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8
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What is the scope of negation?
A recent question posed by another user observed that the following sentence is ambiguous:
(1) Arthur does not discipline his children because he loves them.
This sentence can mean either that Arthur refrains from punishing his children because he…
Tim Osborne
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Which languages have zero markers of comparative degree that coexist with non-zero comparative markers?
The zero comparative marker and the non-zero one should be more or less interchangeable. (The etymology of the non-zero marker doesn't matter.)
(A message asking to list such languages was originally posted by Lisa Bylinina; check under number 2,…
imz -- Ivan Zakharyaschev
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8
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Does any language conjugate adverbs?
Many definitions of adverbs, like those in Polish grammar theory, state that adverbs are an invariable part of speech (they do not conjugate with verbs) in opposite to adjectives, which decline with nouns.
Is this the 'universal rule'? Is there any…
user1609
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1 answer
Is there any language that expresses the category D but doesn't have inverse scope?
By "expresses the category D" I mean, preferably, that there is solid evidence/argumentation for a given morpheme to be analyzed as overtly heading a Determiner projection. I would limit such expressions in this case to those communicating meaning…
Alexis Wellwood
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What really makes adverbs different from adjectives?
I just tried to answer a question that amounted to knowing whether
adverbs can be inflected. Then, doing a bit of search for examples,
I came up with the impression that, in many cases, I could not tell
adverbs from adjectives from looking at uses…
babou
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8
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2 answers
Any Spanish speech variety where F is pronounced as ϕ?
Are there any living speech varieties of Spanish (geographic, socio-economic) that pronounce the phoneme associated with the letter 'f' as [ϕ], as bilabial rather than labiodental? Just wondering since when I look at the Spanish consonants, /f/…
Noble_Bright_Life
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why did the Franco-Provençal language decline in Switzerland?
In France, the Franco-Provençal language is endangered. The general dialect leveling in France proper is sometimes thought to be a consequence of public policy, the French government having been known for pushing standard French to the exclusion of…
hunter
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8
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4 answers
Distinction of vowels depends on native language
I have seen a computer experiment at a science museum that asked the user to distinguish very similar vowels by sound explaining that visitors with different native language can distinguish different vowels.
Is it possible in principle to identify…
Phira
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8
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How do clusive forms arise?
Most non-European languages exhibit a clusivity (exclusive/inclusive) distinction. What are the common ways of developing new clusive forms and which clusivity is tied more tightly to the first person singular?
In Washo (an Amerindian language),…
Anthony Miles
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Is feminine ending in -a a native feature of Semitic languages?
It seems to me that many Arabic female names are ending in -a: Fatima, Yamina, Aisha, Aziza. Is this a modern innovation imported from Indo-European languages or a native feature? Also I wonder about nouns and country names like say Jamahiriya,…
Anixx
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8
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Is linguistics limited to natural languages?
Or would linguistics also include the study of accessory languages like esperanto, artificial languages like Klingon, or even programming languages?
Quora Feans
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8
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Semantic head vs Syntactic head parsing
I've run into "semantic head parsing" and "syntactic head parsing" and while I think I have a feel for the difference, I was wondering if anyone could give a more concrete definition or reference to read up about the difference.
In particular I'm…
Sara
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Languages with a three-way distinction between voiced, aspirated, and unaspirated stops
I thought I had asked this question here previously but it turns out that I asked about ejectives rather than aspirated stops.
So this time I would like to ask whether there are languages that have a phonemic distinction between the three types of…
hippietrail
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8
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Why can't these English sentences passivize?
The active sentences (1a) and (2a) below can be passivized just like most English active clauses, resulting in (1b) and (2b):
1a. His candor struck me.
1b. I was struck by his candor.
2a. Her ideas impress me.
2b. I am impressed by her ideas.
But…
TKR
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8
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Diachronic sources of negators
What are some examples of negators that have a known (or even conjectured) etymology? What kinds of non-negative meanings can develop into negative meanings?
The etymologizable negators I know of all arise from a kind of syntagm where a negative is…
TKR
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