 |
13th International Conference
on Functional Grammar
|
| Towards a satisfactory representation of
isolated constituents |
Freek Van de Velde,
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven,
Belgium
The main objective of this
paper is to show how FDG’s modular approach to grammar can
be fruitfully exploited to represent morphosyntactic variation
that is notoriously difficult to account for in any
grammatical model. In this way, a better understanding is
gained of the morphosyntactic level, which is currently
somewhat underdeveloped in FDG, as e.g. Butler (2007)
acknowledges.
In FDG a distinction is made
between the interpersonal level (IL), the representational
level (RL), and the morphosyntactic level (ML). There is some
debate about whether these three levels run in parallel, that
is: whether the layering at IL is mirrored by the layering at
RL and ML. It seems that in a lot of cases, all three levels
indeed line up. Sometimes, however, RL can be by-passed. This
is e.g. the case with vocatives: they are represented at IL,
but not at RL (see Hengeveld 2008). Another case in point is
non-restrictive apposition. As Hannay & Keizer (2005)
argue, such appositions consist of two Acts, and two Subacts
at IL, but there is only one entity at RL.
The question now is: what is to be expected in the morphosyntax, at ML,
when IL and RL are not aligned? Does ML team up with IL, or
with RL? In this talk I would like to argue that when we find
syntactic variation in some part of the grammar, this is often
due to ML’s ‘hesitation’ to either align with RL or with
IL. This can be illustrated by a plethora of constructions
from various languages. It will be argued that a
cross-linguistic tendency may be discerned: the more loosely
an element is integrated in the clause, the more faithfully ML
reflects IL.
|
|
|
|
| References: |
-
Butler,
C. 2007. “Morphosyntax and its generation in
Functional Discourse Grammar: what can be learned from
Role and Reference Grammar?”. Alfa 51(2):239-268.
-
Hannay,
M. & E. Keizer 2005. “A discourse treatment of
English non-restrictive nominal appositions in Functional
Discourse Grammar”. In: L.
Mackenzie & M. de los Ángeles Gómez-González (eds.).
Studies in
Functional Discourse Grammar. Bern: Peter Lang,
159-194.
-
Hengeveld,
K. 2008. “The
noun phrase in Functional Discourse Grammar”. In: D.
García Velasco & J. Rijkhoff (ed.). The noun phrase in Functional Discourse Grammar. Berlin: Mouton de
Gruyter, 43-62.
|
|
|
