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Language is critical to the effectiveness of marketing messages. Achieving a desired outcome requires arranging words to formulate a message (i.e., syntax), but this task is not trivial. The authors study the role of syntax in marketing communications by focusing on syntactic surprise (i.e., how unexpected the syntax of a message is). They introduce a measure that captures syntactic surprise, establishes its internal and external validity, and tests its effectiveness for marketing messages. In a series of studies that include field data and randomized field experiments from contexts such as donations, advertising, and product reviews, the authors show that a message's syntactic surprise is related to its effectiveness. This relationship follows an inverted U-shape, such that medium-syntactic-surprise messages are the most effective. The authors then conduct experiments on Facebook and Instagram to demonstrate how these findings can be used to write effective marketing messages. In collaboration with two independent companies, they show that ads for products, services, or jobs that are written with medium syntactic surprise result in higher click-through rates than ads written with low or high syntactic surprise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is commonly assumed that images, whether in the world or in the head, do not have a privileged analysis into constituent parts. They are thought to lack the sort of syntactic structure necessary for representing complex contents and entering into sophisticated patterns of inference. I reject this assumption. "Image grammars" are models in computer vision that articulate systematic principles governing the form and content of images. These models are empirically credible and can be construed as literal grammars for images. Images can have rich syntactic structure, though of a markedly different form than sentences in language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper aims to discuss the impact of pre-posing a subordinate clause (as in connective p, q) on the overall meaning of a conjunction. This issue has traditionally been explored from a functional perspective and, more specifically, in relation to 'topic', 'framework' or other related notions. The current work reveals that, among the inadequacies that a topic-based account presents, it essentially falls short of a context-sensitive and unified perspective. In response to these inadequacies, a relevance-theoretic approach is proposed on procedural grounds. More specifically, it is argued that a sentence-initial subordinate clause, or, more accurately, the entire context associated with it, serves as evidence for the delivery of procedure r, namely the inference that the main-clause-proposition that may follow will be relevant to the foregoing pre-posed context. From a communicative point of view, the procedural impact of sentence-initial subordinate clauses is justified as a useful rhetorical instrument that serves to manipulate the hearer's epistemic assessment of the main-clause-proposition as genuinely relevant to the context associated with the (pre-posed) subordinate-clause proposition. • Exploration of the impact of a sentence-initial subordinate clause on a conjunction. • Discussion of the problems connected to traditional approaches of a functional origin. • Proposal of a procedural approach within a relevance-theoretic conception. • Discussion of the role of epistemic vigilance in employing sentence-initial clauses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important line of research within a generative, formal approach to syntax in the early 21st century has centered on exploring phenomena related to the interface between syntax and other linguistic modules in human language. In this paper, we review the notion of interfaces and how they have been viewed within formal theoretical approaches to monolingual and bilignual competence and language acquistion, noting their relevance as they relate to language acquisition and bilingualism in the context of Galicia (Spain). We review a selection of Noun Phrase (NP) structures that implicate a syntactic interface: subject position, clitic directionality, and determiner clitic allomorphy. We provide a review of the relevant literature and the theoretical issues of interest as they relate to our understanding of these syntactic interfaces, reporting on our current theoretical understandings, persistent questions, and our view of the path forward as it relates to linguistic research on the Galician language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many attempts to define depiction appeal to viewers' perceptual responses. Such accounts are liable to give a central role in determining depictive content to picture features responsible for the response, design. A different project is to give a compositional semantics for depictive content. Such attempts identify syntax: picture features systematically responsible for the content of the whole. Design and syntax are competitors. But syntax requires system, in how picture features contribute to content, that design does not. By examining John Kulvicki's semantics for basic depictive content, I argue that the relevant systematicity is absent from the pictorial realm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue examines the question of how both formal(ist) and functional(ist) accounts or elements of theorizing can contribute to the explanation of (morpho)syntactic variation. Are formal and functional approaches really irreconcilable with each other, as often seems to be taken for granted by their respective advocates? It will be argued instead that they are rather complementary and that both can make a valuable contribution to explaining linguistic variation, in synchronic as well as diachronic respects. The integration of ways of looking at a certain phenomenon or problem from the respective other camp is proven to provide a significant added value and should not be excluded. The volume focuses on several Germanic languages and dialects, more specifically on German, Dutch, and Swedish varieties. It unites different formal and functional perspectives and, not least, it considers also semantic and phonological