Presents an analysis of the constraints on pronominal anaphora in English within the framework of cognitive grammar in terms of semantic distinctions between pronouns and full noun phrases. Semantic notions of prominence and conceptual interconnection are used to develop a model of "conceptual reference points." The analysis provides problematic…

In four experiments with children aged 3;2 to 8;10, subjects were found more likely to regularize denominal verbs than homophonous irregular verb roots and more likely to regularize exocentric nouns than homophonous irregular endocentric nouns. Children at an early age are sensitive to abstract linguistic notions that underlie adults' linguistic…

In communicating, conversationalists constantly make decisions about their interlocutors' state of knowledge and on the basis of these decisions make lexical, grammatical, and intonational choices about how to manage the "flow" of information. This paper focuses on how such decision making affects choices in relative clause constructions…

Analyzes the case marking structure of Japanese. It is proposed that the Case particle has its projection, the Kase Phrase, and that its head, Kase, receives case and a thematic role from an external source, and assigns them to the noun phrase.(36 references) (JL)

A study examines evidence concerning whether Amazonian languages have moved historically from earlier ergative-absolutive systems to nominative-accusative or mixed systems, or whether the change has been in the other direction. The main focus is on the Cariban language family. After a review of relevant literature, data from three of these…

The constraints in English on the definiteness, specificity, humaness and animacy of noun phrases (NP's) undergoing passive and dative movement are examined. Evidence presented shows that these constraints occur in other languages in marked and unmarked constructions as absolute constraints on acceptability or as tendencies. This suggests a…

Analyzes two variants of subject doubling in Ontario French: a non-doubled variant and a doubled variant containing a clitic agreement marker. It is proposed that the doubled variant is favored when the clitic's default features match those of the subject NP (noun phrase), while lack of matching favors the non-doubled variant.(Author/JL)

The Seri language contains over 50 kinship terms and represents one of the most highly elaborated kinship systems described to date. This paper discusses Seri kinship terminology and centers around, but is not limited to, the set of obligatory possessed noun stems that are inflected with the following possessive prefixes":…

Analysis of examples of abstract and concrete nouns reveals that pluralization in Spanish is a complex phenomenon from the semantic point of view. The number of abstract negative nouns being pluralized far outweighs that of their positive counterparts. Syntactic pluralization of abstracts implies a semantic change, and sometimes the pluralization…

Structures in which nouns modify nouns have raised questions about the form and functioning of generative grammars. By applying and extending Jackendoff's X-bar theory of phrase structure, the syntactic properties of two types of pre-noun modifiers, adjectives and nouns, can be examined. X-bar analysis correctly predicts many features of noun-noun…

A study of the extent to which Spanish and French noun cognates in a 15,000-word corpus have the same or different grammatical gender is presented, and a list of about 750 cognates with differing genders is included. (MSE)

This paper argues that further distinctions of syllable weight are necessary to account for certain phonological processes. It is shown that Pulaar, a dialect of Fula, makes a four-way weight distinction. In addition, the analysis shows that previous analyses of Pulaar metrical structure are inadequate. The paper provides a comprehensive analysis…

Examines evidence relevant to the determination of the configurational/nonconfigurational character of clause structure in Modern Greek. The analysis is developed within a framework that accounts for nominative assignment in the context of predication theory. An explanation for the fact that SVO is a routine alternative in Greek is provided. (46…

Approximately 90 citations are included in this annotated bibliography on the Kiowa-Tanoan languages: Kiowa (Oklahoma) and Tiwa, Tewa, and Towa (New Mexico and Arizona). Both published and unpublished works are included. Among the sources are the following publications: American Anthropologist; Anthropological Linguistics; Bulletin of the Bureau…

Reflexives and reciprocals in Ixil, a Mayan language of Guatemala, appear to have features that distinguish them from reflexives surveyed in typological studies such as Faltz (1985) and Geniusiene (1987). Third person reflexives and reciprocals seem to have the form of a possessed noun optionally followed by a possessor NP. Moreover, reflexives…