Showing papers on "Antecedent (grammar) published in 2015"

Learning Anaphoricity and Antecedent Ranking Features for Coreference Resolution

Abstract: We introduce a simple, non-linear mention-ranking model for coreference resolution that attempts to learn distinct feature representations for anaphoricity detection and antecedent ranking, which we encourage by pre-training on a pair of corresponding subtasks. Although we use only simple, unconjoined features, the model is able to learn useful representations, and we report the best overall score on the CoNLL 2012 English test set to date.

Backward- and Forward-Looking Potential of Anaphors.

Abstract: Personal pronouns and demonstratives contribute differently to the encoding of information in the mental model and they serve distinct backward- and forward-looking functions. While (unstressed) personal pronouns are the default means to indicate coreference with the most prominent discourse entity (backward-looking function) and typically mark the maintenance of the current topic, demonstratives are used to refer to a less prominent entity and serve the additional forward-looking function of signaling a possible topic shift. In Experiment 1, we present an ERP study that examines the time course of processing personal and d-pronouns in German (er vs. der) and assesses the impact of two prominence features of the antecedent, thematic role and sentential position, as well as neurophysiological correlates of backward- and forward-looking functions of referential expressions. We tested the comprehension of personal and d-pronouns following context sentences containing two potential antecedents. In addition to the factor pronoun type (er vs. der), we varied the verb type (active accusative verbs vs. dative experiencer verbs) and the thematic role order (canonical vs. non-canonical) in the context sentences to vary the antecedent's prominence. Time-locked to pronoun-onset, the ERPs revealed a general biphasic N400-Late Positivity for d-pronouns over personal pronouns with further subtle interactions of the prominence-lending cues in the early time window. The findings indicate that the calculation of the referential candidates' prominence (backward-looking function) is guided by thematic role and positional information. Thematic role information, in combination with initial position, thus represents a central predictor during referential processing. Coreference with a less prominent entity (assumed for d-pronouns) results in processing costs (N400). The additional topic shift signaled by d-pronouns (forward-looking function) results in attentional reorienting (Late Positivity). This is further supported by Experiment 2, a story continuation study, which showed that personal pronouns trigger topic maintenance, while d-pronouns yield topic shifts.

Effects of order of mention and grammatical role on anaphor resolution

Abstract: A controversial issue in anaphoric processing has been whether processing preferences of anaphoric expressions are affected by the antecedent’s grammatical role or surface position. Using eye tracking, Experiment 1 examined the comprehension of pronouns during reading, which revealed shorter reading times in the pronoun region and later regions when the antecedent was the subject than when it was the prepositional object. There was no effect of antecedent position. Experiment 2 showed that the choice between pronouns and repeated names during language production is also primarily affected by the antecedent’s grammatical role. Experiment 3 examined the comprehension of repeated names, showing a clear effect of antecedent position. Reading times in the name region and in later regions were longer when the antecedent was 1st mentioned than 2nd mentioned, whereas the antecedent’s grammatical role only affected regression measures in the name region, showing more processing difficulty with a subject than prepositional-object antecedent. Thus, the processing of pronouns is primarily driven by antecedent grammatical role rather than position, whereas the processing of repeated names is most strongly affected by position, suggesting that different representations and processing constraints underlie the processing of pronouns and names.

Effect of Imagery Training on Children's Comprehension of Pronouns

Abstract: Children with good and poor listening comprehension (n = 17 in each group) 9–10 years of age were trained to self-generate mental images for sentences and stories. Their ability to identify the antecedents of personal pronouns in individual sentences and also to select the appropriate pronoun in a story cloze task was assessed pre- and posttraining. In general, posttraining scores were significantly higher than pretraining scores. In both tasks, imagery training benefitted poor comprehenders when the pronoun and antecedent were close and good comprehenders when the pronoun and its antecedent were distant. The authors discuss these findings in relation to the memory demands of the task. This study shows that even 9–10-year-olds may experience difficulties with pronoun comprehension in particular circumstances, but that these difficulties can be reduced with a nonverbal support strategy.

Exploring the Cause of English Pronoun Gender Errors by Chinese Learners of English: Evidence from the Self-paced Reading Paradigm.

