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Papers by Vera Lee-Schoenfeld

Amsterdam: Benjamins. JOURNAL ARTICLES "The syntax, information structure, and prosody of German ... more Amsterdam: Benjamins. JOURNAL ARTICLES "The syntax, information structure, and prosody of German 'VP'-fronting" (with Anya Lunden). Under review by The Linguistic Review. "German inalienable possession constructions-a corpus-informed study on variations and their motives" (with Gabriele Diewald). Under review by

In this talk: • we discuss discontinuous complement clauses: (1) … dass der Hausmeister das Zimme... more In this talk: • we discuss discontinuous complement clauses: (1) … dass der Hausmeister das Zimmer vergisst abzuschließen GERMAN that the superintendent the room forgets off-to-lock ‘…that the superintendent forgets to lock the room.’ (2) … dat de huismeester de kamer vergeet af te sluiten DUTCH that the superintendent the room forgets off to close ‘…that the superintendent forgets to lock the room.’ • arguing that the embedded internal argument is in an A-position • in the matrix clause

CONSTRUCTION as diagnostics for transparency/opacity of phrase-types • Larger context, central co... more CONSTRUCTION as diagnostics for transparency/opacity of phrase-types • Larger context, central concern of syntactic theory (since Ross 1967): – How local is syntax?

This paper explores areas of reflexive and pronominal non-

Philosophies

Despite Grewendorf’s well-known German binding data with the double-object verb zeigen ‘show’, wh... more Despite Grewendorf’s well-known German binding data with the double-object verb zeigen ‘show’, where one object reflexively binds the other and which suggests that the direct object (DO) is generated higher than the indirect object (IO), this paper argues for the canonical surface order of IO > DO as base order. We highlight the exceptional status of Grewendorf’s examples, build on scope facts as well as a quantitative acceptability rating study, and exploit the fact that zeigen can also be used as inherently reflexive with idiomatic meaning. Appealing to the base configuration of the pieces of idiomatic expressions and considering different Spell-Out possibilities of coreferential objects in German, we show that the case, number, and gender underspecification of the anaphor sich poses a previously unnoticed problem for derivational approaches to binding.

(1) (indirect object +) direct object + nonfinite V: a. [Einen Wagen geschenkt] hat der Millionär... more (1) (indirect object +) direct object + nonfinite V: a. [Einen Wagen geschenkt] hat der Millionär dem Studenten. a car (ACC) given has the millionaire (NOM) the student (DAT) ‘What the millionaire did was give the student a car.’ b. [Mamas Auto zu Schrott gefahren] hat der Idiot damals. mom’s car (ACC) to scrap driven has the idiot (NOM) then ‘What the idiot did back then was total mom’s car on her.’ c. [Dem Hans ein Buch geschenkt] habe ich. the Hans (DAT) a book (ACC) given have I ‘What I did was give Hans a book.’ (2) passive subject + nonfinite V: a. [Viele Jobs angeboten] wurden einem damals. many jobs (NOM) offered were (PASS) one (DAT) then ‘Back then we were offered many jobs.’ b. [Ein gutes Medikament verschrieben] wurde ihr von diesem Arzt. a good drug (NOM) prescribed was (PASS) her (DAT) by this doctor ‘A good drug was prescribed for her by that doctor.’ c. [Das Auto zu Schrott gefahren] wurde der Mama. the car (NOM) to scrap driven was (PASS) the mom (DAT) ‘Mom’s car was totaled on her.’ (3) unaccusative subject + nonfinite V: a. [Ein Fehler unterlaufen] ist ihrem Mann damals. a mistake (NOM) happened is her husband (DAT) then ‘What happened to her husband back then was that he made a mistake.’ b. [Ein Tiger entwichen] ist dem Wanderzirkus neulich. a tiger (NOM) escaped is the travel-circus (DAT) the other day ‘A tiger escaped from the travel circus the other day.’ c. [Ein verrückter Gedanke durch den Kopf geschossen] ist dem Opa gestern. a crazy thought (NOM) through the head shot is the grandpa (DAT) yesterday ‘A crazy thought came to grandpa yesterday.’