factors. The models covered include different versions of generative grammar, information-based morphology, construction grammar/construction morphology, natural morphology, and sociolinguistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The negation in Brazilian Portuguese syntax is studied via dialectology. The focus lies on the positional relationship between the negation operator and the elements within its scope. We explore the well-known trichotomy of preverbal negation, double negative, and postverbal negation. Moreover, we introduce a tripartite classification consisting of sentence negation, complex phrase negation, and constituent negation. We then identify nine specific strategies (or types) of syntactic negation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We examined linguistic features in fourth graders' narrative and opinion writing and their relations to writing quality. We analysed narrative and opinion essays in terms of lexical sophistication and diversity as well as syntactic complexity, syntactic accuracy, and morphological complexity. Methods: Data were from English‐speaking students in Grade 4 (N = 129; 50% female) in the United States, majority of whom were from low socioeconomic status background. Paired t tests were used to analyse differences of linguistic features between the two genres. Hierarchical regression models were run to examine how language features are related to writing quality. Results: Words in the narrative task were more diverse and included more diverse verbal inflectional morphemes than those in the opinion task; syntactic complexity was significantly greater in the opinion genre, manifested by longer T‐units and the more frequent use of adverbial and relative clauses. Approximately 80% of T‐units were grammatical and 20% were ungrammatical. Syntactic accuracy and verbal morphological complexity of words were positively related to writing quality in the narrative task. Additionally, syntactic complexity measured by clauses per T‐unit, verbal and nominal morphological complexity of words were uniquely related to writing quality in the opinion genre. Conclusions: The findings highlight the limited extent to which Grade 4 students use complex syntax in their writing. The study also supports the critical role of linguistic features in writing quality and shows both similarities and differences in language use in two important writing genres, narrative and opinion, in elementary grades. Highlights: What is already known about this topic Linguistic features vary across writing genres.Lexical diversity contributes to narrative writing quality for elementary students.The relation between syntactic complexity and writing quality varies by genre. What this paper adds Lexical diversity and nominal morphological complexity were higher in the narrative task; T‐unit length was longer in the opinion task.Syntactic complexity positively and uniquely contributed to writing quality in the opinion task whereas syntactic accuracy positively and uniquely contributed to writing quality in the narrative task.Morphological complexity was uniquely related to writing quality in the narrative and opinion genre. Implications for theory, policy or practice Students in upper elementary grades may benefit from explicit and systematic instruction on salient linguistic features in different genres.Students in upper elementary grades may benefit from explicit and systematic instruction on syntactic accuracy and structures and morphological structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to enhance the theory of Dynamic Asymmetry by including symmetric head-head structures, the inevitable first step of any derivation (the "ignition" problem). The symmetry-breaking "repair" options available give rise to basic head-initial and head-final word orders. One of the consequences of this approach is that all word-order parameters reduce to head movement options. We take this to be a conceptual advance for the theory of word order variation. This approach and the empirical data discussed here also provide us with a unique opportunity to consider the role of labelling and linearization in the architecture of universal grammar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst the rapid integration of artificial intelligence into education, this research aims to uncover patterns and themes within student-written assignments, shedding light on the diverse impacts of AI tools on the writing process. This study explores the intricate dynamics of undergraduate EFL learners' interaction with AI-supported writing tools, focusing specifically on writing. The investigation, guided by questions about student use of AI-supported writing tools and the influence of different tools on writing quality, addresses notable gaps in the existing literature. A quasi-experimental study was conducted with purposive sampling of 62 Business Law undergraduates enrolled in a general English course at the International University of Rabat, Morocco, dividing them into two groups: one received structured AI training, while the other acted as a control group. Results revealed positive outcomes in language proficiency, creativity, organizational skills, and vocabulary use with AI assistance, emphasizing the transformative impact of AI on writing. The study also observed shifting preferences in AI writing tools, urging educators and developers to adapt to evolving user choices and promote continuous innovation in AI writing tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This scholarly investigation deals with the intricacies surrounding the syntactical nature of the phenomenon known as "If of Surprise" in the context of Classical Arabic, employing a methodological lens derived from the Minimalist framework. The "If of Surprise" construct represents a unique form of expression that incorporates a particle phonetically resembling the conditional particle "if" in Classical Arabic, yet its underlying structure diverges from establishing genuine conditional relationships. By employing the analytical tools provided by the Minimalist Program, this study scrutinizes the data associated with "If of Surprise" constructions, utilizing several syntactic diagnostics to uncover their distinctive