Grammatical and Semantic Functions of Verbs in the English Language

Grammatical and Semantic Functions of Verbs in the English Language PDF Author: Stefan Hinterholzer
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 363877967X
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 30

Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1, University of Innsbruck (Department of English), course: Language Awareness III, 3 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: The focus of this paper is on the different types and forms of verbs and especially on their semantic and grammatical function. Verbs can convey lexical meaning or solely be used for grammatical constructions without conveying meaning. First of all, their will be given a possible classification of verbs depending on their function either as conveyers of meaning or elements in grammatical constructions. Then, the functions of different verb forms will be looked at. Finally, the verb's role in a sentence and the distinction between phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs will be analyzed. In a more practical part the theory will be applied to texts and proved by that. The analysis of the texts is intended to provide a concrete understanding of the abstract theory that is depicted in the chapters at the beginning.

English Grammar and Syntax

English Grammar and Syntax PDF Author:
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 0595283152
Category : English language
Languages : en
Pages : 179

Book Description
For the educated, this book is an invaluable resource, one that allows for easy reference to any grammatical concept imaginable. the book gives thousands of examples, but it also provides explicit reasoning why we should speak and write following certain patterns. Don't feel like studying for hours to learn a concept? Look here for the diagrams you need to understand why things go where they go in a sentence. Did he act foolish? OR Did he act foolishly? Both answers are here. If you are in college, grad school, or simply interested, you decide what you want to know-your answers are here. Written by two professors who hate to condescend but love to teach, English Grammar and Syntax cuts through the pedantic wasteland.

Form and Functions in English Grammar

Form and Functions in English Grammar PDF Author: Ludmila Veselovská
Publisher: Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci
ISBN: 8024454904
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 366

Book Description
The monograph illustrates the language specific realization of plausibly universal principles of language structure. The study attempts to cover the most basic (regular) parts of English grammar as a whole consistently, within a single compatible framework, but at the same time to present empirically based arguments in favour of specific analyses. She utilizes as often as possible standard scientific argumentation leading to the most generally accepted and best supported analysis of the chosen phenomena. The study is intended for Czech academic audience and therefore it also contains several typologically relevant comparison of English and Czech structures.

A Semantic Approach to English Grammar

A Semantic Approach to English Grammar PDF Author: R. M. W. Dixon
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199283079
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 562

Book Description
Showing how grammar helps people communicate and looking at the ways grammar and meaning interrelate, this work reviews the main points of English syntax and discusses English verbs in terms of their semantic types.

English Grammar

English Grammar PDF Author: Talmy Givón
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
ISBN: 9027220980
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 341

Book Description
The approach to language and grammar that motivates this book is unabashedly functional; grammar is not just a system of empty rules, it is a means to an end, an instrument for constructing concise coherent communication. In grammar as in music, good expression rides on good form. Figuratively and literally, grammar like musical form must make sense. But for the instrument to serve its purpose, it must first exist; the rules must be real, they can be explicitly described and taught. This book is intended for both students and teachers, at college level, for both native and nonnative speakers. With the guidance of a teacher this book will serve as a thorough introduction to the grammar of English. Volume I begins with words and their meanings, then on to propositions and simple state or event clauses – participant roles, verb types, transitivity, subjects and objects. It then covers the grammatical sub systems commonly found in simple clauses: Verbal inflections, auxiliaries and the grammar of tense-aspect modality and negation; articles determiners, pronouns and the grammar of referential coherence; the variety of noun phrases and noun modifiers.

Grammatical Constructions

Grammatical Constructions PDF Author: Masayoshi Shibatani
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 9780198238713
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Book Description
In recent years there has been a resurgence of interest in grammatical constructionsunits of grammar representing formmeaning correspondences. The movement in which Construction Grammar, as developed by Charles Fillmore and Paul Kay, has played a significant role, has arisen in part as aresponse to the Chomskyan modular approach, which treats grammatical constructions as epiphenomenal, dismantling their component features and attributing these to general principles of grammar. This volume is the first collection to focus on grammatical constructions per se, and is dedicated to Charles Fillmore in recognition of his leadership in the field. The papers all reflect or elaborate on his work, which shows how lexicon, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics interact in givingconstructions their individual holistic characters as basic units of grammar. Several approaches to constructions are represented here, dealing with topics that range from idiomatized constructions to traditional forms such as conditionals, relative clauses, and benefactive constructions. A unifying thread is the shared conviction that close examination of the nature ofgrammatical constructions, with particular emphasis on their idiosyncrasies and on the complex interrelationships among their forms, functions, meanings, and uses in ordinary speech and writing, provides a rich foundation upon which to build a theory of cognition, memory, and grammar.

The Acquisition of Verbs and their Grammar:

The Acquisition of Verbs and their Grammar: PDF Author: Natalia Gagarina
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 140204335X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 345

Book Description
This volume investigates the linguistic development of children with regard to their knowledge of the verb and its grammar. The selection of papers brings to researchers and in particular psycholinguists empirical evidence from a wide variety of languages from Hebrew, through English to Estonian. The authors interpret their findings with a focus on cross-linguistic similarities and differences, without subscribing to either a UG-based or usage-based approach.

A New Approach to English Grammar, on Semantic Principles

A New Approach to English Grammar, on Semantic Principles PDF Author: Robert M. W. Dixon
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN:
Category : Foreign Language Study
Languages : en
Pages : 424

Book Description
"In the first part of the book there is a review of some of the main points of English syntax, followed by a discussion of English verbs in terms of 'semantic types'. About thirty of these types are examined, including verbs of Motion, of Giving, of Thinking, of Speaking, of Liking, and of Trying. In the last part of the book the author looks in detail at five grammatical topics: complement clauses, which can fill subject or object slot in a main clause; the question of transitivity and causatives; passives of all kinds; promotion of a non-subject to subject slot, as in Dictionaries sell well; and the relation between constructions such as They walked and They had a walk, She punched him and She gave him a punch, and He looked and He took a look." -- Back cover.

The Grammaticalization of Verbs. Verbs as Sources of Grammatical Change

The Grammaticalization of Verbs. Verbs as Sources of Grammatical Change PDF Author: Melanie Bobik
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 3668867321
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 113

Book Description
Research Paper (undergraduate) from the year 2004 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,3, Free University of Berlin (Anglistik), language: English, abstract: The famous dictum, “grammars code best what speakers do most” coined by Du Bois, is a central postulate of all discourse-based approaches to grammaticalization (also known as grammaticization, grammatization). It points to the assumption that frequent repetition in discourse plays a crucial role in the development of grammatical forms, and that basicness is an inherent characteristics of most source concepts. There is only a limited number of lexical items likely to be sources for grammaticalization. Since verbs form the core element of every sentence, expressing different conditions such as states, changes and activities, they provide a rich source for grammatical targets. So how do verbs serve as a source of grammatical change? This academic paper gives answers to this question, discussing the grammaticalization of verbs, and how verbs typically evolve into prepositions, aspectual as well as quotative markers, and complementizers. Evidence is taken not only from English, but also from, i.a., Chinese, German, Spanish, French and African languages.

The English Verb Auxiliaries

The English Verb Auxiliaries PDF Author: William Freeman Twaddell
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : English language
Languages : en
Pages : 42

Book Description