Browsing Mastergradsoppgaver i språk by Author
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Browsing Mastergradsoppgaver i språk by Author
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Klævik-Pettersen, Espen Johan (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, May-2010)[+][-]
Abstract: Oppgaven er viet et semantisk komparativt studium av den franske preposisjon ”dans” og den norske preposisjon ”i” i spatial og temporal bruk. Som utgangspunkt for det spatiale domenet ligger boken L’espace en français (1986) av Claude Vandeloise. Vandeloises framgangsmåte analyseres, og eksemplene fra hans studium oversettes til norsk for å sammenholde det semantiske innholdet til ”dans” med det semantiske innholdet til den norske preposisjonen ”i”. Likhetene og ulikhetene som avdekkes tjener som utgangspunkt for en diskuterende komparativ analyse. Som utgangspunkt for det temporale domenet ligger definisjoner av temporal bruk av ”dans” slik de fremgår i tre viktige frankspråklige leksika. Eksemplene som gis her oversettes til norsk på samme måte som for det spatiale domenet. Den semantiske analysen er tuftet på prototype-teori og spesielt på verket til Georges Kleiber, La sémantique du prototype (1990). Oppgaven berører også allmenne semantiske og kognitiv-lingvistiske aspekter. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/2779 File(s) in this item: 1
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Komeros, Annikki (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 15-May-2009)[+][-]
Abstract: Denne mastergradsoppgaven handler om tospråklighet/flerspråklighet i Sør-Varanger kommune. Historisk sett har Sør-Varanger kommune vært en flerspråklig kommune. Folkegruppene: nordmenn, samer, skoltesamer, kvener og russere har levd i felleskap i dette området og mange har behersket to eller flere språk. I nyere tid har enda flere nasjonaliteter, med sine språk, flyttet til kommunen. Forskningsmålet var å kartlegge hvilke nasjonaliteter/minoriteter/etnisiteter og språk som finnes i Sør-Varanger kommune. Jeg har med intervjuer undersøkt situasjonen på kommunale/fylkeskommunale skoler og i barnehager. Videre har jeg undersøkt skolenes undervisningstilbud i språk og hvilke språk som brukes aktivt i barnehagene. Siden dette er en mastergradsoppgave i finsk språk, har jeg tatt med språksosiologiske livshistorier til fire utvalgte familier, som har tilknytning til det finske språket. Jeg har gjennomført temaintervju med familiene og skrevet ned hvordan deres tospråklige/flerspråklige liv har vært. Til slutt har jeg sett på hvilken måte kommunen benytter seg av den ressursen som ligger i flerspråklighet. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/1931 File(s) in this item: 1
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Lesz, Barbara (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, May-2011)[+][-]
Abstract: Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States in probably one of the hardest periods for his country. The U.S. was fighting with one of the worst economic crises in its history and, additionally, waged two unpopular wars that had shattered its reputation as the moral champion of the democratic countries. Obama brought hope in the lives of many. He was a contrast to his predecessor, viz. George W. Bush Jr. He was eloquent, he inspired trust of American citizens and raised their hopes for the better future. It could be argued that Barack Obama was elected partly on the strength of his inspiring speeches. The thesis explores the topic of metaphors in Obama’s speeches and their possible ideological repercussions. The speeches from the period of Obama’s presidential campaign and the early period of his presidency have been analyzed. The topics of the speeches range from terrorism to nuclear power and other threats to the security of the U.S. The identification of metaphorical expressions in twelve texts was conducted using a method based on Metaphor Identification Procedure. Conceptual metaphors underlying the metaphorical expressions were identified and put into groups. The three most numerous groups were analyzed in the framework of Cognitive Metaphor Theory. The analysis showed that metaphors can be argued to be partly responsible for Obama’s image, as well as for his success in evoking feelings of comradeship between himself and his followers and trust in his politics. Moreover, it was observed that Obama used metaphors to convince his followers that despite the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and Guantanamo Bay detention camp America is still the moral leader of the world abiding by democratic rules. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/3540 File(s) in this item: 1
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Letto, Torill (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 15-Nov-2007)[+][-]
