are three theoretically possible realizations of such raising
verbs, shown in 1), 2) and 3). Number 3) is, of course, entirely
ungrammatical in English. In the language you are working with, which of
these constructions is / are possible? Does the language display any other
pattern (which I haven't even considered)?

	1)	It seems that Bill likes sausages.
	2)	Bill seems to like sausages.
	3)	*It seems Bill to like sausages.

c) In which case is the subject of such a raising verb realized?

d) For VSO languages: is the word order VSO in both main clauses and
subordinate clauses?

e) Finally - has anyone seen / heard of any work being done on this question?


I will naturally summarize for the list if I get a response and due
recognition will be given. Thank you.


Arthur Holmer
Lund University
arthur.holmerling.lu.se

Arthur Holmer
Dept of Linguistics and Phonetics
Lund University
Helgonabacken 12
SE-223 62 Lund
Sweden

fax:+46-46-222 4210
phone: +46-46-222 8446
email: arthur.holmerling.lu.se
http://galaxy.ling.lu.se/persons/Arthur/