Download the complete LingUU 7.2 here.
Editors-in-Chief: Anne Visser, Iris Leliveld
Contents
Reguera-Gómez, C. (2023). The Effect of Stress on the Dissimilation of the Spanish Copulative Conjunction. LingUU Journal, 7(1), pp. 6-14.
Zgreabăn, B.M. (2023). Romanian Definites Undergo Semantic Incorporation. LingUU Journal, 7(1), pp. 15-35.
Van Beerendonk, B. (2023). Second Language English /s/ Variation as an Index of Gay Identity. LingUU Journal, 7(1), pp. 36-53.
Zhou, J. (2023). Adverbial NP-Shang and the Growing Adverbial Suffix shang in Mandarin Chinese: The Lexicalization and Grammaticalization Induced by Chinese Character-Based Contact. LingUU Journal, 7(1), pp. 54-69.
Cola, M. (2023). The Processing of Subjectivity of Italian Impersonal si-constructions in Autistic Young Adults. LingUU Journal, 7(1), pp. 70-88.
Intern Extern
De Carvalho, F. (2023). Internship at Yoast BV. LingUU Journal, 7(1), pp. 89.
Archimandriti, S. (2023). Internship at Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics. LingUU Journal, 7(1), pp. 90.
The Daily Linguist
Recommendations for linguistics students. (pp.92)
In the column Intern Extern two second-year RMA linguistics students describe their experiences during their internship. Filipe de Carvalho interned at a tech company (Yoast Bv.), and thus worked outside of academia, whereas Sofia Archimandriti conducted her internship at the Max Planck Institute.
This edition of The Daily Linguist features linguistics study associations, interesting articles, and a dolphin conlang.
Author: Martina Cola
Source: LingUU Journal, vol. 7, Iss. 1, pp. 70-88
Year: 2023
Published by: LingUU Journal
Abstract
This proposal aims at investigating the processing of subjectivity of Italian impersonal si constructions through a single experiment to which neurotypically developed and autistic Italian monolingual native speakers will be subjected. The first group will be used as a control group for making a comparison with the other. The aim of the research is to assess whether participants will interpret the constructions as either objective or subjective. The choice to subject people with ASD to the experiment is aimed at investigating their mental representation of subjective sentences, in that cognitively more complex than objective relations. In order to do so, both groups will undergo a Visual Word Paradigm eye-tracking experiment where their proportion of looks at the speaker and the moment when the fixation starts will be measured.
Keywords
Subjectivity, impersonality, Italian, Visual Word Paradigm eye-tracking, autism.
Author: Jiayi Zhou
Source: LingUU Journal, vol. 7, Iss. 1, pp. 54-69
Year: 2023
Published by: LingUU Journal
Abstract
This article presents a case study of language contact based on Chinese characters between Chinese and Japanese. While the use of Chinese characters facilitates communication, it can sometimes obscure the specific details of language contact processes. Using historical materials as a basis, this article attempts to restore the original nature of the contact. In the study of adverbial NP-shang (NP-上) structure, which consists of disyllable noun phrases and the localiser shang “on, top”, the article reveals that in addition to direct borrowing NP-jō (NP-上), there is also a form of calquing Japanese にni as shang. Furthermore, the discussion goes beyond the lexical level to explore the lexicalization of NP-shang and the grammaticalization of shang from a clitic to a suffix in the intense contact process, demonstrating that vocabulary is not only borrowed for its external significance, but also for its relational significance (Ramchand, 2018).
Keywords
NP-shang; language contact; grammaticalization; lexicalization
Author: Bram van Beerendonk
Source: LingUU Journal, vol. 7, Iss. 1, pp. 36-53
Year: 2023
Published by: LingUU Journal
Abstract
This paper aimed to investigate centre of gravity and skewness, two measures of /s/, as a possible predictor for gay identity of young Dutch men in English as a second language. Earlier research has already found centre of gravity and skewness to be predictors of gayness in English as a first language (Gaudio, 1994; Suire, Tognetti, Durand, Raymond & Barkat-Defradas, 2020; Rogers & Smyth, 2003; Linville, 1998; Van Borsel et al. 2009; Van Borsel & Van de Putte, 2014; Mack & Munson, 2012; Levon, 2014). This paper attempted to fill the niche of a similar predictability in the English of L1 Dutch speakers and did so by eliciting spontaneous speech from 11 men (ages 20-25) and then phonetically analysing these recordings using Praat (Boersma & Weenink, 2022). These measurements were then statistically compared to self-reported measures of gay identity and level of English. This statistical analysis indicated that a more negatively skewed /s/ significantly predicted gay identity, whereas there was no statistically significant relationship with any of the other models. Moreover, individual differences indicate that skewness appears to predict a measure of gay identity rather than self-identified sexuality.
Keywords
Gay speech, skewness, centre of gravity, sexual identity
Author: Biance Mădălina Zgreabăn
Source: LingUU Journal, vol. 7, Iss. 1, pp. 15-35
Year: 2023
Published by: LingUU Journal
Abstract
Many have argued that weak definites undergo semantic incorporation (Carlson, 2006; Klein et al., 2013; Klein et al., 2008, among others). However, this incorporation process was previously neglected. Consequently, the present paper’s first contribution is a step-by-step analysis for the semantic incorporation of Romanian weak definites. Thus, the analysis of Tigău (2017) is extended by applying the Discourse Representation Theory framework, developed by Farkas and de Swart (2003) on Romanian weak definites. The second contribution of this study is a review of both favorable and unfavorable arguments regarding weak definites undergoing semantic incorporation. Regarding the latter, the article discusses both Espinal and Cyrino’s (2017) arguments, and the definite determiner of weak definites. However, while it discusses its incompatibility with incorporated nouns, the current article does not offer a solution for the definite determiner of weak definites. Lastly, the present analysis argues that idioms contain weak definites, unlike previous studies. This view motivates the inclusion of idioms within analysis of weak definites. In this respect, this article offers examples on how to deal with weak definites from idioms within the aforementioned semantic incorporation analysis.
Keywords
Weak definites, semantic incorporation, DRT, Romanian.
Author: Cristina Reguera-Gómez
Source: LingUU Journal, vol. 7, Iss. 1, pp. 6-14
Year: 2023
Published by: LingUU Journal
Abstract
In Spanish, the copulative coordinating conjunction corresponds with one single sound, [i]. However, [i] can also be realised as [e] if located before a word that starts with another [i]. Although this phenomenon can be attributed to dissimilation only, I argue that word stress is also important. This paper focuses on the role of stress on dissimilation of the conjunction y in Spanish, using SPE and autosegmental phonology as analysis tools. Autosegmental phonology is shown to be a more comprehensive framework, and the results support the statement that stress is as important as dissimilation to ensure that the conjunction does not conflate with a neighbouring sound.
Keywords
Phonology, dissimilation, stress, SPE, autosegmental