Abstract: Lyngen kommune i Nord - Troms er interessant i et etnisk perspektiv i.o.m møtet mellom kvener, samer og nordmenn. Språkvitenskapen har påvist at møtet mellom folkegruppene har satt spor i talemålet i området. Jeg ønsket å undersøke om dette flerkulturelle møtet har vært av betydning også i forhold til navngiving. Undersøkelsen min har karakter av en komparativ analyse av navngivingspraksisen mellom de ulike folkegruppene i området, og den har fokus på fornavn. Datagrunnlaget mitt er de lokale folketellingene av 1865 og 1900, opp mot 7000 personer. Funn fra folketellinga av 1865 er kontrastert opp mot folketellinga av 1900. Stikkord knytta til undersøkelsen er: Etnisitet, religiøsitet i og med læstadianismen, den nordiske navnerenessansen, oppkallingsskikker, kulturell tilhørighet og ulike navnekulturer. Undersøkelsen viser for eksempel at den kvenske befolkningen tildels var knytta til svensk navnekultur, og syns å hente inspirasjon til valg av navn fra svensk navnedagskalender. Samtidig er det likhetstrekk mellom kvensk og norsk befolkning i navngivinga komparativt med den samiske, spesielt når det gjelder nye navnetyper som kom inn i navnetilfanget på 1800-tallet. Den norske befolkningen har størst navnerikdom og er påvirket av navneimpulser i norsk samtid. Samisk navneskikk er preget oppkallingstradisjoner og navnekonservatisme. Undersøkelsen viser interessante forskjeller i navngivingspraksisen mellom de etniske gruppene og avslører at komplekse sosiologiske mekanismer syns å virke i befolkningen i Lyngen. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/1263 File(s) in this item: 1
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Liu, Zhiyin (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 31-May-2012)[+][-]
Abstract: The aim of this thesis is to explore the phonological opacity of the retroflex suffixation in Beijing Dialect. The retroflex suffixation contains a series of phonetic variables in the main syllable and a phonological opacity. With respect to the former analysis of a phonological approach, there arises variable issues in divergence, including the underlying form of the retroflex suffix, the underlying forms of the vowels and the opaque process of retroflex suffixation. In the beginning of this paper, there consists of a re-analysis of the underlying forms of the vowels and a template of re-syllabification. Then a bold assumption will be proposed, that is, due to the endless arguments of what retroflex suffix is indeed, the retroflex suffix may be an independent consonant, a floating feature attaching to the stem or a monosyllable merging into the main syllable. Given the hypothesis of the underlying form of the retroflex suffix is a consonant, the Parallel Structure of Feature Geometry is adopted here as a tool. All the concerning stem and retroflex suffix will be specified with feature analysis. Since the classic OT fails to account for the phonological opacity in Beijing dialect due to its surface-oriented nature. In this paper, I exert means of Local Conjunction, which is proper in solving the feature bindings. After that, given the hypothesis of the underlying form of the retroflex suffix is a floating feature or a retroflex vowel, I apply OT-CC to account for it. Furthermore, I modify the retroflex suffix with a PSM structure and then give a derivation account for the opacity in retroflex suffixation. With analyzing this issue, I hope the idea for retroflex suffixation in Mandarin will be extended to cover other issues in other dialects or other languages. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/4412 File(s) in this item: 1
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Makarova, Anastasia (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 20-Nov-2009)[+][-]
Abstract: The Russian language is famous for having verbal Aspects, as Comrie puts it, “different ways of viewing the internal temporal constituency of a situation” (1976: 3). Traditionally, Russian verbs are considered to occur in pairs of Perfective and Imperfective verbs. Apart from the pairs, for many verbs there are other related verbs (Aktionsarten). These verbs are mostly derived from Imperfectives by means of prefixation and suffixation and carry additional meanings, such as iterativity and attenuativity. One of the types is called Semelfactives, which mark out one episode from a repeatable series of actions, as prygnut’ ‘jump once’. Broadening the notion of Semelfactivity and in her “cluster” model of Russian Aspect Janda (2007) unites all verbs “which extract a single cycle from a repetitive Activity” (2008a) under the heading “Single Act Perfectives” (SAP). Janda later claimed that the choice of affixation for formation of SAPs is not arbitrary and depends on the morphological class of the verb and on its semantics (Janda, Dickey forthcoming). The present study aims at testing Janda’s hypothesis on empirical data. We developed a special psycholinguistic experiment where 63 native speakers of Russian produced SAPs from nonce-verbs (non-existing verbs that were constructed specially for linguistic research). Nonce-verbs were given in finite and non-finite forms which made their morphological class clear and in contexts that provided informants with some hints about the possible meaning of the verb. The analysis of the results obtained proved that Janda’s