characteristics. The findings of this study unequivocally demonstrate that "If of Surprise" exhibits remarkable traits that set it apart from conventional syntactic patterns. By shedding light on the mechanisms through which these projections operate, the study provides a comprehensive understanding of the sudden interpretive nature exhibited by "If of Surprise" By delving into the intricacies of its syntactic structure and exploring the role of Speech Act Projections, this research contributes to the broader field of linguistic inquiry and aids in unraveling the complexities inherent in the syntax of Classical Arabic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper gives a detailed description of the "A egy N" construction in Hungarian based on a thorough investigation of carefully collected corpus data. Utterances containing this construction express a speaker-related (mostly derogatory, but sometimes appreciative) value judgement. The morphological, syntactic, and pragmatic characteristics of the construction are presented. Furthermore, some formally and pragmatically similar constructions are also discussed and some misleading pieces of information in the earlier literature are debunked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Syncopation - the occurrence of a musical event on a metrically weak position preceding a rest on a metrically strong position - represents an important challenge in the study of the mapping between rhythm and meter. In this contribution, we present the hypothesis that syncopation is an effective strategy to elicit the bootstrapping of a multi-layered, hierarchically organized metric structure from a linear rhythmic surface. The hypothesis is inspired by a parallel with the problem of linearization in natural language syntax, which is the problem of how hierarchically organized phrase-structure markers are mapped onto linear sequences of words. The hypothesis has important consequences for the role of meter in music perception and cognition and, more particularly, for its role in the relationship between rhythm and bodily entrainment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze genitive of negation (GN) in Lithuanian. When the verb is negated, GN is realized on an object that would otherwise be realized as accusative. We demonstrate that Lithuanian GN is a syntactic (in line with Arkadiev 2016) and morphological phenomenon in contrast to Russian GN, whose realization is influenced by semantic factors (e.g. Kagan 2013). It differs from Russian (Pesetsky 1982) in that (i) it is always assigned to a DP which would otherwise bear structural accusative regardless of its semantic properties, and (ii) it cannot affect a structural nominative DP regardless of whether it is an external or internal argument. Lithuanian GN, in this respect, is similar to Polish GN (e.g. Przepiórkowski 2000, Witkoś 2008). We offer a three-layered approach to case, arguing that GN is a reflection of structural object case, assigned in syntax, then translated to morphological genitive case at PF and, finally, realized at Vocabulary Insertion (Halle & Marantz 1993). Thus, structural object case has two morphological realizations: as genitive under negation or as accusative in the absence of negation. Lithuanian also exhibits long-distance GN (Arkadiev 2016), showing that case boundaries can cross non-finite clauses without an overt CP element, suggesting these are not phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehension of sentences with a center-embedded, object-gapped relative clause (ORC) is challenging for children as well as adults. Mismatching lexical and grammatical features of subject noun phrases (NPs) across the main clause and relative clause has been shown to facilitate comprehension. Adani et al. concluded that children's comprehension improved under conditions of NP number mismatch (e.g., singular main clause subject and plural relative clause subject) as compared with NP number match (e.g., both singular subjects). However, their stimuli provided number information on verb phrases (VPs) as well as NPs creating a confound for conclusions about facilitative effects of NP number mismatch. In this study, we isolated the contribution of NP number mismatch. Notably, 32 6-year-olds with typical language participated in a center-embedded, ORC sentence comprehension task with 4 types of stimuli: (a) NP number mismatch without VP number information (NP mismatch only), (b) NP number match without VP number information (NP match only), (c) NP number mismatch with VP number mismatch (NP + VP mismatch), and (d) NP number match with VP number match (NP + VP match). Children selected one of four pictures in an array to a verbally presented relative clause sentence; 56 sentences were presented. The within-subjects comparison for NP mismatch only and NP match only was not significant. However, the within-subjects comparison for NP mismatch only and NP + VP mismatch was significant. Children were more successful in NP + VP mismatch sentence comprehension ( r C = 0.70). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes the numeral phrase in Soikkola Ingrian. It focuses on the external syntax of the numeral phrase (first of all, case marking of its components) and on the number agreement between the numeral phrase in the subject position and the predicate. The sources of data are (a) a collection of spontaneous speech samples recorded in 2006-2013, (b) samples of spontaneous speech published by previous researchers, (c) elicited material recorded in 2006-2023. Though the numeral phrase in Soikkola Ingrian preserves most of the common Finnic traits, it has some less common features, e.g. agreement in all numeral phrases with a numeral ending in 'one' or expressing approximate quantity through a reversed word order. Most likely these features arose due to the contact influence of Russian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the syntax and functions of the discourse particles no and nu in narratives and conversations recorded from speakers of Soikkola Ingrian in 2006-2013. The Ingrian particle no is probably Finnic in origin, while the particle nu was most likely borrowed from the Russian language. The goal of this research is to find out how different or similar