Double-possessive nominalizations in English
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J. Lachlan Mackenzie
Abstract
Double-possessive nominalizations such as Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait have played a prominent role in the history of linguistics. However, this construction is not only cross-linguistically rare but also the least used form of nominalization in English texts. The question is therefore addressed of the circumstances under which double-possessive nominalization is used. What emerges from corpus analysis is that the construction is employed above all to designate mental processes and that its occurrence differs from that of its clausal analogue in occurring in certain syntactic positions in which clauses are excluded. The article also contains discussion of such matters as the semantic categories of entity proposed by Functional Grammar, the interaction of nominalization and psych verbs and the effect of syntactic ‘priming’.
Abstract
Double-possessive nominalizations such as Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait have played a prominent role in the history of linguistics. However, this construction is not only cross-linguistically rare but also the least used form of nominalization in English texts. The question is therefore addressed of the circumstances under which double-possessive nominalization is used. What emerges from corpus analysis is that the construction is employed above all to designate mental processes and that its occurrence differs from that of its clausal analogue in occurring in certain syntactic positions in which clauses are excluded. The article also contains discussion of such matters as the semantic categories of entity proposed by Functional Grammar, the interaction of nominalization and psych verbs and the effect of syntactic ‘priming’.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors ix
- Editorial introduction xvii
- Publications of Angela Downing xxvii
- Grammar as an adaptive evolutionary product 1
- Towards a cognitive-functional model of text comprehension 41
- Towards an integrational approach in linguistics 81
- Expressing past habit in English and Swedish 97
- Do cognate and circumstantial complements of intransitive verbs form one ‘Range’? 129
- The unconscious, irresponsible construction in Modern Icelandic 149
- Modelling ‘selection’ between referents in the English nominal group 165
- Problems in NP structure 205
- Double-possessive nominalizations in English 217
- Pragmatics, word order and cross-reference 233
- Patterns of multiple theme and their role in developing English writing skills 257
- Interactive solution-problems 279
- The English Contrastive Discourse Marker instead 301
- Global and local attention in task-oriented conversation 313
- Metadiscursive and interpersonal values of pronominal topics in spoken Spanish 327
- Phatic communion and small talk in fictional dialogues 349
- Mister so-called X 359
- ‘Sorry to muddy the waters’ 395
- The discourse functionality of adjectival and adverbial epistemic expressions 419
- Modality across World Englishes 447
- Name index 469
- Subject index 473
- Language index 481
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors ix
- Editorial introduction xvii
- Publications of Angela Downing xxvii
- Grammar as an adaptive evolutionary product 1
- Towards a cognitive-functional model of text comprehension 41
- Towards an integrational approach in linguistics 81
- Expressing past habit in English and Swedish 97
- Do cognate and circumstantial complements of intransitive verbs form one ‘Range’? 129
- The unconscious, irresponsible construction in Modern Icelandic 149
- Modelling ‘selection’ between referents in the English nominal group 165
- Problems in NP structure 205
- Double-possessive nominalizations in English 217
- Pragmatics, word order and cross-reference 233
- Patterns of multiple theme and their role in developing English writing skills 257
- Interactive solution-problems 279
- The English Contrastive Discourse Marker instead 301
- Global and local attention in task-oriented conversation 313
- Metadiscursive and interpersonal values of pronominal topics in spoken Spanish 327
- Phatic communion and small talk in fictional dialogues 349
- Mister so-called X 359
- ‘Sorry to muddy the waters’ 395
- The discourse functionality of adjectival and adverbial epistemic expressions 419
- Modality across World Englishes 447
- Name index 469
- Subject index 473
- Language index 481
