Valentina Piunno | Università degli Studi di Bergamo (University of Bergamo) (original) (raw)

Linguistics by Valentina Piunno

L'Analisi Linguistica e Letteraria, 2022

This investigation proposes a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the construction non fare ... more This investigation proposes a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the construction non fare che, starting from data extracted from an Italian corpus. The analysis focuses on the different semantic-pragmatic values associated with the construction, and shows that their related abstract patterns can be correlated with each other in a hierarchically organised cognitive network of constructions.

Lingvisticae Investigationes, 2020

In Mellado Blanco, Carmen (ed.), Romanica Olomucensia: Nuevas aportaciones de la Gramática de Construcciones a los estudios de fraseología en las lenguas románicas, 2020

This investigation proposes a corpus-driven description of partially filled constructions (PFCs),... more This investigation proposes a corpus-driven description of partially filled constructions (PFCs), a subtype of phraseological units characterized by a low degree of lexical specification and a high level of semantic predictability. PFCs contain both fixed and empty slots, showing variable levels of productivity. As constructions, they are pairings of form and function (Goldberg), since their semantic/syntactic configuration can convey particular sets of meanings. Through the analysis of authentic data extracted from corpora of three different Romance languages (Italian, French, and Spanish), this contribution aims at i) identifying and analysing a set of partially filled units, ii) showing a formal representation of such syntactic-semantic patterns, iii) classifying them into different types on the basis of functional, syntactic, and semantic criteria, as well as on the degree of idiomaticity and lexical variation, and iv) driving a cross-linguistic comparison among the Romance languages. The same PFC may be characterized by different levels of schematicity and productivity in the various languages taken into account. It will be shown that PFCs may be associated with different syntactic structures, either at the phrase-level or at the sentence-level. Even though they are characterized by empty slots and by a lower degree of lexical specification, they still represent a regular area of the lexicon. New and independent lexemes can develop from specific constructions and become conventionalized through repetition.

in Mellado Blanco, Carmen (a cura di), Productive Patterns in Phraseology and Construction Grammar. A Multilingual Approach, Berlin: Mouton De Gruyter, 2021

This investigation proposes a corpus-based description of a particular type of Italian phraseolog... more This investigation proposes a corpus-based description of a particular
type of Italian phraseological construction, having a coordinated syntactic
structure and playing the role of an intensifier. Through the analysis of data
extracted from a corpus of Italian, the contribution aims at i) identifying and
analysing different types of coordinated constructional intensifiers, ii) showing a formal representation of their syntactic-semantic schemas, iii) classifying them into different types on the basis of their functional, syntactic and semantic properties. The paper is structured as follows: the first section contains a brief description of the main types of intensifying strategies identified in the literature, deserving a special attention to Italian lexical strategies. The second section is devoted to the description of the general theoretical framework of this contribution, and to the analysis and definition of constructional intensifiers.
The third section briefly describes the methods of data extraction and analysis.
The fourth section is devoted to the analysis of Italian coordinated intensifying constructions, which are classified into completely and partially filled units, according to a set of parameters (i.e. lexical variation, syntactic cohesion, idiomaticity and lexicalisation). Then, the set of coordinated constructional intensifiers is evaluated against the presence of an abstract scheme, semantic and syntactic analysability, semantic predictability, productivity, and schematicity.

Revue Romane

Despite the growing interest in Italian complex lexemes, the area of complex prepositions (herein... more Despite the growing interest in Italian complex lexemes, the area of complex prepositions (hereinafter “CPs”) has not been fully explored yet, a part some studies focused on the analysis of syntactic configurations (Casadei 2001, Voghera 1994, 2004) or on syntactic and semantic properties (Veland 2011). Although Italian CPs show a lower variability in terms of syntagmatic patterns and are less numerous than other types of complex lexemes (e.g. nominal or verbal ones), they deserve special attention due to the high frequency of use and the related grammatical value (Giacalone Ramat 1994; Voghera 1994, 2004). A quantitative analysis of Italian lexicon reveals that there is a major difference between CPs and other types of complex lexemes in terms of type/token frequency (Voghera 2004, Ganfi & Piunno 2014).
This contribution aims at analyzing a particular set of Italian CPs, namely those signaling the Agent of an action (hereinafter “Agent CPs”; (1) da parte di 'by', (2) a nome di 'by'):