• Two related issues: (i) the typology of clause size (ii) what makes a given clause/phrase-type ... more • Two related issues: (i) the typology of clause size (ii) what makes a given clause/phrase-type transparent or opaque to grammatical interactions with elements beyond its borders

invaluable input and assistance. GOALS:

The tonal inventory of Mandarin Chinese consists of four lexical tones. T1 is characterized by a ... more The tonal inventory of Mandarin Chinese consists of four lexical tones. T1 is characterized by a high–level pitch, T2 is a rising tone that sweeps from the middle of the pitch register to its peak, T3 is a low–dipping tone marked by low–falling contour followed by a rise, and T4 is a falling tone that

0. Goals of this talk (i) Add to the body of evidence that supports the analysis of German ‘Posse... more 0. Goals of this talk (i) Add to the body of evidence that supports the analysis of German ‘Possessor Datives ’ as introduced by one of Pylkkänen’s (2002) applicative heads. (ii) Show that German is miscategorized as a ‘low-applicative ’ language in the scheme of Pylkkänen’s typology. (iii)Propose that the German ‘Possessor Dative Construction ’ is in fact a ‘high applicative ’ construction, the possessive aspect of its meaning derived by ‘Possessor Raising’. 1. Background: German Possessor Datives • ‘Possessor Dative Constructions ’ (PDCs) like (1a-c) are commonly analyzed as an instance of the widely attested linguistic phenomenon known as ‘External Possession ’ (see e.g. Vergnaud & Zubizarreta 1992 and Payne & Barshi 1999): – dative-marked nominal (henceforth ‘Possessor Dative ’ or PD) acts as possessor, i.e. subpart of larger nominal phrase – PD also functions as benefactive or malefactive (affectee) argument of verb (1) a. Tim hat der Nachbarin gestern das Auto gewaschen. Tim h...

The Cambridge Handbook of Germanic Linguistics

PART 1 LANGUAGE: THE HUMAN ABILITY 1. How do we acquire language? 2. What is linguistics? 3. From... more PART 1 LANGUAGE: THE HUMAN ABILITY 1. How do we acquire language? 2. What is linguistics? 3. From one language to the next: Why is it hard to learn a second language? Why is translation so difficult? 4. Does language equal thought? 5. Are sign languages real languages? 6. Do animals have language? 7. Can computers learn language? PART I I LANGUAGE IN SOCIETY 8. Can one person's speech be better than another's? 9. Why do dialects and creoles differ from standard language? 10. Do men and women speak differently? And who cares? 11. English spelling is hard, and it makes learning to read hard. Should we do anything about it? 12. Should the United States adopt English as our official language and overhaul our educational system accordingly? 14. How does language wield power over us? Can it overpower us? 15. Does exposure to and use of offensive language harm children? 16. What do we lose when a language dies? And who cares?

Parameters of Predicate Fronting, 2021

German is noteworthy for allowing agentive vPs to front, albeit under very specific conditions. T... more German is noteworthy for allowing agentive vPs to front, albeit under very specific conditions. This chapter examines the prosodic requirements for such phrases to front, comparing them with those for fronted lexical VPs as well as with the prosody of unfronted vPs/VPs. The results of a production study are shown, and it is determined that the prosodic condition is identical to the “hat contour” that is more widely, but optionally, used in the language for other contrastive topics, so-called I(ntonation)-topics. This investigation of vP/VP I-topics, which are typically more complex than DP/PP I-topics, sheds light on previously-unknown aspects, such as the fact that the characteristic L*+H (low rising) intonation of the hat contour generally falls on the rightmost nominal in the I-topic. The range of variation in the realization of hat contours is discussed, as well as the key intonational differences between I-topicalization and what we call regular (focus) fronting.