no and nu are in contemporary Ingrian from the point of view of their syntactic positions and functions. Four structural positions are distinguished, in relation to the position of the particle in a turn and in a clause, and no striking differences are observed in the distribution of no and nu across positions. The typical functions of no and nu are analysed separately in each of the four structural positions, and the functional range is found to be similar for both particles. It is also notable that in the Russian speech of Ingrian speakers, no is sometimes used as a discourse particle, although this would not be possible in standard Russian. The research concludes that at the period under investigation the two particles were on the way to complete merger, and can be treated as phonetic variants in a synchronic description of Ingrian, despite the quantitative prevalence of no over nu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This introductory paper presents the context and current challenges of Uralic syntactic studies. The brief summary of seven selected papers from the SOUL-4 conference published in the present issue is followed by an overview of six topics from the domain of Uralic syntax, namely: differential object marking; object agreement; impersonal constructions; the syntax of minor parts of speech; subordination and nonfinite predication; and possessive constructions. The aim of this overview is to show how intricate and, in some ways, how unfamiliar Uralic syntax looks from the Standard Average European perspective and how many issues still await further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Free indirect discourse (FID) is a literary, or narrative device which allows access to the thoughts and feelings of a protagonist, from his or her own perspective. FID is formally viewed as lying on the scale between indirect discourse (ID) and direct discourse (DD). It is non-embedded, consisting of a blend of features, few intrinsic to ID, while the rest are associated with DD. The paper aims to discuss the nature of the FID phenomenon in North Eastern Neo-Aramaic, based on folktales told in the Jewish Neo-Aramaic dialect of Zakho, while paying close attention to the wider context, and more specifically, to the discourse type surrounding FID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate sensitivity to island constraints in English native speakers and Najdi Arabic learners of English, examining (1) whether second language (L2) learners whose native language (L1) does not instantiate overt wh -movement are sensitive to island constraints and (2) the source of island effects. Under a grammatical account of islands, these effects arise due to violations of syntactic constraints. Under the resource-limitation account, island effects arise due to processing difficulty. The source of island effects is interesting to examine in L2 learners because it is possible that reduced processing abilities in the L2 may lead to the low acceptance of sentences with island violations simply due to the complexity of the sentences themselves as opposed to an adherence to grammatical constraints. To tease apart these accounts, we followed Sprouse et al. in focusing on individual differences in working memory (WM). We used an acceptability judgment task (AJT) to quantify island sensitivity and an automated operation span task to measure WM. Building on Sprouse et al., the AJT tested four island types, but we made several modifications to the task design to address concerns raised by Hofmeister et al.: the stimuli included a 'context' sentence to improve the naturalness of the complex wh -sentences. The stimuli also included complex wh -fillers (e.g. which worker) as opposed to bare fillers (who), as semantically rich wh -phrases have been found to be easier to process. Our results showed that learners, like natives, exhibited island sensitivity, and there was no evidence that individual differences in WM modulated island sensitivity for either natives or learners. Our results are compatible with the grammatical view of island effects and suggest that wh -dependencies in both L1 and L2 grammars are similarly constrained by syntax. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Jezikoslovlje is the property of University of Osijek, Faculty of Philosophy and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Athar alrafedain is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study dwells on some selected linguistic devices of syntactic variation known as word order between Arabic and English language. This is because the two languages under the study have a lot of functions in Nigeria and the globe at large. Some of these include: language of instruction, commerce, official and personal, national and international and many more. Based on this relevancy, this paper sees the need to offer a syntactic baseline between Arabic and English with emphasis on word order. The researchers use some sentences of Arabic and English from already existing literature which showcase that there is word order variation in some structural configurations. The method used for data collection is secondary as a result of scouting information from text books, journals and internet. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the syntactic variation of word order between Arabic and English language to add value to the existing knowledge in field of linguistics. The outcomes of this study demonstrate that the linguistic elements such as Subject, Predicator (Verb) and Object are mostly differ. This is as a result of the Arabic has VSO while English has SVO. Therefore, the two languages prove to have different syntactic environment for both Subject and Predicator but share only Object position as a syntactic environment according to this finding. So, the word order between the two languages could argue to be different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine how the grammatical subject of a marketing claim affects persuasion. We refer to this phenomenon as the subject bias and introduce the distinction between users subjects (where product users are the grammatical subject of a sentence) and product subjects (where the product is the grammatical subject of the sentence). We find that