(1) il lavoro di indagine da parte della polizia
the work of investigation from part of.the police
'the process of investigation by the police'

(2) leggendo un comunicato a nome di tutti i prigionieri
reading a public notice at name of all.PL the prisoner.PL
'reading a public notice in the name of all prisoners'

The Agent function is designed by several types of CPs revealing a different involvement of the Agent, as it is shown in the following example:

(3) fu sgozzato su mandato di suo cugino per mano di cinque assassini
(he) was slaughtered on order of his cousin for hand of five murderers
‘(he) was slaughtered by five murderers, as his cousin ordered’

The CP1 su mandato di introduces the INSTIGATOR who i) plans and ii) intentionally conceives the action, and iii) has a coercive power over its performing, while the CP2 per mano di designates the PERFORMER, who i) has the power to start and stop the action, but ii) has not intentionality over it.
The contribution here proposed follows an empirical and descriptive approach based on the diachronic and synchronic analysis of authentic data, gathered by the means of different linguistic resources, for both qualitative and quantitative descriptions. Contemporary Italian complex prepositions have been collected through i) an Italian corpus (the newspaper La Repubblica, Baroni et al. 2004) and ii) an Italian combinatory dictionary recently developed by Roma Tre University (Piunno 2016; Piunno & Simone in press), while the diachronic analysis has been driven employing i) the TLIO dictionary, ii) the OVI corpus, containing data from the origins, iii) the L.I.Z. corpus, containing texts from 1600 to 1950.
In particular, this work aims at: i) distinguishing Agent CPs according to their functions, meanings, and the degree of involvement of the participant they introduce; ii) analyzing the collocational features and the syntactic environments where Agent CPs may occur (e.g. passive sentence, deverbal nominalization); iii) individuating possible correlations between the high frequency of Agent CPs and their grammatical value; iv) analyzing the diachronic evolution of Agent CPs across different historical phases; v) putting into relation synchronic restrictions with the original syntactic environment within which the Agent CPs have been reanalyzed.

It has long been proposed that noun and verb are better conceived not as discrete, but as continu... more It has long been proposed that noun and verb are better conceived not as discrete, but as continuous categories (Ross 1973, Simone & Pompei 2007). The verb-noun continuum includes different kinds of nouns, some of which are characterized by verbal semantic features. Verbal nouns are realized by language-specific morphosyntactic strategies, including forms of the verbal paradigm. In particular, Romance languages use the infinitive (Simone 2003).
The nominal uses of the Romance infinitive have been widely analysed. Nevertheless, one feature has been underestimated - the syntactic and semantic differences between bare infinitives and infinitives preceded by a determiner. This study firstly aims at identifying the main syntactic differences between bare infinitive and infinitive preceded by a determiner in Italian and Spanish. Secondly, our proposal is to distinguish different patterns of determiner and infinitive: i) definite article plus infinitive, ii) indefinite article plus infinitive, iii) proximal demonstrative plus infinitive, iv) distal demonstrative plus infinitive. We intend to show that features measurably more verbal or more nominal characterize the different forms of determined infinitives. Accordingly, they can be located on different positions along the verb-noun continuum.

Questo contributo intende analizzare le proprietà di alcune combinazioni di parole della lingua i... more Questo contributo intende analizzare le proprietà di alcune combinazioni di parole della lingua italiana, rappresentate da strutture riempite solo parzialmente da unità lessicali. Attraverso l’analisi di dati estratti da corpora, il contributo si propone di a) identificare e analizzare alcuni formati parzialmente riempiti dell’italiano emersi durante la stesura del dizionario combinatorio CombiNet, b) classificare tali unità sulla base di specifiche proprietà sintattiche o semantiche, c) mostrare una possibile rappresentazione lessicografica di tali formati di parola.

Nel presente contributo esamineremo i processi cognitivi coinvolti nella codifica delle relazioni... more Nel presente contributo esamineremo i processi cognitivi
coinvolti nella codifica delle relazioni spaziali in italiano. Ci soffermeremo
sulla categoria delle preposizioni, ponendo particolare attenzione alla classe delle preposizioni complesse italiane, che presenta strutture divergenti tanto per fonti diacroniche d’origine quanto per capacità semantica. L’analisi delle dinamiche diacroniche che conducono alla formazione di elementi funzionali con valore locativo ci consentirà di porre in relazione la variabilità dei mezzi linguistici per la codifica dei valori spaziali con la configurazione sintattica originaria. Mostreremo inoltre che le regolarità dei processi cognitivi coinvolti nella grammaticalizzazione consentono di costruire una rappresentazione cognitivamente fondata della grammatica, legando le risorse del sistema alle esigenze funzionali del discorso.