hypothesis can be confirmed as a strong tendency, although with some limitations. Different morphological classes, as well as different semantic classes behaved differently in the experiment. The following morphological classes tend to use -nu- suffix in formation of SAPs: -aj, -ova, -*ě, whereas -i and -*ěj classes prefer s- prefix. Productivity and frequency have an important role to play: the more frequent and productive the verb classes (e.g. –aj), the easier they are to handle for native speakers. The overall number of forms with -nu- was higher than predicted, which shows the high level of productivity of this affix. Verbs with semantics of impact, sound and speech mostly gained -nu-, while motion verbs tended to get s-. These four semantic classes turned out to be the easiest for informants to analyze; other semantic classes allowed the formation of SAPs with less probability. Sociolinguistic variables did not appear to be decisive for the choice of affix in Russian Semelfactives. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/2377 File(s) in this item: 1
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Maksimova, Irina (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 01-Jun-2009)[+][-]
Abstract: Children tend to omit functional categories in early language. The present thesis considers the production of such function words as articles and monosyllabic prepositions in child English. The analysis is conducted within a framework of the prosodic account. The development of early articles has received a lot of attention in the literature, while monosyllabic prepositions have not been discussed in detail in previous studies of child English. To examine the issues, spontaneous speech productions of one English child are investigated from the age of 1;10.06 to 2;6.04. The data are drawn from the Manchester corpus in CHILDES. The study reveals that the child’s early articles in footed contexts are realized at a higher rate than those in unfooted contexts. The footed contexts for the following article present a Sw trochaic foot where the article constitutes a weak syllable, while in the unfooted contexts the article falls outside a Sw trochaic pattern typical for English. The results also show that monosyllabic prepositions in nonfinal sentence positions appear to constitute a stressed syllable in the child’s speech. That is supported by the following. In an indirect analysis of article realization in PPs with monosyllabic prepositions, the latter was compared to the realization of articles in straightforward footed and unfooted contexts. The production of articles in the contexts with monosyllabic prepositions showed similar development as that in the other footed contexts. The production of monosyllabic prepositions investigated on their own reveals a high proportion of realizations of the latter in both footed and unfooted contexts. The current study presents evidence for the influence of phonological factors on the production of articles and monosyllabic prepositions in child English, thereby supporting the prosodic account of acquisition of functional categories in early language. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/2068 File(s) in this item: 1
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Malm, Katrine (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 01-Jun-2011)[+][-]
Abstract: L’objet de ce mémoire est l’expression adverbiale du coup. Nous avons observé que même si cette expression est couramment utilisée, il est difficile de décider de son interprétation dans certains contextes, et par conséquent il est aussi difficile de décider de son utilisation. De plus, nous avons l’impression qu’elle n’est pas beaucoup décrite dans la littérature linguistique. Par cette étude, nous chercherons donc à en savoir plus sur l’expression du coup. Notre but principal est de répondre aux questions suivantes concernant l’expression du coup : A-t-elle un sens net ? Dans quelles conditions est-il possible de l’utiliser ? Quelle est son origine? Quelles règles s’appliquent à son positionnement dans la phrase ? Le premier chapitre du mémoire prend en compte la définition et la classification de l’expression du coup. Nous aborderons d’abord son sens, avant d’entrer dans le domaine de la catégorisation et de l’usage. Ensuite, nous définirons les critères de placement qui ont rapport à du coup. Dans le second chapitre nous présenterons une analyse d’un ensemble d’exemples pertinents tirés de la base textuelle Frantext, qui se base sur la théorie du premier chapitre. Premièrement, nous décrirons notre méthode de recherche. Ensuite, nous examinerons les différents sujets abordés par rapport aux exemples du corpus : nous commencerons avec les critères de placement, avant que nous considérions les conditions d’emploi. Ultérieurement, nous discuterons les deux sens de du coup, c’est-à-dire le sens consécutif et le sens temporel. Nous ferons aussi mention de du coup comme une expression de « nonce sense ». Enfin, nous exploiterons le processus de grammaticalisation pour illustrer son évolution historique. Une conclusion générale récapitulera les points principaux du mémoire. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/3647 File(s) in this item: 1
