Distributivity Strengthens Reciprocity, Collectivity Weakens It (original) (raw)
Related papers
2014
In this paper we examine interactions of the reciprocal with distributive and collective operators, which are encoded by prefixes on verbs expressing the reciprocal relation: namely, the Czech distributive po- and the collectivizing na-. The theoretical import of this study is two-fold. First, it contributes to our knowledge of how word-internal operators interact with phrasal syntax/semantics. Second, the prefixes po- and na-generate (a range of) readings of reciprocal sentences for which the Strongest Meaning Hypothesis (SMH) proposed by Dalrymple et al. (1998) does not make the right predictions. The distributive prefix po- prefers the Strong Reciprocity reading, although the SMH predicts that a weakening should take place, while with the prefix na- we find cases where weaker reciprocal readings are preferable to the stronger ones predicted by the SMH. This behavior of po- and na- is, we propose, due to the way in which they modulate two factors that are crucial in the interpreta...
Introduction: Reciprocals and semantic typology
Reciprocity lies at the heart of social cognition, and with it so does the encoding of reciprocity in language via reciprocal constructions. Despite the prominence of strong universal claims about the semantics of reciprocal constructions, there is considerable descriptive literature on the semantics of reciprocals that seems to indicate variable coding and subtle cross-linguistic differences in meaning of reciprocals, both of which would make it impossible to formulate a single, essentialising definition of reciprocal semantics. These problems make it vital for studies in the semantic typology of reciprocals to employ methodologies that allow the relevant categories to emerge objectively from cross-linguistic comparison of standardised stimulus materials. We situate the rationale for the 20-language study that forms the basis for this book within this empirical approach to semantic typology, and summarise some of the findings.
The semantics of reciprocal constructions across languages: An extensional approach
Journal of Phonetics, 2011
H ow sim ilar are reciprocal co n struction s in the sem antic param eters they encode? We investigate this question by using an extensional approach, w hich exam ines sim ilarity of m eaning by exam ining how constructions are applied over a set o f 64 videoclips depicting reciprocal events (Evans et al. 2004). We apply statistical m odelling to descriptions from speakers o f 20 languages elicited using th e videoclips. We show th a t th ere are substantial differences in m ean in g betw een constructions o f different languages. i .
Reciprocal predicates: a prototype model
Experiments in Linguistic Meaning
Many languages have verbal stems like hug and marry whose intransitive realization is interpreted as reciprocal. Previous semantic analyses of such reciprocal intransitives rely on the assumption of symmetric participation. Thus, 'Sam and Julia hugged' is assumed to entail both 'Sam hugged Julia' and 'Julia hugged Sam'. In this paper we report experimental results that go against this assumption. It is shown that although symmetric participation is likely to be preferred by speakers, it is not a necessary condition for accepting sentences with reciprocal verbs. To analyze the reciprocal alternation, we propose that symmetric participation is a typical feature connecting the meanings of reciprocal and binary forms. This accounts for the optionality as well as to the preference of this feature. Further, our results show that agent intentionality often boosts the acceptability of sentences with reciprocal verbs. Accordingly, we propose that intentionality is ano...
The event structure of reciprocal verbs and its implications for bidirectionality
Revista signos, 2016
In this article we present a detailed description of the event structure of the reciprocal situations expressed lexically in Spanish. The description is based on the sentences extracted from a Spanish corpus. We put forward a proposal that involves differentiating between the simple or multiple nature of the reciprocal event and also between the independent or dependent relation of the subevents that make up a reciprocal situation. We characterize reciprocal verbs according to an aspectual typology and we also contribute a new analysis of the so-called collective verbs in order to distinguish them from reciprocal predicates. Finally, we propose a redefinition of the condition of bidirectionality for reciprocal situations.
Natural Language & Linguistic Theory, 2011
The paper shows that in addition to periphrastic reciprocal constructions and lexical reciprocal verbs, there is a third type-found in Romance and certain Slavic languages-whose reciprocity is not periphrastic but nonetheless composed only in the course of the syntactic derivation. Examining a sample of ten languages, the study reveals and derives the syntactic and semantic properties of these syntactic reciprocal verbs in comparison with their lexical counterparts. It further formulates the precise mechanisms forming the two types. Among other things, the paper devotes considerable attention to the notion "symmetric verb", to the so-called "I" reading of embedded reciprocal clauses, and to a particular reciprocal construction that denotes reciprocity between two discontinuous phrases.
From Semantic Restrictions to Reciprocal Meanings
2005
This paper proposes a new approach to the interpretation of reciprocal expressions using the Strongest Meaning Hypothesis of Dalrymple et al. (1998). We propose a sys- tem in which reciprocal meanings are derived directly from semantic restrictions using the SMH, and characterize this derivation process. We present methods to construct a linguistic test for the availability of a reciprocal meaning,
Reflexives in the VALLEX Lexicon:Syntactic Reflexivity and Reciprocity
The Prague Bulletin of Mathematical Linguistics, 2021
Reflexives, encoding a variety of meanings, pose a great challenge for both theoretical and lexicographic description. As they are associated with changes in morphosyntactic properties of verbs, their description is highly relevant for verb valency. In Czech, reflexives function as the reflexive personal pronoun and as verbal affixes. In this paper, we address those language phenomena that are encoded by the reflexive personal pronoun, i.e., reflexivity and reciprocity. We introduce the lexicographic representation of these two language phenomena in the VALLEX lexicon, a valency lexicon of Czech verbs, accounting for the role of the reflexives with respect to the valency structure of verbs. This representation makes use of the division of the lexicon into a data component and a grammar component. It takes into account that reflexivity and reciprocity are conditioned by the semantic properties of verbs on the one hand and that morphosyntactic changes brought about by these phenomena are systemic on the other. About one third of the lexical units contained in the data component of the lexicon are assigned the information on reflexivity and/or reciprocity in the form of pairs of the affected valency complementations (2,039 on reflexivity and 2,744 on reciprocity). A set of rules is formulated in the grammar component (3 rules for reflexivity and 18 rules for reciprocity). These rules derive the valency frames underlying syntactically reflexive and reciprocal constructions from the valency frames describing non-reflexive and non-reciprocal constructions. Finally, the proposed representation makes it possible to determine which lexical units of verbs create ambiguous constructions that can be interpreted either as reflexive or as reciprocal.