München: LINCOM, Studies in Romance Linguistics, 80. 268pp. ISBN 9783862888665, 2018

Questo libro mira a fornire un’analisi teorico-descrittiva dei modificatori sintagmatici dell’ita... more Questo libro mira a fornire un’analisi teorico-descrittiva dei modificatori sintagmatici dell’italiano, un tipo specifico di parole costruzionali (elementi lessicali complessi composti da due o più parole, unite nella forma e nel significato). In particolare, il manoscritto si concentra sui modificatori sintagmatici costituiti da un sintagma preposizionale, i quali, in base alla distribuzione sintattica, possono svolgere la funzione di modificatore di nome (es. automobile a benzina), di verbo (ridere di gusto) o di entrambi (es. film in bianco e nero, trasmettere in bianco e nero).
In primo luogo, lo studio intende mostrare l’elevata produttività di questo fenomeno linguistico e la sua importanza quantitativa nel lessico italiano. In secondo luogo, attraverso l’analisi delle proprietà morfosintattiche
e semantiche di tali lessemi, l’indagine si propone di dimostrare che alcuni gruppi di modificatori sintagmatici sono creati attraverso schemi sintattici regolari e sono governati da un ristretto gruppo di co-selezioni. Mediante l‘analisi di dati estratti da corpora di italiano e di altre lingue romanze (spagnolo e francese), viene infine illustrata l’ipotesi secondo la quale l’emergere di una tale risorsa analitica per la formazione di lessemi non rappresenti una peculiarità interna alla lingua italiana, ma costituisca un fenomeno dalla portata tipologica più ampia.

In: Ilan Kernerman, Iztok Kosem, Simon Krek, Lars Trap-Jensen (eds.), GLOBALEX 2016. Lexicographic resources for human language technology, Portorož, 24 maggio 2016, Paris: ELRA - European Language Resources Association., 2016

This paper introduces CombiNet dictionary, an on line corpus-based lexicographic tool representin... more This paper introduces CombiNet dictionary, an on line corpus-based lexicographic tool representing combinatorial properties of Italian lexemes, developed by Roma Tre University, University of Pisa and University of Bologna. The lexicographic layout of CombiNet is designed to include different sets of information, such as i) syntactic configurations and ii) syntactic function of word combinations, iii) degree of lexical variation associated with specific types of multiword units. In fact, CombiNet records word combinations showing different degrees of lexicalizations and paradigmatic variability, which is a novelty in lexicography. This investigation intends to tackle several issues associated with CombiNet, and in particular it aims at a) showing procedures and methods used to create and compile CombiNet's entries, b) describing particular types of combinatorial phenomena emerged from the analysis of corpus-based data, c) illustrating the lexicographic layout that has been elaborated for word combinations representation, d) describing the advanced research tool CombiNet is equipped with, a useful device for lexicographic investigations as well as for lexicological analysis.

Studi e Saggi Linguistici, 2015

Despite the growing interest of lexicological and lexicographical studies in frozen word combinat... more Despite the growing interest of lexicological and lexicographical studies in frozen word combinations, some multiword lexemes are still partially unexplored. This paper focuses on a specific type of multiword lexical units: prepositional phrases functioning as noun modifiers (Multiword Adjectives – e.g. macchina a benzina, medico di turno, uomo in divisa, lavoro su commissione). Multiword Adjectives are extensively used
in Italian and remarkably spread across Romance languages. The analysis is based on two main assumptions: i. this kind of lexemes can be analyzed only considering the simultaneous interaction of multiple levels of analysis; ii. the notion of multiword has a scalar nature and has to be modulated along a continuum of frozenness. On the one hand this study aims at showing that these sequences represent a large and very productive
class of multiword lexemes, sharing the same functions of adjectives. On the other hand, this paper intends to show the morpho-syntactic, semantic and distributional properties of different classes of Multiword Adjectives, using data extracted from a corpus of written Italian language.