users subjects can lead to an illusion of fit , where a reader believes that an offer provides a better fit for oneself than for other consumers, which, in turn, affects persuasion. Eight experiments, including a field study, provide support for the subject bias in different domains, ranging from online dating services to medical products, and uncover the underlying process along with its boundary conditions while ruling out alternative explanations. These findings advance the understanding of the antecedents and consequences of idiosyncratic fit and introduce a novel language effect in consumer research that has theoretical, methodological, and practical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Berber1 clitics are argued to follow the main verb but may appear in a position preceding the verb in the presence of a Complementiser, Negation or Tense. However, there are cases involving a subset of these categories yet the clitics still follow the verb. In this article, it is argued that neither syntax nor phonology alone can handle the full range of clitic alternations. Instead, the placement of these clitics is claimed to involve both syntax and phonology. It is argued that these clitics undergo syntactic movement from a lower position to the left of the verb for licensing purposes. However, clitics in some syntactically well‐formed positions may still be ill‐formed due to prosodic considerations. Assuming copy theory of movement, the variable positioning of clitics is attributed to the spell‐out of different copies in the movement chain, thus obviating the need for phonological movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The science of grammar, along with logic, akaid/kalam, Sufism, and akaid/kalam, is crucial for correct thinking, belief, and speaking. The introduction of grammar was driven by various factors, including the nationalist nature of Muslims, the protection of the Quran and hadiths, and the desire to preserve the religion in lands that were not recognized by Islam due to conquest movements. In addition to teaching science, the science of grammar was also taught. Universal rules, inspired by the Holy Quran and the concise expressions of the Prophet (pbuh), were compiled to help non-Arabs understand the rules better. Arabic grammar is based on these universal rules, which guide grammar professionals in prioritizing and implementing them. These rules are often found in scientific books on grammar, grammar method, and grammar, and are often referred to in special sections. Ibn Malik emphasizes the importance of these rules in his work, Alfiyya, by both acting in accordance with them and mentioning them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Adab Al-Kufa is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The objective of this research is to connect Arabic theoretical linguistics with modern linguistics, not by disregarding the present and attributing the later theories solely to Arab grammarians and rhetoricians, as has often been assumed. Rather, this research aims to qualitatively explore the linguistic accomplishments of ancient Arab scholars from a contemporary perspective and identify commonalities and controversies between past and present perspectives. Specifically, this study focuses on Sibawayh's interpretation of functional linguistics and its final formulation by Jakobson. Additionally, the study aims to analyse and compare the principles of language and grammar advocated by ancient Arab linguists and contemporary linguists to deepen our understanding of language and its role in human society. The results of this study reveal that while Sibawayh concentrated on the analysis of structure and function in Arabic grammar, modern linguists such as Jakobson have broadened their approach to include a wider range of perspectives including sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and neurolinguistics. Therefore, it is essential to acknowledge the contributions of Sibawayh as his work formed the foundation for language theories in general and linguistics in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the linguistic functions of the syncretic particle ʕaad in Jordanian Arabic. It particularly examines the repetitive, evidential, and evaluative functions of ʕaad, and attempts to make some speculations on the source from which this particle could have been originated. Moreover, it explores the syntactic function of each ʕaad, arguing that one ʕaad is an utterance-oriented repetitive particle, while the other two are mood particles, with one expressing evidential mood but the other evaluative mood. It will also be shown that the three particles are syntactically functional heads encoding different grammatical and pragmatic meanings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper consists of a linguistic-pragmatic study of the Twitter messages of Spanish politicians, men and women, in order to discover how the image of a public figure is constructed and deconstructed through the comments of citizens. These comments reflect their evaluations of the politician and his or her management, and at the same time, they are projected publicly, affecting the candidate's image. We focus on the vocatives used, showing, from this integrated approach, not only their syntactic function and their basically appellative nature, but also their socio-pragmatic behaviour as a tool for defining the interactive relationship with the person alluded to and forming a generally negative identity for the public figure. The vocatives frequently resort to ad hominem attacks based on their personality or the role they play. Accusations of lying, misrepresenting, stealing or not fulfilling their obligations are constant, as well as other more personal insults. Positive appraisals are less frequent. The study contrasts the results according to the gender of the person to whom the vocatives are addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we propose a brief presentation of the evolution of syntaxspecific terminology, from the grammar of Dimitrie Eustatievici Brașoveanul (1757) to that of Heliade Rădulescu (1828). The situation of the evolution of specialised terms must be seen in relation to the process of cultural development of the Romanian provinces