A peculiar Lithuanian particle mat or Mat ją bala, irgi mat dalelytė (original) (raw)
Related papers
Linguistic Typology, Vol. 17, No. 1, 2013, pp. 397–437.
This paper describes non-standard case-marking patterns attested in the non-finite clauses headed by participles and infinitive in Lithuanian. Lithuanian data is compared with that of the languages of the same geographical area, as well as with similar patterns in typologically remote languages. I argue that “non-canonical” marking of subject and object in Lithuanian non-finite clauses can be treated as instances of “complementizing” and “associating” case-marking postulated for Australian languages. From the historical perspective it is shown that Lithuanian constructions with “non-canonical” marking of core arguments in non-finite clauses show convergent morphosyntactic development of patterns originating from different sources.
Verbal prefixation and argument structure in Lithuanian
A. Holvoet, N. Nau (eds.) Argument realization in Baltic
This paper describes the possible changes affecting a verb's argument structure when a prefix is added. The analyzed data show that most often attachment of a prefix adds a new slot to a verb's valency, namely a peripheral adjunct becomes a core argument usually marked by the accusative. This process can be called applicativization, and prefixal derivation thus belongs to the group of valence-increasing formations. The syntactic status of the added arguments is analyzed by applying various transitivity tests. These tests show that most of the added arguments behave as direct objects and the change of the verb's argument structure can be regarded as transitivization. However, some arguments behave as direct objects only with originally intransitive verbs but look like obligatory accusative-marked adjuncts with other verbs. The article also discusses cases where prefixation changes case marking, rearranges a verb's arguments, or licenses syntactic alternations.
Determination and modification: Topology of prenominal attributes in Lithuanian
Kalbotyra , 2018
This paper offers a description of the linear structure of the definite Lithuanian noun phrase (NP) with an emphasis on prenominal attributes. Morphological and syntactical coding of definiteness is examined through the comparison of NP structures in Lithuanian (a language with relatively ungrammaticalised marking of definiteness) and Swedish (a language with fully developed overt marking of definiteness). The special role of definite attributes, quantifiers and adjectival modifiers is shown through identifying key positions in a linear structure of the Lithuanian NP. A topology of the Lithuanian NP is then suggested reflecting the multi-layered nature of the referenceassigning process mirrored in multi-exponential marking of definiteness, with adjectival marking being a very important one. Variations in NP structures are described using Lithuanian and Swedish data focusing on the combinatorial possibilities of definite adjectival modifiers and other determiners.
The aim of this paper is to discuss the system of the demonstrative pronouns provided in the " Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos gramatika " (A grammar of Modern Lithuanian) (Ambrazas 2006): to comment on it from the perspective of pragmatics and to compare it to the system of demonstrative pronouns used in spoken Lithuanian. The object of the current research is the demonstrative pronouns tas (M), ta (F) 'this/that', šis (M), ši (F) 'this', šitas (M), šita (F) 'this', anas (M), ana (F) 'that' (semantics and pragmatics). The paper focuses on dealing with several issues: 1) examples with the demonstrative pronouns in " Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos gramatika " from the perspective of pragmatic uses; 2) understanding of the term 'three-way contrast' in general and the one that is represented in " Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos gramatika " ; 3) the meaning of the demonstrative pronoun tas 'that' in the exophoric use. The paper consists of several parts. First, a brief overview of the system of the demonstrative pronouns in " Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos gramatika " is given. Next, the theoretical background is presented and some issues of the system in " Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos gramatika " are revealed. Finally, the system in spoken Lithuanian is discussed and conclusions are drawn.
Morphemic Structure of Lithuanian Words
Open Linguistics, 2016
The Lithuanian language is a typical flectional language that has a very sophisticated system of grammatical forms and many means of derivation; it is also characterized by uncertain boundaries between morphemes. All this makes the morphemic analysis of the Lithuanian language very complex. The aim of this research is to define and describe morphemic structural models of inflective parts of speech (i.e. nouns, adjectives, numerals, pronouns, and verbs) and regularities of their usage in contemporary Lithuanian.