In: Filatkina, Natalia e Stumpf, Sören (eds., 2018), Konventionalisierung und Variation / Conventionalization and variation. vol. 71, p. 125-147, FRANKFURT:Peter Lang, ISBN: 9783631669358, 2018

This investigation proposes an empirically-based description of a particular type of multiword un... more This investigation proposes an empirically-based description of a particular type of multiword units which have been observed during the lexicographic design of a database of Italian word combinations (CombiNet dictionary): obligatorily negated multiword expressions. The work here proposed offers a new view on this multiword format, still underestimated within the literature devoted to the topic. On the one hand, the quantitative analysis will reveal different conventionalized patterns of Italian negated multiwords and their productivity features. On the other hand, the contribution aims at exploring the relation between the " falseness " of negation and the lexicalization degree of negated multiword expressions. Furthermore, the corpus-driven compilation of lexicographic records will put forward interesting reflections on the notion of Multiword Lexical Unit, shedding light to a new word format.

In (ed.): Corpas Pastor Gloria, Computerised and Corpus-based Approaches to Phraseology: Monolingual and Multilingual Perspectives (Full papers) - Fraseología computacional y basada en corpus: perspectivas monolingües y multilingües (Trabajos completos). Geneva:Editions Tradulex, ISBN: 9782970073659, 2016

This research proposes a theoretical and descriptive study of a set of Italian Multiword Adverbs ... more This research proposes a theoretical and descriptive study of a set of Italian Multiword Adverbs extracted from a corpus; the corpus-based investigation has been driven simultaneously considering the interaction of distributional and functional properties of selected Multiword Adverbs. In particular, the research deals with prepositional phrases covering an adverbial function and showing a particularly high degree of cohesion between their constituents (Multiword Adverbs-PP), such as: di solito 'usually', a occhio e croce 'more or less', per filo e per segno 'chapter and verse'. The quantitative corpus analysis reveals that this analytical resource is particularly exploited in Italian.
The investigation aims at achieving two main objectives. Firstly, the computational analysis reveals to which extent the distribution of Multiword Adverbs-PP may vary depending on their functional properties. Thirdly, the corpus-based investigation gives evidence of subcategories, according to the distributional properties as well as to the functional values of sets of Multiword Adverbs-PP.

Although the interest of literature in word combinations has significantly increased over the las... more Although the interest of literature in word combinations has significantly increased over the last decades, the full classification of their types and comprehensive collection of their forms is far from complete and flawless. This paper presents the results of a research project devoted precisely to the collection and analysis of Italian combinatorial lexicon. The investigation has both a theoretical and an empirical import. From the former point of view, it takes into account multiword units as specific forms of lexical entry. On the basis of the most recent achievements in lexicology, the notion of ‘word format’ is introduced and the vast variety of the combination formats is considered and classified. Various specific case studies of combinations are discussed. From the empirical point of view, the CombiNet dictionary is presented, an on-line lexicographic tool recording a sample of Italian multiword entries implementing an ample variety of entry formats. In addition to describing the lexicographic layout in detail, the paper illustrates the advanced research tool CombiNet is equipped with, as a device for both lexicographic and lexicological investigation

Papers by Valentina Piunno

Costruzioni a verbo supporto con nomi di parti del corpo in italiano antico e contemporaneo, 2019