from the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. Grammatical works from this period are poorly represented in terms of terminology in the field of syntax because the terms obtained through semantic or structural linguistic calques, as well as neological borrowings followed a multiple model, depending on the foreign sources towards which the authors of the grammars were oriented and depending on the influences exerted on the Romanian language during this transition period, in the process of language modernisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobbing behavior, in addition to its complex cooperative aspects, is particularly suitable to study the mechanisms implicated in heterospecific communication. Indeed, various mechanisms ranging from pure learning to innate recognition have been proposed. One promising yet understudied mechanism could be syntax recognition, especially given the latest works published on syntax comprehension in birds. In this experiment, we test whether great tits use both learning and syntax recognition when responding to heterospecifics. In the first part of the experiment, we demonstrate that great tits show different responses to the same heterospecific calls depending on their sympatric status. In the second part, we explore the impact of reorganizing the notes of the heterospecific mobbing calls to fit the syntax of great tits. Great tits showed an increased mobbing response toward the heterospecific calls when they shared their own call organization. Our results corroborate the recent finding that syntactic rules in bird calls may have a strong impact on their communication systems and enlighten how various mechanisms can be used by the same species to respond to heterospecific calls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nabataean Aramaic contains a large number of loanwords from Arabic. Together with other evidence, this has been taken as an indication that the Nabataeans used Aramaic as a written language only, while a Pre‐Islamic variety of Arabic was their spoken language. Based on a comprehensive review of the evidence, however, this article concludes that both Arabic and Aramaic were in spoken use in the Nabataean Kingdom and Late Antique Northwest Arabia. Departing from this modified understanding of the linguistic status of Nabataean Aramaic, various features of Pre‐Islamic Arabic are then examined based on the Nabataean evidence: the realisation of the voiceless sibilant /s/, nominal morphology, the reflexes of stem‐final *y, verbal syntax, and the lexicon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Syntactic priming refers to the likelihood that a particular structure is repeated when preceded by an utterance with the same or a related syntactic structure. Experimental studies that demonstrate syntactic priming have attracted the attention of scholars because syntactic priming provides insightful information about the way language is processed in the human cognitive system, facilitates dialogue and informs linguistic theories about the knowledge of language that is activated via syntactic priming. In this study, we investigate syntactic priming in 15 Arabic-English bilinguals through the Confederate-Scripted Dialogue Game technique, targeting four structures: active, passive, double-object (DO), and prepositional-object structures (PO). The results of the study indicate that the syntax of Arabic-English bilinguals is separate for each language. Participants tend to use the active structure regardless of the structure of the prime sentence. The findings of this study illustrate how the syntax of two unrelated languages (Arabic and English) is represented and processed in bilingual brains, contributing to the fields of bilingualism, syntax, psycholinguistics, and second language acquisition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the syntactic structure of English paragraph writing among undergraduate students at Kinnaird College, Lahore. Employing a mixed-method approach, the study focused on a target population of 50 first-year undergraduate students enrolled in the compulsory English subject during their initial semester, along with 15 teachers teaching the subject at Kinnaird College. These students, who missed their intermediate English examinations due to the pandemic, had their post-pandemic paragraphs analyzed to observe the effects of the lack of testing on syntactic structures. To gain insights into the challenges faced by students, the teachers were provided with a questionnaire. Their responses shed light on how the absence of examinations contributed to an increase in mistakes. The questionnaire not only confirmed the authentic difficulties encountered by students but also highlighted the significance of testing in shaping the syntactic structures of English. The research aims to unveil the implications of these testingrelated challenges and, ultimately, proposes measures to address and mitigate the consequences of disrupted examination patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we analyze the syntax of sentences such as Here is my daughter, which we refer to as presentatives. Presentatives turn out to have a wide range of properties that distinguish them sharply from ordinary declaratives, interrogatives, imperatives, and exclamatives. Drawing on recent work on the left periphery, we develop a novel account of their syntactic structure that uses only independently proposed syntactic primitives. We argue that English presentatives involve an ordinary DP combined with two left-peripheral heads, encoding the time and location of the speaker, along with an anaphoric T head and a light verb. The resulting structure is a triple consisting of the speech time, speech location, and an entity denoted by a DP. The overall picture that emerges suggests that presentatives may constitute their own minor clause type, one that we might expect to be widely available crosslinguistically, since it is built from a particular combination of these widely available primitives. A brief survey of presentatives in languages other than English suggests that they are indeed widely available, and our analysis provides an explicit framework for detailed investigations of presentatives in other languages, which may use an overlapping, but not necessarily fully identical, set of primitives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Arts for Linguistic & Literary Studies is the property of Thamar University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

