The Role of Syntax in Word Conversion: Uses and Limits of a Corpus-Based Approach to Converted Denominal Verbs Open Access

Abstract

The current literature on denominal verb conversion has been dominated by subjective theories and has emphasized the semantic nature of the process. Hale and Keyser's theories of lexical noun incorporation and conflation uniquely suggest that syntax is a significant factor in the formation of denominal verbs. The present thesis aims to utilize empirical data to evaluate the legitimacy of these syntactic theories. The data originates from a syntactic parsing of Wikipedia, which includes information on frequency counts, types of verbal argument structures, and nominal roles of denominal verbs. Through the use of this data, it is argued that these theories can only be understood in the context of a dynamic and diachronic conversion process, in which semantic, syntactic and frequency factors of the converted pair are subject to change. The implications for this modified theory are discussed.

Table of Contents

I. Introduction 1

a. The Present Thesis 2

II. Intuitions Supporting Syntax in Conversion 4

a. Syntax in Lexical Categories 4

b. Syntax in Lexical Decomposition 5

c. Syntax in Categories of Denominal Verbs 7

III. Conversion Independent of Syntax 8 IV. Syntactic Theories of Conversion 11

a. Movement-based Incorporation 11

b. Manner Incorporation 13

c. Merge-like Conflation 14

V. New Implications for Syntactic Conversion Theories 15

VI. Categorization in Corpus Parsing 16

VII. Conversion as Innovation Rather Than Derivation 21

VIII. Directionality Continuum as a Model for the Institutionalization Process 22

IX. Semantic and Syntactic Change over Time 27

X. Implications for Syntactic Theories 29 XI. Conclusions and Future Research 31 References 33 Appendix 36

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Linguistics
Degree	BA
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Language, Linguistics Psychology, Cognitive
Keyword	Corpus Nerb Linguistics Deverbial Nouns Conversion Syntax-Semantics Derivation Denominal Verbs Word Formation Syntax Directionality
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Wolff, Phillip, Emory University
Committee Members	Pak, Marjorie, Emory University Hary, Benjamin, Emory University

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