Riassunto In questo lavoro viene presentata un'analisi delle costruzioni a verbo supporto che sel... more Riassunto In questo lavoro viene presentata un'analisi delle costruzioni a verbo supporto che selezionano nomi delle parti del corpo, per es. prendere corpo, mettere bocca, mettere piede, dare una mano. Rispetto agli elementi nominali tipicamente impiegati nelle costruzioni a verbo supporto, i nomi di parti del corpo i) non sono predicativi, ii) sono altamente referenziali, ma tendono a svuotarsi semanticamente. Con questo lavoro si intende offrire una prima ricognizione delle costruzioni a verbo supporto con nomi di parti del corpo in italiano antico e in italiano contemporaneo, a partire da dati estratti da corpora. In particolare, l'analisi mira ad evidenziare i) le proprietà semantiche (per es. la presenza di un significato idiomatico e la referenzialità del nome), ii) le proprietà sintattiche (per es. la struttura argomentale e la codifica dei partecipanti all'azione espressa dalla costruzione), iii) le proprietà sintagmatiche (per es. la configurazione sintagmatica che caratterizza ciascuna costruzione e il grado di lessicalizzazione dell'intera sequenza). Parole chiave: Costruzioni a verbo supporto, Nomi di parti del corpo, Corpora, Italiano antico, Italiano contemporaneo Abstract This work aims at analysing a particular type of support verb constructions, namely those selecting a body part noun, e.g. prendere corpo, mettere bocca, mettere piede, dare una mano. Body part nouns differ from other nominal elements typically employed in support verb constructions, in that (i) they are not predictive, (ii) they are highly referential, although they may undergo semantic bleaching when they compare in a support verb construction. This paper proposes a corpus-based analysis of Old and Contemporary Italian support verb constructions employing body parts nouns. In particular, this analysis aims at verifying i) their semantic properties (e.g. the idiomatic meaning and the noun referentiality), ii) their syntactic properties (e.g. the argument structure and the coding of participants), iii) their syntagmatic properties (e.g. the syntagmatic configuration and the lexicalization degree of constructions).

Tradulex, 2016

This research proposes a theoretical and descriptive study of a set of Italian Multiword Adverbs ... more This research proposes a theoretical and descriptive study of a set of Italian Multiword Adverbs extracted from a corpus; the corpus-based investigation has been driven simultaneously considering the interaction of distributional and functional properties of selected Multiword Adverbs. In particular, the research deals with prepositional phrases covering an adverbial function and showing a particularly high degree of cohesion between their constituents (Multiword Adverbs-PP), such as: di solito 'usually', a occhio e croce 'more or less', per filo e per segno 'chapter and verse'. The quantitative corpus analysis reveals that this analytical resource is particularly exploited in Italian. The investigation aims at achieving two main objectives. Firstly, the computational analysis reveals to which extent the distribution of Multiword Adverbs-PP may vary depending on their functional properties. Thirdly, the corpus-based investigation gives evidence of subcategories, according to the distributional properties as well as to the functional values of sets of Multiword Adverbs-PP.

LINCOM Studies in Romance Linguistics, 2018

Questo libro mira a fornire un’analisi teorico-descrittiva dei modificatori sintagmatici dell’ita... more Questo libro mira a fornire un’analisi teorico-descrittiva dei modificatori sintagmatici dell’italiano, un tipo specifico di parole costruzionali (elementi lessicali complessi composti da due o più parole, unite nella forma e nel significato). In particolare, il manoscritto si concentra sui modificatori sintagmatici costituiti da un sintagma preposizionale, i quali, in base alla distribuzione sintattica, possono svolgere la funzione di modificatore di nome (es. automobile a benzina), di verbo (ridere di gusto) o di entrambi (es. film in bianco e nero, trasmettere in bianco e nero). In primo luogo, lo studio intende mostrare l’elevata produttività di questo fenomeno linguistico e la sua importanza quantitativa nel lessico italiano. In secondo luogo, attraverso l’analisi delle proprietà morfosintattiche e semantiche di tali lessemi, l’indagine si propone di dimostrare che alcuni gruppi di modificatori sintagmatici sono creati attraverso schemi sintattici regolari e sono governati da un ristretto gruppo di co-selezioni. Mediante l‘analisi di dati estratti da corpora di italiano e di altre lingue romanze (spagnolo e francese), viene infine illustrata l’ipotesi secondo la quale l’emergere di una tale risorsa analitica per la formazione di lessemi non rappresenti una peculiarità interna alla lingua italiana, ma costituisca un fenomeno dalla portata tipologica più ampia.

Languages in Contrast

The paper addresses the employment of body part nouns in the creation of phraseological expressio... more The paper addresses the employment of body part nouns in the creation of phraseological expressions of some European languages, a topic at the crossroads of language, cognition and culture. In particular, the contrastive analysis explores the common linguistic representation of meanings through body part metaphorical expressions in Italian, French, Spanish and English. While several efforts to gauge the existence of a “European linguistic type” (cf. Haspelmath, 2001) have been largely devoted to the study of grammatical structures, a systematic account of the lexical component of the major European languages has not been attempted yet. Among the lexical units, phraseological expressions (e.g. compounds, multiword units, idiomatic expressions, as well as light verb and light noun constructions) represent a relevant ground to inquire into, since they are the most transparent and authentic vehicle of common ideas and experiences gradually rooted in European communicative realities.