During the second half of the 20th century, looking to the language as the basic raw material of the literature, leads to overlapping some of the achievements of Discourse Analysis and Sociocriticism. In fact, getting an internal approach to the literary text in order to degage its sociality, and focusing on the discourse in the context of social involved situation, these are the common bases of the two analytic methods. Therefore, Pierre V. Zima introduces his approach as the “sociology of the text” and believes that the social questions could appear through the languages, sociolects and discourses, as well as the lexicon, semantics and syntax could have a social function. In the present article, we aim to analyze the social function of the semantics and the syntax inside the novel Ace Heart by Moniru Ravanipur to find out the interdiscursive relation between the text and the surrounding society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Language & Literature Studies is the property of Turkiye Dil ve Edebiyat Dernegi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article addresses the teaching of the noun phrase (NP) in the 4th year of Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO). Firstly, the lack of progression and depth found in the Secondary Education and Baccalaureate curricula regarding the teaching-learning process of units smaller than sentences is brought to light. Secondly, the didactic transposition about the NP presented in several textbooks from 4th of ESO is revised. We also present a didactic proposal about several grammatical contents that can be taught at this stage, so that the configuration of the NP is examined with a level of profundity and complexity higher than the one from previous years. This proposal is completed with a set of exercises to reinforce the theoretical contents presented. The main goal of this didactic proposal is to address the study of the linguistic system in Secondary not only as a communicative tool, but also as a scientific object. In this way, the metalinguistic ability will be strengthened from the development of skills such as active observation, reflection, hypothesis formulation and (counter)argumentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grammar competition has been proposed as a model for second language (L2) acquisition. Variational Learning provides a framework within which to investigate the idea of grammar competition as the model requires a marriage of quantitative properties of the input with Universal Grammar. A diachronic variational model of grammar competition is extended to second language acquisition (L2A) to explore verb-second word order optionality in L2 English. Patterns of L1-German–L2-English word order acquisition are reviewed in light of a study of classroom discourse as input to first language (L1) German speakers. A variational model of word order patterns in the input identifies differences in patterns of word order optionality, which may contribute to the trajectory of acquisition identified for L2 English. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Turkbilig/Turkoloji Arastirmalari Dergisi is the property of Turkbilig/Turkoloji Arastirmalari Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The goal of the study is to analyze modality of verbs from the perspective of its usage in different types of Czech texts. The analysis is based on data from the Czech National Corpus, specifically the balanced corpus of contemporary written Czech SYN2020, which contains 100 million words. The proportion of modal verbs to all verbs is used to measure modality. Furthermore, different types of modality are considered: necessity and possibility. The findings reveal distinct patterns in the use of modal verbs in different genres. Thus, index of modality seems to be a promising stylometric feature. Non-fiction literature, especially administrative texts, exhibits the highest modality. In contrast fiction texts, namely poetry, has the lowest modality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across many languages, multiple sluicing obeys a clausemate constraint. This can be understood on the empirically well-supported assumption that covert phrasal wh-movement is clause-bounded and subject to Superiority. We provide independent evidence for syntactic structure at the ellipsis site and for locality constraints on movement operations within the ellipsis site. The fact that the distribution of multiple sluicing is substantially narrower than that of multiple wh-questions, on their single-pair as well as their pair-list reading, entails that there must be mechanisms for scoping in-situ wh-phrases that do not rely on covert phrasal wh-movement. We adopt the choice-functional account for single-pair readings. For pair-list readings, we develop a novel functional analysis, argue for the functional basis of pair-list readings, and present a new perspective on pair-list readings of questions with quantifiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase in conquests in the Islamic world, non-Arab nations began to live together with Arabs, the orientation towards Arabic increased, and as a result, language deterioration occurred. These corruptions, called laḥn, have caused many mistakes, including the misunderstanding of religious texts. Determination of grammatical rules became obligatory in order to prevent laḥn, and the first studies on this issue were carried out in Baṣra. Since scientific activities were carried out in various fields in Kūfa at that time, scholars of Kūfa were later included in language studies. The geographical location of the inhabited regions, the political and social conditions and the differences in method were the factors that made Kūfa and Baṣra two different schools. While determining the rules of syntax, both schools used methods such as samāʻ, qiyās, ijmāʻ, istihsān, istiṣḥābul ḥāl, but they differed in terms of using these methods. Likewise, they differed from each other in terms of the