LINGUIST List 6.1546

Fri Nov 3 1995

Qs: Grammar structure, News group, Case

Editor for this issue: T. Daniel Seely <dseelyemunix.emich.edu>

Directory

1. Douglas Walter, Alternative grammar structure
2. claudia brugman, Q: groups for evolution/universals
3. Linda Formichelli, Q: Instrumental Body Parts in Russian

I'm looking for any previous attempts at creating an alternative grammar
structure and word structure, more under the auspices of theoretical
linguistics. I have looked into Esperanto and some of the other more
popular planned languages. I'm looking specifically for languages that
employ more than one medium in communication (ie. visual & verbal). If
you know where I might find such information, please let me know.

Thanks...

Douglas A Walter
waltdomoonbase.wwc.edu

Are there any newsgroups devoted to issues of human & biological /
linguistic evolution & the relationship of evolution to universals? Back
to me. Thanks.

Dr. Claudia Brugman
Linguistics Section,
School of Languages
University of Otago
PO Box 56
Dunedin, New Zealand
office:(64)(3) 479-8101
fax: (64)(3) 479-8558
claudia.brugmanstonebow.otago.ac.nz

Dear Linguists,

I am researching the use of the instrumental case for the objects (?) of
verbs expressing motion of body parts in Russian, for example "maxat'
rukoj." Specifically, I am looking into whether the body part is an
object, and if so, if it is syntactically the same as the direct object. I
am also interested in the theta-roles of the arguments of such verbs. The
only references I have been able to find which deal with these types of
verbs at all are Apresjan's _Leksicheskaja semantika_ and Wierzbicka's _The
Case for Surface Case_. Also helpful for different ways of thinking about
the problem were Dowty's "Thematic Proto-Roles and Argument Selection" and
Hopper & Thompson's "Transitivity in Grammar and Discourse". and I would
appreciate references to any other current writings or thoughts on the
subject, dealing with Russian or any language with a similar problem.

Thanks,

Linda Formichelli
lindaforviolet.berkeley.edu