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LINGUIST List 17.2296

Thu Aug 10 2006

Qs: The Etymology of Egyptian;Ambiguity and 'that' in (wh-) Questions

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Directory
        1.    Sandro Capochichi, The Etymology of Egyptian
         2.    John Winward, Ambiguity and 'that' in (wh-) Questions
Message 1: The Etymology of Egyptian
Date: 03-Aug-2006
From: Sandro Capochichi <Sandro.Capochichiwanadoo.fr>
Subject: The Etymology of Egyptian


Greetings,

I would like to know if there exist any cognates to the Ancient Egyptian root
Sekhem meaning ''power(ful)''. Has anyone written on this issue?

Thanks in advance,

Sandro Capochichi

Linguistic Field(s): Historical Linguistics
Message 2: Ambiguity and 'that' in (wh-) Questions
Date: 03-Aug-2006
From: John Winward <winwardtu.ac.th>
Subject: Ambiguity and 'that' in (wh-) Questions


I'm doing research on the acquisition of wh- movement by Thai L1 speakers,
using truth value judgement tests on ambiguous question structures that can
be disambiguated by using island effects, superiority etc.

There's an issue here that looks really basic, but for which I can't seem
to find any references in the literature:

a. Why does John believe Mary is unhappy?
b. Why does John believe that Mary is unhappy?

To my ears at least, while a. is ambiguous between a matrix and embedded
clause reading: 'because he saw her crying' vs. 'because she failed her
exams', b. forces a matrix-clause reading: 'because he saw her crying';
*'because she failed her exams' (it doesn't seem to apply in relative
clauses though).

Is there a standard explanation, that I've somehow managed to miss? Sorry
if this is a dumb question - I'm working a long way away from the
mainstream out here...

j

Linguistic Field(s): Syntax
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