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Matt, Amelie (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, May-2012)[+][-]
Abstract: Norwegian students become less and less motivated to take German as a foreign language while Spanish, supposedly easier to learn and more enjoyable, becomes more popular. Simultaneously, the growing Norwegian tourist industry has an increasing demand for qualified workers with German language skills. This thesis analyzes the above thematic by questioning high school students on their attitude towards the German language and their motivation for learning it. To gain insight into the demand of the tourist industry, several local businesses within the industry are interviewed on their demand and need for skilled workers with German language competency. We find that there is a discrepancy between the language demands of local businesses and the quality of German classes in Tromsø high schools. Furthermore, many students lack a distinct motivation to learn German as a foreign language and few are aware that this competency increases their career possibilities in the tourist industry. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/4596 File(s) in this item: 1
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Melsbøe, Anita (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 22-Mar-2010)[+][-]
Abstract: I denne oppgaven har jeg sett på bruken av lokativ 2 ved hankjønnsord i russisk. Jeg har tatt utgangspunkt i 151 ord som faglitteraturen hevder får lokativ 2 og søkt på dem i Det russiske nasjonalkorpus for å finne ut hvilke som har obligatorisk, og hvilke som har fakultativ lokativ 2. På denne måten ønsket jeg også å finne ut om faktisk språkbruk stemmer overens med det som står i grammatikkene og i faglitteraturen. Videre har jeg sett på om disse faktorene spiller noen rolle for valg av lokativform: faste uttrykk, ”overført” betydning og substantivets betydning. Jeg har også undersøkt om lokativ 2 har fremgang eller tilbakegang etter 1950, og om substantivets form og betydning spiller noen rolle her. Til sist har jeg undersøkt om avstanden mellom preposisjon og substantiv har noe å si. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/2870 File(s) in this item: 1
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Mikalsen, Karl-Erlend (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 01-Jun-2011)[+][-]
Abstract: In this thesis Optimality Theory is described in as non-linguistic terms as possible with the goal of making it possible to compare it to other theories of the mind, especially with regards to GEN, CON and EVAL. GEN is the generator of output candidates, CON are the available constraints and EVAL is a structure that evaluates the constraints based on some criteria. Connectionism, Motivational Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive Neuropsychology and various theories of perception are presented in an equal manner. These theories are then compared to Optimality Theory to see if we can find commonalities. These commonalities are then presented. Structures similar to GEN, CON and EVAL can be found in several of the psychological theories. The similarity between Optimality Theory and Motivational Psychology is especially striking, taking into consideration the difference between their fields of study. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/3542 File(s) in this item: 1
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Mikkelsen, Inga Lill Sigga (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 15-May-2011)[+][-]
Abstract: Dutkamus giehtadallá objevta sajev ja struktuvrav julevsáme indikatijva gárgadisájn. Julevsámegielan le muhtem mærráj friddja báhkogárges ja danen de le tjanádum iehpevissesvuohta objevta vuodosadjáj. Dát dutkamus tjuottjot julevsámebáhkogárges le rievddamin SOV vuodobáhkogárggás SVO vuodobáhkogárggáj. Duodden de dutkamus guoradallá objevtaj struktuvrav Minimalisssta prográmmajn vuodon. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/3649 File(s) in this item: 1
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Mørch, Robert (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, May-2010)[+][-]
Abstract: Denne mastergradsavhandlingen i nordisk språk er en navnevitenskaplig avhandling. Hovedtemaet er metronym som ender på –datter eller –dotter, i mellomnavnsposisjon, altså navn som Karidotter og Annedatter. Denne navnetypen vil bli analysert både kvalitativt og kvantitativt. Den kvalitative delen vil ta for seg spørreskjemasvar som kom inn fra navnegiverne, altså foreldrene, som har gitt døtrene sine metronym som mellomnavn. Foreldrene ble stilt en kombinasjon av åpne og lukkede spørsmål om bakgrunnen til navnevalget, men de fikk også noen spørsmål om utdanningsbakgrunn og politiske preferanse. Den kvantitative delen tok utgangspunkt i et digitalt navnekorpus med oversikt over alle norske kvinner med et metronymmellomnavn født f.o.m. 1900 t.o.m. 2007. Dette korpuset ble brukt til å se hvordan navnefenomenet hadde utviklet seg over tid, og hvordan bosted spilte inn på navneforekomstene. Særlig vekt ble det lagt på skillet mellom by- og landkommuner. Patronym i mellomnavnsposisjon blir også omtalt i avhandlingen, men ikke så dyptgående som metronymdelen og bare med et kvantitativt perspektiv. Teorigrunnlaget i avhandlingen er i hovedsak hentet fra Everett M. Rogers’ innovasjonsteori, og Pierre Bourdeius teori om at smak er avhengig av sosial klasse. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/2833 File(s) in this item: 1
