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- Volume 15, Issue, 2008
Functions of Language - Volume 15, Issue 2, 2008
Volume 15, Issue 2, 2008
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Accounting for ditransitive constructions with envy and forgive
Author(s): Timothy Colleman and Bernard De Clerckpp.: 187–215 (29)More LessThis paper presents an in-depth analysis of the English verbs envy and forgive in the ditransitive argument structure pattern [Sbj V Obj Obj]. Since the ditransitive construction is often associated with a basic ‘transfer of possession’ meaning in existing analyses of its constructional semantics, the occurrence of verbs like envy and forgive in this pattern is quite exceptional and has often been treated as an idiosyncratic use (see e.g. Green 1974, Goldberg 1995, Croft 2003). This paper adds to the etymological explanations traditionally offered to account for such cases (see Goldberg 1995) by presenting a complementary and semantically-driven account. It will be shown that although ditransitives with envy and forgive are obviously peripheral members of the class of ditransitive expressions, these uses are not semantically unmotivated. In this paper we will establish synchronic semantic links between the concepts of envying and forgiving and the central ‘possessional transfer’ meaning of the ditransitive and further elucidate them on the basis of a multidimensional approach to the semantics of grammatical constructions (Geeraerts 1998, Colleman 2006). On a higher plane, this semantic explanation underscores the feasibility of Goldberg’s polysemy approach to ditransitive semantics.
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English prepositions in Functional Discourse Grammar
Author(s): M. Evelien Keizerpp.: 216–256 (41)More LessAdpositions have always been problematic in terms of analysis and representation: should they be regarded as lexical elements, with an argument structure, or as semantically empty grammatical elements, i.e. as operators or functions? Or could it be that some adpositions are lexical and others grammatical, or even that one and the same adposition can be either, dependent on its use in a particular context? In Functional Grammar (Dik 1997a,b) adpositions are analysed as grammatical elements, represented as functions expressing relations between terms (referring expressions). Various alternative treatments have been proposed within FG, all of which, however, fail to solve all the problems, or address all the relevant questions involved. This article offers an analysis of English prepositions within the model of Functional Discourse Grammar (Hengeveld and Mackenzie 2006, 2008), based on the semantic, syntactic and morphological evidence available and fully exploiting the novel features of this model.
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Functions of the verb decir (‘to say’) in the incipient academic Spanish writing of bilingual children
Author(s): Laura E. Dubcovskypp.: 257–280 (24)More LessThere is great concern about the lack of access to academic writing, especially for minority language schoolchildren. Although much research is devoted to social context and personal interactions in the classroom, a closer look at language itself would contribute to a better understanding of the development of literacy in a bilingual setting. The aim of this study is to examine the uses of one particular linguistic feature in incipient academic genres. Drawing on a functional linguistic framework, the article analyzes four functions of the verb decir (‘to say’) in texts written in Spanish by children in a Dual Language Program during two consecutive school years. The analysis includes texts taken from three main content areas — Language Arts, Science and Social Studies. Results show that decir was used to fulfill interactive, narrative, informative and reflective functions, which occur with different frequencies in the three content areas. The article especially discusses those functions that may lead to more advanced literacy. The study concludes with implications for the bilingual classroom, suggesting that linguistic awareness of different uses of the verb decir could help schoolchildren to organize incipient academic texts
Volumes & issues
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Volume 31 (2024)
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Volume 30 (2023)
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Volume 29 (2022)
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Volume 28 (2021)
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Volume 27 (2020)
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Volume 26 (2019)
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Volume 25 (2018)
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Volume 24 (2017)
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Volume 23 (2016)
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Volume 22 (2015)
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Volume 21 (2014)
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Volume 20 (2013)
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Volume 19 (2012)
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Volume 18 (2011)
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Volume 17 (2010)
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Volume 16 (2009)
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Volume 15 (2008)
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Volume 14 (2007)
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Volume 13 (2006)
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Volume 12 (2005)
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Volume 11 (2004)
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Volume 10 (2003)
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Volume 9 (2002)
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Volume 8 (2001)
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Volume 7 (2000)
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Volume 6 (1999)
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Volume 5 (1998)
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Volume 4 (1997)
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Volume 3 (1996)
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Volume 2 (1995)
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Volume 1 (1994)
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Language patterns and ATTITUDE
Author(s): Monika Bednarek
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