This serial is intended as a forum for the presentation, in print, of the latest original research by the faculty and students of the Department of Linguistics and other related departments at the University of Kansas. Papers include the following: "Inferentials: The Story of a Forgotton Evidential" (Gerald Delahunty); "Knowledge of…

The verb in Classical Aztec is slowly moving from the end of the sentence to the beginning due to the attraction of sentence initial modal particles to the verb. Not only the function but also the position of elements should be examined to account for word-order change. (SCC)

A data-based study done in Philadelphia examined the constraints on relative pronoun deletion and looked for a possible correlation to social stratification or stylistic variation. Restrictive relative clauses only are examined. Constraints appear to be due to performance factors related to sentence processing. (SCC)

In Spanish non-sentence constructions, beginning elements establish a datum of reference, while following elements narrow the possibilities of syntagmatic combination. Word order is examined in relation to paradigm contrast and syntagmatic complexity. (CK)

The theory of conventional metaphor, as developed by Lakoff and Johnson (1980) is briefly recapitulated. The implications of this theory for teaching English for Specific Purposes are outlined. Chief among these cannot be accurately understood if the metaphorical chaining is not retracted; and (2) the ability of metaphor to add lexis that is not…

Relative clauses are useful for differentiating clearly between similar ideas. Exercises that demonstrate this purpose of relative clauses, or other grammatical constructions, can provide useful practice for students. More generally, an approach to teaching grammar that asks what purpose a structure serves can enable teachers to design exercises…

The paper explores the significance of a contrast between generalized phrase structure grammar (GPSG), a context-free grammar with a well structured theory of features, and head-driven phrase structure grammar (HPSG), a mechanism for increasing the power of GPSG by introducing head-wrapping and lexical rules, using examples from Mandarin Chinese.…

Since its inception, proponents of Generalized Phrase Structure Grammar (GPSG) have claimed the superiority of the analyses that the theory makes available for certain problematic constructions in English. Two examples of such constructions are (1) rightward unbounded dependencies (including right node raising) and (2) parasitic gaps. However, as…

A description of the creole language spoken in the Roper River area of Australia's Northern Territory, this paper is intended for the practical use of Europeans working in the area. An introductory section discusses the role and status of pidgins and creoles in modern Australia, the development of creole in the Roper River area, and the…

In a study designed as a pilot project to test a taxonomy of noun phrases (NPs) and indicate results to be expected from a larger subsequent survey, 13 essays from a basic writing class and 10 essays from an advanced composition class were analyzed for four NP types: (1) those requiring earlier text information for full interpretation, (2) those…

An attempt is made to overcome the shortcomings in Robinson's model of generative grammar by modifying her dependency rules and adding semantic specifications to the dependents of V, taking into account some of the considerations that led Fillmore to make up his cases. (Author)

This textbook aims to enable pupils to master writing good English rather than teach theory of style and criticism. The contents are divided into five parts. Part I covers construction and combination of sentence and provides a variety of practical exercises. Part II focuses on varying the structure and phraseology of sentences. Part III is an…

Three experiments were conducted to test the psychological relevance of objectively quantified word collocations. The first experiment showed that perceived frequency of word combinations roughly followed the objective count. Another recurrent quality of words, constructional tendency, was supplemented as independent variable in the two following…

This paper examines how tagmemics can be equipped with a notational mechanism to account for significant variability phenomena in language. A brief history of variation theory is followed by a proposal for a tentative notational system for marking variants. An illustration of this system is provided through application to various levels of…

This report presents an effective, integrated learning strategy program emphasizing a connection technique that uses paraphrasing. Components were derived from a review of the educational and psychological literature and from an analysis of responses to the learning strategy inventory, which were conducted during this same research effort. (See SO…