A feature-based theory of adverb syntax

Laenzlinger, Christopher

doi:10.1075/la.70.08lae

Cited by 32 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…In this paper we have adopted the approach which considers these adverbs to be the specifiers in the projection of the passive participle in the attributive position. (For more details about specifier vs adjunct theoretical approach see Cinque, 2004;Laenzlinger, 1998Laenzlinger, , 2004Alexiadou, 1997Alexiadou, , 2004vs. Ernst, 2004;Engels, 2004;Pittner, 2004;etc.…”

Section: Specifiers/modifiers 9 Of Passive Participles and Adjectives...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Some Constraints on Passive Attributes and Problems of Categorization

Arnaut-Karović

2013

Zb. rad. Isl. pedagoš. fak. Zenica (Online)

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It has been noted that without the appropriate adverbial modification some passive participles are not acceptable in the attributive position in English: e.g. *a found suitcase, *a killed young man, *a built apartment block, as opposed to some passive participles that are not subject to this restriction: e.g. an abandoned village, a complicated man, the needed discipline. The assumption that identification of categorial status can be better seen at the level of larger constituents, has led us to propose some distributional diagnostic tests to confirm whether they retain their verbal force or have achieved their adjectival status in English, when used in the attributive position. Since their morphological form has not proved to be reliable for identification of their category, we have proposed to test them by classifying the types of adverbs enabling some of the passive participles to be used attributively. Given that the same adverbs can modify both, adjectives and verbs, we have focused on the classification of degree adverbs pre-modifying passive participles attributively used. The tests proposed in this paper may show that the open class degree adverbs that modify passive participles in both, attributive and predicative distribution do not fall into the single class but split up into the subclasses: degree adverbs/intensifiers and adverbs of measure/quantity modifying passive participles in attributive and predicative function, respectively. Since passive participles, too, may have different interpretation and either adjectival or verbal/passive reading when used as attributes, the open class degree adverbs are tested at the level of participial phrase used attributively within the NP. The examples were compared with the translation equivalents in BCS to see whether the same constraint affects passive attributes in BCS. Keywords: degree adverbs, intensifiers, adverbs of quantity/ measure, passive participles, complementary distribution

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Section: Specifiers/modifiers 9 Of Passive Participles and Adjectives...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Some Constraints on Passive Attributes and Problems of Categorization

Arnaut-Karović

2013

Zb. rad. Isl. pedagoš. fak. Zenica (Online)

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Adverb Classes and Adverb Placement

Delfitto

Fiorin

2017

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Syntax, Second Edition

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Adverbs are one of the familiar categories of traditional grammar. Traditionally, adverbs are regarded as modifiers of verbs, in comparison with adjectives, which are regarded as modifiers of names. This view, however, runs into problems of both a syntactic and a semantic nature. On one hand, adverbs modify not only verbs but also predicates belonging to other syntactic categories. On the other hand, not all adverbs can be interpreted as predicate operators. This makes it difficult to identify uniform classificatory criteria for the class of adverbs. The interpretive notion of predicate modifier does not provide us with a criterion of classification sufficient to understand what is common to all adverbs. Adverbial syntax, on the other hand, is fairly complex. Traditionally, adverbs have been analyzed as giving rise to adjunct structures. However, this hypothesis soon proved unable to account for the complex distributional patterns of adverbs. This has led to the view that adverbs are an integral part of clause structure. More recently, however, adjunct‐based theories have regained attention by deriving the distribution of adverbs on the basis of semantic constraints. In this chapter, we discuss the categorial status of adverbials and present the main attempts to classify adverbials into distinct classes, which are mainly based on interpretive criteria. We then discuss the issue of syntactic placement of adverbials. Two main approaches are considered: adjunct‐based theories, whereby adverbs are adjuncts and their distribution is constrained by semantic principles; and syntax‐based theories, whereby adverbs are licensed by dedicated functional heads and their distribution is determined syntactically. Finally, we face the issue of movement, in particular the peculiar properties of wh ‐movement when applied to adverbs of several types and the status of the argument–adjunct asymmetry.

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Adverbial Adjuncts in Mandarin Chinese

Ernst¹

2014

The Handbook of Chinese Linguistics

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A feature-based theory of adverb syntax

Cited by 32 publications

References 12 publications

Some Constraints on Passive Attributes and Problems of Categorization

Some Constraints on Passive Attributes and Problems of Categorization

Adverb Classes and Adverb Placement

Adverbial Adjuncts in Mandarin Chinese

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