L'Analisi Linguistica e Letteraria, 2022

Lingvisticae Investigationes, 2020

In Mellado Blanco, Carmen (ed.), Romanica Olomucensia: Nuevas aportaciones de la Gramática de Construcciones a los estudios de fraseología en las lenguas románicas, 2020

in Mellado Blanco, Carmen (a cura di), Productive Patterns in Phraseology and Construction Grammar. A Multilingual Approach, Berlin: Mouton De Gruyter, 2021

Revue Romane

(1) il lavoro di indagine da parte della polizia
the work of investigation from part of.the police
'the process of investigation by the police'

(2) leggendo un comunicato a nome di tutti i prigionieri
reading a public notice at name of all.PL the prisoner.PL
'reading a public notice in the name of all prisoners'

The Agent function is designed by several types of CPs revealing a different involvement of the Agent, as it is shown in the following example:

München: LINCOM, Studies in Romance Linguistics, 80. 268pp. ISBN 9783862888665, 2018

Studi e Saggi Linguistici, 2015

In: Filatkina, Natalia e Stumpf, Sören (eds., 2018), Konventionalisierung und Variation / Conventionalization and variation. vol. 71, p. 125-147, FRANKFURT:Peter Lang, ISBN: 9783631669358, 2018

Costruzioni a verbo supporto con nomi di parti del corpo in italiano antico e contemporaneo, 2019

Tradulex, 2016

This research proposes a theoretical and descriptive study of a set of Italian Multiword Adverbs ... more This research proposes a theoretical and descriptive study of a set of Italian Multiword Adverbs extracted from a corpus; the corpus-based investigation has been driven simultaneously considering the interaction of distributional and functional properties of selected Multiword Adverbs. In particular, the research deals with prepositional phrases covering an adverbial function and showing a particularly high degree of cohesion between their constituents (Multiword Adverbs-PP), such as: di solito 'usually', a occhio e croce 'more or less', per filo e per segno 'chapter and verse'. The quantitative corpus analysis reveals that this analytical resource is particularly exploited in Italian. The investigation aims at achieving two main objectives. Firstly, the computational analysis reveals to which extent the distribution of Multiword Adverbs-PP may vary depending on their functional properties. Thirdly, the corpus-based investigation gives evidence of subcategories, according to the distributional properties as well as to the functional values of sets of Multiword Adverbs-PP.

LINCOM Studies in Romance Linguistics, 2018

Questo libro mira a fornire un’analisi teorico-descrittiva dei modificatori sintagmatici dell’ita... more Questo libro mira a fornire un’analisi teorico-descrittiva dei modificatori sintagmatici dell’italiano, un tipo specifico di parole costruzionali (elementi lessicali complessi composti da due o più parole, unite nella forma e nel significato). In particolare, il manoscritto si concentra sui modificatori sintagmatici costituiti da un sintagma preposizionale, i quali, in base alla distribuzione sintattica, possono svolgere la funzione di modificatore di nome (es. automobile a benzina), di verbo (ridere di gusto) o di entrambi (es. film in bianco e nero, trasmettere in bianco e nero). In primo luogo, lo studio intende mostrare l’elevata produttività di questo fenomeno linguistico e la sua importanza quantitativa nel lessico italiano. In secondo luogo, attraverso l’analisi delle proprietà morfosintattiche e semantiche di tali lessemi, l’indagine si propone di dimostrare che alcuni gruppi di modificatori sintagmatici sono creati attraverso schemi sintattici regolari e sono governati da un ristretto gruppo di co-selezioni. Mediante l‘analisi di dati estratti da corpora di italiano e di altre lingue romanze (spagnolo e francese), viene infine illustrata l’ipotesi secondo la quale l’emergere di una tale risorsa analitica per la formazione di lessemi non rappresenti una peculiarità interna alla lingua italiana, ma costituisca un fenomeno dalla portata tipologica più ampia.

