This article inquires into the nature of "attributive" prepositional phrases from a Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG) perspective. On the basis of the observation that such prepositional phrases can easily be separated from their host noun phrases by extraposition or extraction, it is argued that they do not belong to the noun phrase…

This paper examines the concept of polysemy which serves as the basis of the "principled polysemy model" of spatial prepositions proposed by A. Tyler and V. Evans in a number of recent publications [Tyler, Andrea, Evans, Vyvyan, 2001. Reconsidering prepositional polysemy networks: The case of "over". Language 77, 724-765;…

Discusses two readings of English plural noun phrases, the collective and distributive, and argues against postulating a hidden operator that would handle the ambiguity. The article postulates principles of combination, giving truth conditions for a sentence with an "n"-place predicate and demonstrative noun phrases as arguments,…

Shows that looking at individual semantic functions of grammatical morphemes is essential to explaining particular cases of noniconicity between lexical categories and their discourse functions. It is suggested that, in light of this importance of the functions of individual grammatical morphemes, it is now easier to evaluate why…

Discusses the bare-noun phrase (NP) complementation pattern of the Spanish verb "tener" (have). Shows that the maximality of the complement NP is dependent upon three factors: (1) idiosyncratic valence requirements; (2) encyclopedic knowledge related to possession; and (3) contextualized semantic construal. (Author/VWL)

Final chapter of "The Grammatical Foundations of Rhetoric", to be published by Mouton, The Hague, Netherlands. (DD)

Attempts to show that phrase-structure diagrams (commonly called trees) are inadequate for the representation of meaning, particularly for that variety of meaning called descriptive content. (RS)

Suggests that there are universal constraints that explain the so-called "Definiteness Effect," i.e., the fact that certain constructions do not allow for definite arguments in certain positions. The article founds its proposal on the analysis of data from Hungarian and English. (15 references) (Author/CK)

Nominalization of possessive sentences in Russian is discussed. It is maintained that all lexical surface items originate as terms in a situation model, and that their actualization as different parts of speech is language-specific. Language data are used to support a locative interpretation of the semantic model. (CHK)

Examines negative polarity items in English and Korean and argues that a consistent explanation emerges if certain assumptions are entertained about indefiniteness and concession by arbitrary choice. The article maintains that the logical consequences of monotone decreasingness is transparent with strong negatives but less so with weaker ones. (18…

Presents a comparative semantic analysis of English, French, and Dutch transitive constructions that takes into account the entity that sets the event in motion, the object it affects, and the process that links both. (18 references) (Author/CK)

Examines parallels in semantic structure between noun phrases and verbal predicates in constructions in which they are mutually constraining and contribute to the expression of lexical aspect and grammatical aspect. Data are drawn mainly from English and Slavic languages, which are compared to German and Finnish. (Author/VWL)

Examines, within the framework of contrastive rhetoric, nominal clauses and predicates, arguing that there are essential differences in nominalization between English and Japanese, such as focusing on the event in Japanese and on the individual in English. The article emphasizes the diverse ways in which languages are endowed to express different…

Discusses the relative merits of feature versus model based semantics for the interpretation of verb phrases in English, French, and German. The article concludes that the simplicity afforded by features is offset by the depth of analysis achieved with event models that are additionally able to support a sophisticated approach to machine…

Discusses the ways languages of Europe render the "given"-"new" distinction on the basis of data collected by means of presenting speakers of various languages with the task of reconstructing a route on a map. The article raises questions about the nature of "wh"-pronouns in English and about what is shared by these…