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Nilsen, Inger-Christine (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 14-May-2010)[+][-]
Abstract: Det eksisterer en stereotypi i Norge om at gutter og jenter banner på forskjellige måter. Denne stereotypien har jeg undersøkt ved hjelp av lydopptak av åtte informanter; fire gutter og fire jenter i Tromsø. Lydopptakene består av ei gruppe med gutter, ei gruppe med jenter og ei blandet gruppe. Jeg har undersøkt både ordvalg, mengde banning og banneordenes funksjon i ytringer.Jeg har fokusert spesielt på endringer i informantenes banning når gruppesammensetningen endres. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/3091 File(s) in this item: 1
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Nordmo, Jorun (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 16-Jun-2003)[+][-]
Abstract: Oppgaven handler, som oppgaveteksten antyder, om Knut Hamsuns syn på språkbruk og språkpolitikk. Hamsun er selvfølgelig mest kjent som forfatter, men han skrev en lang rekke artikler hvor han ga uttrykk for sitt syn på språk- og språkforhold i samtida. Spesielt var han opptatt av landsmålets framgang, og han engasjerte seg sterkt på motstandernes side i debatten om samnorsk-idéen. Jeg har spesielt konsentrert meg om fire store avisartikler, som fikk en del motstand og medhold i form av nye artikler. Den mest kjente er ’Sproget i fare’, som også er brukt som en del av tittelsida på oppgaven. Hamsun var en stor beundrer av Bjørnson, som etter hvert gikk sterkt ut imot landsmålet og brukerne av det. Han kalte datidas skriftspråk for kulturspråk, noe Hamsun også framholdt sterkt. Garborg var en annen Hamsun hadde stor respekt for, men de to sto steilt imot hverandre i synet på hva som var det ”ekte” norske språket i landet. Hamsun tok konsekvensen av sitt språksyn, og han skrev om alt han hadde gitt ut før 1917-reformen til et mer moderne bokmål; eller riksmål, som det den gang het. I Segelfoss By fra 1915 latterliggjorde han de som brukte landsmål, så hans syn kom altså også fram i det litterære. Som vedlegg følger alle avisartiklene jeg omtaler og en oversikt over det materialet jeg har benyttet av Harald Næss’ brev, som er kommet ut i 7 bind. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/183 File(s) in this item: 1
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Olsen, Hilde Oline (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 25-Jan-2008)[+][-]
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Paltto, Kirsi (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 2007)[+][-]
Abstract: Dán váldofágabarggus mun guorahalan gieldda- ja darjjisámegiela frekventatiiva, kontinuatiiva ja momentána vearbasuorggádusaid aspektuála iešvuođaid ja buohtastahtán daid ruoššagiela vearbbaid aspeaktaiešvuođaiguin. Ruoššagielashan aspeakta lea giellaoahpalaš kategoriija, nu ahte ruoššagielat olmmoš ferte vearbbaid geavahettiinis dábálaččat válljet geavahago son imperfektiiva- vai perfektiivavearbba. Sámegielas fas aspektuála vearbbaid válljen ii leat bákkolaš, ja daid sáhttá máŋgii geavahit váljalaččat suorggádusa vuođđovearbbain. Dán barggus mun nappo guorahalan vuhttogo ruoššagiela váikkuhus gieldda- ja darjjisámegielas aiddo aspeavtta dáfus. Barggu konklušuvdna lea, ahte momentánasuorggádusaid semantihkka lea gáržžit, ja go ruoššagielas lea sullasaš kategoriija (semelfaktiiva vearbbat), de dat doarju kategoriija seailuma. Frekventatiiva- dahje kontinuatiivavearbbat fas geavahuvvojit máŋgii dakkár sajiin, gokko dat eai geavahuvvoše davvisámegielas, ja main ruoššagiela paralleallain lea imperfektiivavearba. Materiála čujuhage dan guvlui, ahte váldogiela guovttijuohku aspeavtta dáfus movttiidahttá geavahit aspektuála luohkáid aspeavtta ovdanbuktin sámegielas. Description: Dat lea váldofágabargu
Dette er en hovedfagsoppgaveURI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/4281 File(s) in this item: 1
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Pedersen, Aud-Kirsti (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, Jan-1989)[+][-]
Abstract: I språkvitskapen er stadnamngransking ein gammal fagdisiplin. Hovudtyngda av arbeidet innom disiplinen har lege på tolking av stadnamn. Tolking av stadnamn er likevel berre ein av mange tilnærmingsmåtar til stadnamngranskinga. I fleirspråklige område kjem det til nye dimensjonar ved stadnamna som namnegranskaren må ta omsyn til. I dette arbeidet er føremålet å greie ut ymse sider ved stadnamn som er brukte på norsk i to område i Nord-Troms med nesten lik språkhistorisk bakgrunn. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/2097 File(s) in this item: 1
