The aim of this paper is to determine whether the first predicate noun (NP) after the verb in sentences such as "Kelly gave Rose a piano" is the direct object or the indirect object in the surface structure of English. An analysis reveals that the direct object in English is not marked by its position immediately after a (transitive)…

Discusses the relationship between the pragmatic and the syntactic aspects of a message or, more specifically, the relationship between the status of the information in the message (that is, whether the information is shared or not shared by speaker and listener) and the grammatical structures used to reproduce the message. (CFM)

Gemination in Pulaar, a dialect of Fula, does not always follow typically known gemination processes and previous attempts to analyze Pulaar gemination processes have been unsatisfactory. The proposed analyses fail to account for numerous exceptions and do not provide a comprehensive analysis of all gemination processes in Pulaar. In this paper,…

The predominant view of the binding facts of the Japanese reflexive "zibun" is that there are two types of uses; one is as a reflexive that is to be bound by the clause-mate subject, and the other is as the so-called "logophoric" pronoun. Accordingly, the binding theory of "zibun" along the lines of this view will…

Gives an elementary description of German syntax which is coherent and provides students with finite, countable categories: (1) the predicate, (2) its nominal complements, and (3) modifiers. Analyzes each category and gives examples with teaching suggestions. (EKN)

Describes the constructions used to express cause and effect relationships and problems in comprehending such constructions. (FL)

Investigates sign learning as a function of sign translucency (ease of relating a sign to its referents) and referential concreteness. Naive sign learners attempted to learn a list of sign-referent pairs. Signs high in translucency and referents high in concreteness facilitated learning; low levels of each variable inhibited learning. (Author/PJM)

To help students learn the imperfect and perfect aspects of Russian verbs, principles of math and physics can be utilized. This Orbit-Trajectory-Stasis method presents verbs of motion by avoiding tense, and suggests new verbal configurations for exploring both conceptual and concrete aspects. Appendices further illustrate the approach. (PMJ)

Describes a phrase analysis system called PHAN that can be used to assess the degree and nature of potential stumbling blocks to comprehension within a passage or book. (FL)

Attempts to show that conditional sentences are based on two separate binary choices: the choice between "open" and "theoretical" and the choice between "event condition" and "truth condition." Truth conditions, unlike event conditions, are concerned not with what might or might not happen but with what…

Certain verbs in English can be followed by both "ing" and by a "to"+ infinitive, with a difference in meaning. The "ing" ending is used for events or states already in existence at the time of the preceding verb. The infinitive points ahead to a later time. Examples are given. (PJM)

Discusses future-tense form possibilities in English and their pedagogical implications. Six possibilities are discussed: (1) the future tense proper, signalled by "if" + present or mental state verbs; (2) declaration of intent, with "I'll" or "we'll"; (3) "Shall I/we" questions; (4) "will you"…

Variation among tokens of enumeration in Montreal French are studied to explain how the constitutive processes interact in terms of Slobin's (1977) charges to language: be clear, processible in real time, quick and easy, and expressive. The contributions of six structural factors or processes to the fulfillment of these charges are examined.…

Reports two parallel experiments conducted in French and in English in which subject-verb agreement errors were induced to explore the role of syntactic structure during sentence production. Aims to understand how syntactic structure contributes to the occurrence of errors. (Author/VWL)

The semantics and syntax of English comparative structures ("as...as") are re-examined. It is argued that traditional reference grammars have misrepresented comparisons as expressing a notion of equality, and an alternative analysis of the semantic relation between "-er than" and "as...as" is proposed. (Author/MSE)