Australian Journal of Linguistics

Vol. 16, no. 1 (1996)

Articles

Semantic case-stacking and inside-out unification	Avery D. Andrews	1-55
Transitive marking in contact Englishes	Miriam Meyerhoff	57-80
Syntactic behaviour of case and adverbial particles in Japanese	Kiyoharu Ono	81-129

Book reviews

Verbal hygiene (Deborah Cameron)	June Luchjenbroers	131-135
Multilingualism (John Edwards)	John Gibbons	135-137
Feminist stylistics (Sara Mills)	Anne Thwaite	137-140

Abstracts

Semantic case-stacking and inside-out unification

Avery D. Andrews

Abstract: The appearance of multiple case-marking on a single nominal is a somewhat unusual phenomenon that is characteristic of many Australian languages, and which appears problematic for many grammatical theories. In this paper I will propose and describe an analysis of multiple semantic case-marking in LFG, mostly on the basis of the unusually complex case morphology of the Australian languages Kayardild and Martuthunira. The analysis works by starting with the approach taken by Simpson (1991) for Warlpiri, and modifying it by using a notion of 'inside out unification' to express within LFG the basic idea of Jerry Sadock's 'autolexical morphology', that it is the basic stem of an inflected form rather than the entire form that is associated with the syntactic position that the form is inserted into.

Transitive marking in contact Englishes

Miriam Meyerhoff

Abstract: The so-called transitive suffix -IM in a sample of contact Englishes (CEs) occurs variably on main verbs in canonically transitive clauses. This paper considers whether -IM distribution can be accounted for if transitiveness is a range of syntactic-semantic characteristics (Hopper & Thompson's (1980) 'Transitivity'). This tests the universality of H&T's theory, and enriches our understanding of these CEs' grammar. The interaction between -IM and complement form (NP, zero or PP) in five varieties of CEs is also investigated. A multi-variate analysis establishes the significance of ten Transitivity factors, form of the complement, and variety of CE for presence of -IM. -IM marking correlates with four of H&T's factors, including the (canonical) existence of a complement, but it also correlates with irrealis mood — a factor that H&T argue is low in Transitivity. A language-specific feature, form of the complement, is also a constraint on -IM. Potential substrate models for a correlation with irrealis are considered and rejected.

Syntactic behaviour of case and adverbial particles in Japanese

Kiyoharu Ono

Abstract: There are some problems in sub-classifying the case particle ni marking indirect object as a syntactic case particle, and adverbial particles such as sae (even), demo (even, or something), sika (only), and sura (even) as modal particles, for they can be identified as a semantic case particle and predicate particles respectively. Taking into account Watanabe's (1971) arguments that deletion of case particles applies to strong case particles and that combination of case particles with the genitive particle no applies to weak case particles, we will establish in terms of syntactic strength five criteria for ranking case particles and two criteria for ranking adverbial particles. We will then make a survey of syntactic behaviour of case and adverbial particles to establish their power-based syntactic hierarchies. Finally, we will consider whether such hierarchies will shed light on the above sub-classificatory problems with the case and adverbial particles.

Last update: 30 April 2000
Comments to Tim Curnow