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Pozolotina, Tatiana Mikhailovna (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 10-Jun-2009)[+][-]
Abstract: The present work investigates the semantics of the Russian prefix вы- in so-called natural perfective verbs. Traditionally it is considered that prefixes of natural perfective verbs do not change the meaning of the base verb and thus do not have lexical meaning, i.e. they are “empty”. The only meaning they are supposed to have is the meaning “to bring an action to the end”, which is claimed to be a “purely aspectual” meaning. In the present work, we argue that verbal prefixes have lexical meaning. We use the apparatus of cognitive linguistics and Construction Grammar to defend our argument. With the help of cognitive semantics we show that the meanings of the вы- prefixes of the natural perfectives are interrelated. We accommodate all the meanings in a coherent network. It is furthermore shown that the meaning “to bring an action to the end” is a part of this network, and thus it is a lexical and not “purely aspectual” meaning. The idea behind “empty” prefixes is that they are devoid of content because the prefixed verb has the same lexical meaning as the corresponding non-prefixed verb. However, we propose that the prefix have a lexical meaning, but that this meaning is “masked” because it repeats the meaning of the verb stem. In our analysis of constructions we argue that the meaning of the prefix is always repeated somewhere else in the construction – either in the semantics of the verb stem or in a preposition phrase. Proponents of “empty” prefixes would therefore be forced to maintain the slightly absurd position that the prefix is always empty. In this way, our analysis contributes to solving the problem of “empty” prefixes. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/1987 File(s) in this item: 1
thesis.pdf (893.4Kb) -
Rahman, Syed Shahrier (Master thesis; Mastergradsoppgave, 28-Jun-2010)[+][-]
Abstract: In this study we have tested Bengali adult native speakers’ word order choices with respect to information structure and have compared their preferences to the Bengali native children acquirers. The study shows that Bengali word order scrambling is available in various type of sentences like declaratives, wh-questions and focus constructions. The scrambling is not at all optional in this language; in contrast it works as a diagnostic to determine the information structure of the sentence. According to the findings of this research, Bengali adults’ word order preferences for declarative sentences are not the same as wh-questions. Moreover, information structure in Bengali motivates the adults to choose different word orders for the focus constructions with respect to wh-questions. For example, large numbers of Bengali adults prefer to put the focus element after the verb while they do not prefer the same thing for wh-questions. However, preverbal base generated and preverbal scrambling focus elements are also prominent in the adult data. In fact, Bengali language allows in-situ contrastive focus (i.e. focus element is base generated) and scrambling contrastive focus (i.e. focus element is moved from its base position). Therefore, Bengali adults use both of these techniques to produce contrastive focus. Since most of the adults prefer scrambling to produce contrastive focus constructions, we can say that the contrastive focus scrambling bear strong information packaging and therefore the constituents of a sentence are rearranged in different word order. The study also revealed that in almost all cases, Bengali children pick up the technique of correlating information structure and word order scrambling quickly and regarding word order choices, they behave in the same way as the adults. However most of the children in our experiment prefer in-situ contrastive focus. Considering all limitations of our experiment we can say that Bengali children acquire the technique of in-situ focus early in compare to the other way of constructing contrastive focus. In this study, we have designed a set of experiments to test the correlation between the word order scrambling and the information structure. Since it is necessary to find out the factors behind this correlation, one experiment has been designed for the adults and the other has been designed for the children. The main objective of these experiments is to collect natural responses from the Bengali adults and the children. Even though two experiments are not entirely identical with each other, we only consider the conclusive data-values to get a relatively concrete result. The present study is concluded with an assumption that the study should be conducted in future with a larger amount of data. As a result, it will be possible to get more convincing answer. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10037/2780 File(s) in this item: 1
thesis.pdf (1.138Mb)
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