Languages in Contrast

Studi e Saggi Linguistici, Jun 22, 2015

Despite the growing interest of lexicological and lexicographical studies in frozen word combinat... more Despite the growing interest of lexicological and lexicographical studies in frozen word combinations, some multiword lexemes are still partially unexplored. This paper focuses on a specific type of multiword lexical units: prepositional phrases functioning as noun modifiers (Multiword Adjectives – e.g. macchina a benzina, medico di turno, uomo in divisa, lavoro su commissione). Multiword Adjectives are extensively used in Italian and remarkably spread across Romance languages. The analysis is based on two main assumptions: i. this kind of lexemes can be analyzed only considering the simultaneous interaction of multiple levels of analysis; ii. the notion of multiword has a scalar nature and has to be modulated along a continuum of frozenness. On the one hand this study aims at showing that these sequences represent a large and very productive class of multiword lexemes, sharing the same functions of adjectives. On the other hand, this paper intends to show the morpho-syntactic, semantic and distributional properties of different classes of Multiword Adjectives, using data extracted from a corpus of written Italian language.

Lingue e linguaggio, 2019

Studi e Saggi Linguistici, 2017

Annales Universitatis Paedagogicae Cracoviensis. Studia de Cultura, 2017

Questo contributo si propone di analizzare alcuni "formati di parola inediti" della lin... more Questo contributo si propone di analizzare alcuni "formati di parola inediti" della lingua italiana, emersi dalla ricerca su corpora finalizzata all'elaborazione del dizionario CombiNet. L'analisi dei dati estratti dai corpora per la compilazione delle voci CombiNet ha infatti rivelato l'esistenza nel lessico dell'italiano di numerose strutture sintagmatiche e di "formati di parola", non descritti nella letteratura. Questo contributo intende presentare i formati di parola inediti dell'italiano, discutendone alcune specifiche proprietà (es. la relazione tra i tipi sintagmatici e la funzione "alta" da essi svolta nella frase).

Il presente rapporto tecnico ha lo scopo di analizzare il trattamento lessicografico riservato al... more Il presente rapporto tecnico ha lo scopo di analizzare il trattamento lessicografico riservato alle combinazioni di parole nei dizionari combinatori dell'italiano e di altre lingue europee. Lo studio consiste in un'analisi comparativa dei dizionari di combinazioni di parole esistenti per l'italiano, il francese, lo spagnolo, l'inglese e il tedesco, e si propone obiettivi di diversa natura. Da un lato rappresenta un'analisi descrittiva, il cui scopo \ue8 fornire lo stato dell'arte del trattamento lessicografico dei fenomeni combinatori; si metteranno in evidenza le possibili disparit\ue0 legate tanto alla natura delle relazioni indagate quanto ai diversi approcci teorici, individuando le possibili dimensioni di variazione. Dall'altro lato l'analisi si propone di evidenziare e confrontare i criteri adottati per: a) identificare i tipi di combinazioni di parole da registrare nel dizionario; b) classificare tali combinazioni e rappresentarle lessicograficamente. L'analisi identifica gli aspetti pi\uf9 problematici dal punto di vista linguistico-teorico che nascono con la rappresentazione lessicografica dei fenomeni combinatori, ponendo le basi per la creazione di un layout per il loro trattamento lessicografico. L'analisi comparativa ha per oggetto 19 dizionari combinatori generici e monolingui. Le dimensioni di variazione saranno analizzate concentrando l'attenzione su quattro parametri principali: I. la classificazione teorica dei fenomeni combinatori e dei tipi di combinazioni; II. la tipologia di combinazioni, ovvero i tipi sintagmatici rappresentati; III. la rappresentazione lessicografica del lemma e delle combinazioni; IV. le basi di dati e le informazioni relative alla frequenza

Despite the growing interest of lexicological and lexicographical studies in frozen word combinat... more Despite the growing interest of lexicological and lexicographical studies in frozen word combinations, some multiword lexemes are still partially unexplored. This paper focuses on a specific type of multiword lexical units: prepositional phrases functioning as noun modifiers (Multiword Adjectives - e.g. macchina a benzina , medico di turno , uomo in divisa , lavoro su commissione ). Multiword Adjectives are extensively used in Italian and remarkably spread across Romance languages. The analysis is based on two main assumptions: i. this kind of lexemes can be analyzed only considering the simultaneous interaction of multiple levels of analysis; ii. the notion of multiword has a scalar nature and has to be modulated along a continuum of frozenness. On the one hand this study aims at showing that these sequences represent a large and very productive class of multiword lexemes, sharing the same functions of adjectives. On the other hand, this paper intends to show the morpho-syntactic, ...

