Date: 03-Mar-2010
From: Lindsay Morcom <lindsay.weichel ling-phil.ox.ac.uk>
Subject: The Universality and Demarcation of Lexical Categories Cross-Linguistically
 E-mail this message to a friend
Institution: University of Oxford
Program: Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2009
Author: Lindsay Anne Morcom
Dissertation Title: The Universality and Demarcation of Lexical Categories Cross-Linguistically
Linguistic Field(s):
Syntax
Typology
Subject Language(s): Michif (crg)
Language Family(ies): Salishan
Wakashan
Dissertation Director:
Mary Dalrymple
Aditi Lahiri
Paloma Garcia Bellido
Dissertation Abstract:
Drawing data from a variety of sources, this thesis compares functional
evidence regarding lexical categories from a number of Salish and
Wakashan languages, as well as from the Michif language. It then
applies Prototype Theory to examine the structure of the lexicons of
these languages. They are described in terms of prototype categories
that overlap to varying extents, with each category and each area of
overlap defined by a central set of prototypical features.
A high degree of gradience appears to exist between categories in
Salish and Wakashan languages, with no clear boundary between
categories or areas of overlap, indicating that lexical categories in
these languages, rather than being clearly demarcated, are instead
fuzzy categories with very little distinguishing them. Categories in
Michif, on the other hand, exhibit far less overlap. This variation is
compared to variation in conceptual categories across languages, and
challenges the notions of the universality of clearly demarcated lexical
categories and the existence of separately stored language module in
the human mind.
In spite of the variation in lexical category demarcation observed
across the languages studied, it is possible to demarcate the
categories of Noun and Verb to at least some extent in all languages,
as well as a category of Adjective in some languages. This supports
the proposed universality of the categories of Noun and Verb, as well
as the implicational universals proposed in the Amsterdam Model of
Parts of Speech (Hengeveld 1992a, b). It is also possible to identify a
number of defining characteristics for each lexical category that appear
to hold across languages. Since similar characteristics can be
identified across languages for all categories, but the categories
themselves display varying degrees of overlap in individual languages,
this research supports the proposal that language universals, rather
than consisting of structures, rules, and categories that are identical in
all languages, are rather collections of prototypical characteristics for
grammatical categories that are similar across languages (Croft 2000).
This Year the LINGUIST List hopes to raise $65,000. This money will go to help
keep the List running by supporting all of our Student Editors for the coming year.
See below for donation instructions, and don't forget to check out our Space Fund
Drive 2010 and join us for a great journey!
http://linguistlist.org/fund-drive/2010/
There are many ways to donate to LINGUIST!
You can donate right now using our secure credit card form at
https://linguistlist.org/donation/donate/donate1.cfm
Alternatively you can also pledge right now and pay later. To do so, go to:
https://linguistlist.org/donation/pledge/pledge1.cfm
For all information on donating and pledging, including information on how to
donate by check, money order, or wire transfer, please visit:
http://linguistlist.org/donation/
The LINGUIST List is under the umbrella of Eastern Michigan University and as
such can receive donations through the EMU Foundation, which is a registered
501(c) Non Profit organization. Our Federal Tax number is 38-6005986. These
donations can be offset against your federal and sometimes your state tax return
(U.S. tax payers only). For more information visit the IRS Web-Site, or contact
your financial advisor.
Many companies also offer a gift matching program, such that they will match
any gift you make to a non-profit organization. Normally this entails your
contacting your human resources department and sending us a form that the
EMU Foundation fills in and returns to your employer. This is generally a simple
administrative procedure that doubles the value of your gift to LINGUIST, without
costing you an extra penny. Please take a moment to check if your company
operates such a program.
Thank you very much for your support of LINGUIST!
Read more issues|LINGUIST home page|Top of issue
|
