Chapter 5. The Narrative Infinitive Construction in French and Latin
-
Irina Nikolaeva
Abstract
This chapter offers a Sign-Based Construction Grammar analysis of the French and Latin Narrative Infinitives, that is, syntactically independent infinitival structures that express assertions. The main claim is that these languages exhibit two types of fully formed infinitival words (feature structures) licensed by two different inflectional constructions, the regular infinitive and the narrative infinitive. Only in the latter do the morpho-syntactic features ensure that the clausal construction in which the infinitival word participates is temporally specified, informationally structured and has an overt referentially independent subject. In this it does not differ from finite clauses. According to the present analysis, finiteness is not defined by inflectional morphology: the verbal form is finite if it is associated with relevant functional information.
Abstract
This chapter offers a Sign-Based Construction Grammar analysis of the French and Latin Narrative Infinitives, that is, syntactically independent infinitival structures that express assertions. The main claim is that these languages exhibit two types of fully formed infinitival words (feature structures) licensed by two different inflectional constructions, the regular infinitive and the narrative infinitive. Only in the latter do the morpho-syntactic features ensure that the clausal construction in which the infinitival word participates is temporally specified, informationally structured and has an overt referentially independent subject. In this it does not differ from finite clauses. According to the present analysis, finiteness is not defined by inflectional morphology: the verbal form is finite if it is associated with relevant functional information.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Chapter 1. Applying constructional concepts to Romance languages 1
- Chapter 2. The role of constructional meanings in novel verb-noun compounds in Spanish 37
- Chapter 3. From lexicalization to constructional generalizations 79
- Chapter 4. A constructional corpus-based approach to ‘weak’ verbs in French 113
- Chapter 5. The Narrative Infinitive Construction in French and Latin 139
- Chapter 6. Bringing together fragments and constructions 181
- Chapter 7. A Romance perspective on gapping constructions 227
- Chapter 8. Variable type framing in Spanish constructions of directed motion 269
- Author index 305
- Construction index 309
- Language index 311
- Subject index 313
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Chapter 1. Applying constructional concepts to Romance languages 1
- Chapter 2. The role of constructional meanings in novel verb-noun compounds in Spanish 37
- Chapter 3. From lexicalization to constructional generalizations 79
- Chapter 4. A constructional corpus-based approach to ‘weak’ verbs in French 113
- Chapter 5. The Narrative Infinitive Construction in French and Latin 139
- Chapter 6. Bringing together fragments and constructions 181
- Chapter 7. A Romance perspective on gapping constructions 227
- Chapter 8. Variable type framing in Spanish constructions of directed motion 269
- Author index 305
- Construction index 309
- Language index 311
- Subject index 313