Cornual pregnancy is a rare entity associated with high morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis is cha... more Cornual pregnancy is a rare entity associated with high morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis is challenging because the embryo usually appears on ultrasound as localized inside the uterus. Cornual pregnancy is more dangerous than other ectopic pregnancies, and cornual rupture may lead to severe maternal hemorrhage. It has the same risk factors as tubal pregnancy. Early diagnosis allows either medical treatment with methotrexate or conservative surgical treatments. We present a case of cornual pregnancy with unusual evolution to a single dose of methotrexate.

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Lexicological and lexicographical stu... more <jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Lexicological and lexicographical studies on multiword expressions in Romance languages have significantly increased in recent years. Even though some attention has been paid to Multiwords functioning as adjectives and adverbs, the structural and the functional relation between them has not been clarified yet.</jats:p> <jats:p>Employing both a qualitative and quantitative approach, this corpus-based investigation aims at exploring the diatopic distribution and the evolution of Romance multiword lexemes having the form of a prepositional phrase and the function of an adjective or/and an adverb (or both functions). According to data taken from corpora of Latin, Old Italian, Old Spanish and Middle French, this contribution investigates the relationship between the different degrees of schematicity and the productivity of this kind of multiword lexemes in order to highlight the evolutional path and the diachronic/diatopic principles engaged in the multiword modifying system across the different Romance languages taken into consideration.</jats:p>

Cet article a pour objectif d'analyser des groupes de lexèmes qui présentent les mêmes propriétés... more Cet article a pour objectif d'analyser des groupes de lexèmes qui présentent les mêmes propriétés distributionnelles et fonctionnelles que les adjectifs, c’est-à-dire des locutions introduites par une préposition et pouvant avoir, d'après le contexte, une fonction adjectivale : il s’agit des adjectifs composés (Gross 1991, 1996) ou séquences figées adjectivales (Mejri 2004) dont la structure est la suivante [Préposition + Syntagme Nominal] : par ex. tissu à rayures, moteur à essence, brosse à dents, médecin de service.
En général, ces configurations ne peuvent pas être véritablement considérées comme des adjectifs. Néanmoins, dans des contextes syntagmatiques spécifiques, elles peuvent avoir une fonction attributive ou prédicative. Les adjectifs composés sont présents dans plusieurs langues romanes. Nous en donnons ci-après quelques exemples (pour le français, Gross 1991, Mejri 2004, 2007; pour l'italien, Piunno 2013, 2015, sous presse ; pour l'espagnol, Bosque / Demonte 2009, Bosque 2010) :

(1) Italien : alla moda, a vela, a vapore, a scoppio, a rotelle, da viaggio, da ballo ;
(2) Français : à la mode, à voile, à vapeur, à explosion, à roulettes, de voyage, de danse ;
(3) Espagnol : a la moda, de vela, de vapor, de explosión, de ruedas, de viaje, de baile.

Les adjectifs composés représentent un phénomène linguistique plutôt complexe qui peut être étudié selon différents critères d'analyse. Certains adjectifs composés intéressent la phraséologie et de ce fait ils peuvent être analysés en tant que locutions phraséologiques (Bally, 1951[1909]: 65-66). D'autres ne représentent pas des unités phraséologiques au sens propre, car ils sont constitués d’une combinaison de mots non figée, au niveau syntaxique comme au niveau sémantique (dans la plupart des cas, la signification est donnée tout simplement par la somme des significations des éléments qui la composent). Dans cet article, nous prendrons en considération ces deux groupes d'adjectifs composés, en focalisant notre attention sur le second groupe qui représente un sujet d'étude relevant davantage de la lexicologie que de la phraséologie stricto sensu.
Les adjectifs composés ne sauraient être considérés comme une partie marginale du lexique italien ou du lexique des autres langues romanes. Ils présentent en effet une extension quantitative et une variabilité importante dont la plupart des grammaires et des travaux lexicographiques ont peu fait état (notamment dans la langue italienne).
En partant de l'analyse de données recensées en italien, cet article entend répondre à un double objectif. D’une part, (a) nous interroger sur la présence de configurations régulières dans le lexique et analyser leurs propriétés syntaxiques, sémantiques et distributionnelles; de l’autre, (b) montrer qu'il y a des schémas correspondants dans plusieurs langues romanes.