sources referenced in samāʻ, which constitutes the main subject of our study. While the Baṣra school was uncompromising and strict in the use of these resources, the Kūfa school was a little more tolerant. As a matter of fact, the attitude adopted in samāʻ, which is the starting point of all methods based on the creation of syntax rules, had an impact on the use of other methods as well. When we examine the studies on samāʻ and qiyās, the abundance of studies on qiyās draws attention. Although the studies on qiyās and its sub-titles have shed light on the samāʻ method and the differences in this regard, no study specific to samāʻ has been found. In order to overcome this deficiency to some extent, in our study, the main lines of samāʻ will be mentioned and the referenced sources will be discussed together with the different approaches of the Baṣra and Kūfa schools. The point that will make our work unique is that the issues that the schools disagree on in the samā‘ method will be explained through examples. Thus, the points of disagreement will be tried to be embodied by pouring them from theory into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the contribution of José Nicolás Vacas to the Ecuadorian grammatical theory of the second half of the 19th century, through the analysis of his treatise Sintaxis castellana extractada de varias obras, especialmente de la Gramática del Sr. Don Andrés Bello y dedicada á los estudiantes del Colegio Seminario de Ibarra (1899). The influence of the canonical sources of the time, as Andrés Bello, his only mentioned source, and the Royal Spanish Academy, is analyzed, as well as other extended teachers in Ecuadorian grammatical teaching at the turn of the century, such as the manuals of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. The treatment of the concepts of syntax, concordance, regime, construction and proposition is specifically checked. The results allow to question the real influence of Bello in the doctrine of this author, as well as to discover the existence in this work of other non-canonical sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an analysis of prosodic smothering in Makonde (Bantu). Prosodic smothering is a phenomenon where certain elements require nearby elements to be phrased together with them that would otherwise be phrased apart. Prior analyses of this phenomenon must lexically specify certain elements as triggers of smothering. This article, building on previous work, derives smothering effects from a particular approach to the syntax–prosody mapping, according to which syntactic c‐command relationships between terminal nodes determine prosodic phrasing. Whether or not an element will be a trigger of smothering ends up being by and large a byproduct of the position the element occupies in the syntactic structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to assess whether undergraduate students would correctly follow recombined instructions after two kinds of stimulus pairing procedures with overlapping compound stimuli, and to compare these results with a matching-to-sample procedure. The investigated procedures may be analogous to situations where the listener would learn to comprehend sentences with the syntax "verb + object." Participants were assigned to three groups that differed regarding the type of training between stimuli that overlapped in a stepwise manner: matching-to-sample (MTS), stimulus pairing (SP), and cued multiple stimulus pairing (CMSP). Relations between pseudophrases (A) and videos of actions related to objects (B), and between pseudophrases (A) and compound abstract symbols (C) were trained in each group (AB and AC training). Performance was tested in selection tasks: stimulus equivalence (BC/CB) and recombined conditional discriminations (AB-r/AC-r); and execution tasks: trained (AD/CD) and recombined (AD-r/CD-r) instruction-following. In the MTS control group, participants had to choose a comparison stimulus according to the sample, in a conditional discrimination task. In the SP condition, participants were asked to observe stimuli that were analogous to the sample and correct comparison of the MTS condition, displayed in sequence in a stimulus pairing task, presented without reinforcement or required selection responses. The CMSP condition used a procedure similar to SP, except S+ were signaled by a hand icon, and S- analogues were presented in the pairing trial. MTS and SP conditions produced similar performances in BC/CB, AB-r/AC-r, AD/CD and AD-r/CD-r testing, whereas CMSP yielded worse results than both. Results indicate that recombined instruction-following may be a product of stimulus pairing procedures, which does not require or reinforce selection responses (SP), even when more than one stimulus is displayed in the pairing situation (CMSP). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a new description of Cantonese causative–resultative constructions (CRCs), constructions with two verbal elements relevant to the cause and the effect of an event respectively. We present a constructional schema for the CRC with three argument types and without using traditional categories—such as subject, object and pseudo-passivation, present various syntactic and semantic properties, and subsume constructions such as the comparative construction and numerous particle constructions under this banner. We then argue against traditional approaches to CRCs with two lexical verbs that treat the argument structure of the CRC as composed from argument structures of individual verbs (the decompositional approach); instead, CRC arguments belong to the entire construction and have only semantic orientation-based relationships with individual verbs (the holistic approach). We show how our account can shed light on Sinitic typology and the grammaticalisation mechanism of verbal particles within CRCs, particularly the extension of result verbs into a broader range of contexts to become particles. We also argue that Cantonese CRCs challenge many assumptions of serial verb typology, which typically ignore the existence of multiple layers of constructional abstraction and assume decompositional descriptions, and urge for methodological advancements in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]