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Models of conflation patterns

Models of conflation patterns. Julie Manchester and Aous Mansouri. Talmy’s lexicalization patterns. Aspect: Incorporating “the pattern of distribution of action through time” within the verb root Causation: incorporating causative meaning within the verb root Motion Verbs:

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Models of conflation patterns

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  1. Models of conflation patterns Julie Manchester and Aous Mansouri

  2. Talmy’s lexicalization patterns Aspect: • Incorporating “the pattern of distribution of action through time” within the verb root Causation: • incorporating causative meaning within the verb root Motion Verbs: • incorporating movement or maintenance of a stationary location within the verb root

  3. Meaning-surface form relations “What pressure?” • Deletion: at what (degree of) pressure? • Interpretation: what degree vs. degree of pressure • Lexicalization: the meaning component is in regular association with a particular morpheme, or more correctly, with a particular usage. (pressure2 = degree of pressure1)

  4. Semantic components related with motion events • Figure: an object moving or located with respect to another object (reference point) • Ground: the reference point with which the Figure interacts • Path: the course followed or site occupied by the figure object with respect to the Ground • Motion: the presence per se in the event of motion or location • Manner: the type of motion • Cause: types of causation

  5. Semantic Components

  6. Language Typologies: • MOTION + MANNER/CAUSE • The verb-root expresses (conflates) both the fact of Motion and its Manner or Cause • Path can be expressed externally Semantic to surface relationship can be represented as follows: FIGURE MOTION PATH GROUND { MANNER/CAUSE} {move/be located} <surface verbs>

  7. MOTION + MANNER/CAUSE • The mouse crept out of the hole • The girl tobogganed down the hill • The shirt hung on the clothes line • The shirt blew off the clothes line

  8. Language Typologies: • Motion + Path: • The verb root expresses both the fact of motion and its Path • Manner or cause is usually independent and expressed adverbially or with a gerund construction FIGURE MOTION PATH GROUND {MANNER/CAUSE} {move/be L } <surface verbs>

  9. Motion + Path • She circled the building • La botella saliÓde la cueva flotando ‘The bottle exited the cave floating’ • صعدت أختي السلّم ركضاً Şacadat uxti: assullama rakđan ‘My sister ascended the stairs running’

  10. Language Typologies: • Motion + figure: • The verb root conflates both the fact of motion and the Figure. • Languages of this type have a large number of surface verbs that express various objects or materials as moving or located. FIGURE MOTION PATH GROUND {MANNER/CAUSE} {move/beL} <surface verbs>

  11. Motion + figure • I spat into the cuspidor • /’-w-uh-sťaq’-ik.-a/ ‘Runny icky material is located on the ground from its own weight acting on it’ (Guts are lying on the ground) • /s-’-w-cu-sťaq’-cis.-a/ ‘I caused it that runny icky material move into fire by acting on it with a linear object moving axially’ (I prodded the guts into the fire with a stick)

  12. Implications of Relativity? • Cognitive function effects? • Greek cognitive experiments • Slobin and musings on “The Frog Story” experiments

  13. Typological constraints • Languages aren’t necessarily restricted to their typologies—as evidenced by the English examples • So why would we choose a non manner verb if the option was there? • Background information • Awkward constructions • Gesture

  14. So how do languages indicate external information not inherently expressed by the verb?

  15. Satellites • Broad category of immediate constituents of a verb root (including participles, adverbs, affixes, prepositional phrases…etc) that express a component of the motion event scenario not contained within the meaning of the verb • Together with the verb, they form a “verb complex” that modifies a head

  16. Semantic material expressed by satellites • Path • The majority of satellites used in English express Path • Often combined with a prepositional phrase • Which can be deleted I ran out of the house. (After rifling through the house,) I ran out

  17. Satellites v Prepositional Phrases • In most Indo European languages they have two distinct forms • In Russian: • satellites are bound prefixally with the verb • prep accompanies the noun and governs its case Ya v-bežal (v dom) I in-ran (into house (ACC)) I ran in (-to the house) Ya vy-bežal (iz doma) I out-ran (out of house (GEN)) I ran out (of the house)

  18. Satellites v Prepositional Phrases • English can present more problems: • When Ground is omitted only satellite remains • The classes are often separate • Satellite: together/apart/forth • Prep Phrase: from/at/toward • Different senses for overlapping forms: • I went to the store • I came to

  19. Satellites v Prepositional Phrases • Stress • Satellites receive ‘heavy’ stress • Prepositional Phrases receive ‘light’ stress • I went tō him • I followed him ín • I went ín tō him • I went past him

  20. Semantic material expressed by satellites • Path + Ground: • Expresses Path and its Ground • She drove home (to her cottage) • The gate swung shut (across the entryway) • Atsugewi is noted as having fifty such satellites • ikn- over the rim into a volume enclosure (hole/mouth)

  21. Semantic material expressed by satellites • Patient: (Figure/) Ground • Rare but found in some noun-incorporating Amerindian languages (eg Caddo) • Nisah-nt-kay-watak-ah ‘house-penetrate/traverse past’ ‘He house-traversed’ ‘He went through the house’

  22. Semantic material expressed by satellites • Manner • Rare. Found extensively in Nez Perce • ququ ‘(animal) galloping/(human) galloping (on animal) • Hi-ququ-lahsa-e ‘He/she ascended galloping’ ‘He/she galloped uphill’

  23. Semantic material expressed by Satellites • Cause • Traditionally seen as instrument, now seen to express entire casual event Again we turn to Atsugewi: • cu- object in action ‘from a linear object acting axially on P’ • ti- from the buttocks acting on P

  24. Semantic material expressed by Satellites • Aspect • Common among languages; Often a mix with notions manner, quantity, intention… • Re/over – The record restarted/The record started over

  25. Semantic material expressed by Satellites • Valence • Signals switch in arguments – not a change in the number of arguments • I ran it through him (it = sword) • I ran him through it

  26. Typology of Motion verbs & Their Satellites

  27. Some Final Thoughts… • Talmy concludes that languages are comparable in conveying information, but generally differ in the amount and type of information that can be expressed in a background way

  28. Some Final Thoughts… • The man ran back down into the cellar More “information-packed” than the Motion + Path languages could convey • Similar instance with English and Atsugewi (it) – from-wind-blowing – icky-matter-moved – into-liquid Factual [cause……………..] [Figure…………..] Path+ Ground ‘It blew in’

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