Unscrambling the lexical nature of weak definites
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Peter de Swart
Abstract
We investigate how the lexical nature of weak definites influences the phenomenon of direct object scrambling in Dutch. Earlier experiments have indicated that weak definites are more resistant to scrambling than strong definites. We examine how the notion of weak definiteness used in this experimental work can be reduced to lexical connectedness. We explore four different ways of quantifying the relation between a direct object and the verb. Our results show that predictability of a verb given the object (verb cloze probability) provides the best fit to the weak/strong distinction used in the earlier experiments
Abstract
We investigate how the lexical nature of weak definites influences the phenomenon of direct object scrambling in Dutch. Earlier experiments have indicated that weak definites are more resistant to scrambling than strong definites. We examine how the notion of weak definiteness used in this experimental work can be reduced to lexical connectedness. We explore four different ways of quantifying the relation between a direct object and the verb. Our results show that predictability of a verb given the object (verb cloze probability) provides the best fit to the weak/strong distinction used in the earlier experiments
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- List of abbreviations ix
- Advances in weak referentiality 1
- Modal inferences in marked indefinites 17
- Epistemic and scopal properties of some indefinites 45
- Antonymic prepositions and weak referentiality 73
- Weak referentiality and Russian instrumental nominals 101
- Predicate nominals in Papiamentu 129
- Many a plural 157
- Telic definites and their prepositions 183
- How weak and how definite are Weak Definites? 213
- Modified weak definites 237
- Functional frames in the interpretation of weak nominals 265
- Unscrambling the lexical nature of weak definites 287
- Inalienable possession 311
- Basque nominals 335
- Referential properties of definites and salience spreading 365
- Index 389
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- List of abbreviations ix
- Advances in weak referentiality 1
- Modal inferences in marked indefinites 17
- Epistemic and scopal properties of some indefinites 45
- Antonymic prepositions and weak referentiality 73
- Weak referentiality and Russian instrumental nominals 101
- Predicate nominals in Papiamentu 129
- Many a plural 157
- Telic definites and their prepositions 183
- How weak and how definite are Weak Definites? 213
- Modified weak definites 237
- Functional frames in the interpretation of weak nominals 265
- Unscrambling the lexical nature of weak definites 287
- Inalienable possession 311
- Basque nominals 335
- Referential properties of definites and salience spreading 365
- Index 389