Abstract: To locate the underlying cause of biological gender errors of oral English pronouns by proficient Chinese-English learners, two self-paced reading experiments were conducted to explore whether the reading time for each ‘he’ or ‘she’ that matched its antecedent was shorter than that in the corresponding mismatch situation, as with native speakers of English. The critical manipulation was to see whether highlighting the gender information of an antecedent with a human picture would make a difference. The results indicate that such manipulation did make a difference. Since oral Chinese does not distinguish ‘he’ and ‘she’, the findings suggest that Chinese speakers probably do not usually process biological gender for linguistic purposes and the mixed use of ‘he’ and ‘she’ is probably a result of deficient processing of gender information in the conceptualizer. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed.

Expressions Anaphoriques : une étude comparée des Dialectes Arabes

Abstract: Aoun & Choueiri (2000) suppose the following generalization, which is an anti-locality constraint on the distribution of epithets and strong pronouns in Lebanese Arabic (LA): neither an epithet or a strong pronoun can be "locally" associated with a quantificationnel antecedent (QP) . They use the term "association" local, rather than binding because they want to use this assumption to explain consistently the two scenarios that allow the binding of an epithet / strong pronoun by a QP: 1) configurations where a referring clitic occurs between the epithet / strong pronoun and the QP antecedent which itself binds the epithet / strong pronoun; and 2) configurations where an – wh operator intervenes between the resumptive element (epithet or strong pronoun) and the QP antecedent. In this paper, we criticize their analysis of anaphoric expressions since it does not account for the Jordanian Arabic (JA) data that we have highlighted (in particular, the case of doubled pronoun). We propose an alternative analysis. We will consider the non-local association configurations as local association configurations whether it is for LA or JA.

Non-canonical middles: a study of personal let-middles in German

Abstract: This paper provides an in-depth study of the syntax of German let-middles. It will be shown that these middles can be fully derived in the syntax, and no resort to lexical procedures is required. In particular, I argue that let-middles involve a reflexively marked anticausative (sich lassen), embedding a passive VoiceP. Combined with the fact that they are based on processes that the grammar makes available independently (i.e., the formation of anticausatives and passives), the observation that let-middles pattern like canonical middles in terms of the core properties that define the middle construction strongly suggests that the middle is not a grammatical, but a notional category (Condoravdi 1989; Lekakou 2002, 2005). This paper thereby indirectly supports analyses of canonical middles that treat them as parasitic on other constructions such as passives (Lekakou 2005) or anticausatives (e.g., Hale and Keyser 1987; Schafer 2008). The proposed analysis also shows that reflexive pronouns without a c-commanding antecedent do not necessarily lead to ungrammaticality as long as their phi-features are formally valued. Let-middles also provide evidence that a passive syntax does not have to correlate with passive morphology. It will be argued that the existence of such morphologically unmarked passives is restricted to contexts in which not enough structure is present for passive morphology to surface. Restructuring infinitives are one such context.

Wh-filler-gap dependency formation guides reflexive antecedent search

Abstract: Prior studies on online sentence processing have shown that the parser can resolve non-local dependencies rapidly and accurately. This study investigates the interaction between the processing of two such non-local dependencies: wh-filler-gap dependencies (WhFGD) and reflexive-antecedent dependencies. We show that reflexive-antecedent dependency resolution is sensitive to the presence of a WhFGD, and argue that the filler-gap dependency established by WhFGD resolution is selected online as the antecedent of a reflexive dependency. We investigate the processing of constructions like (1), where two NPs might be possible antecedents for the reflexive, namely which cowgirl and Mary. Even though Mary is linearly closer to the reflexive, the only grammatically licit antecedent for the reflexive is the more distant wh-NP, which cowgirl. 1. Which cowgirl did Mary expect to have injured herself due to negligence? Four eye-tracking text-reading experiments were conducted on examples like (1), differing in whether the embedded clause was non-finite (1 and 3) or finite (2 and 4), and in whether the tail of the wh-dependency intervened between the reflexive and its closest overt antecedent (1 and 2) or the wh-dependency was associated with a position earlier in the sentence (3 and 4). The results of Experiments 1 and 2 indicate the parser accesses the result of WhFGD formation during reflexive antecedent search. The resolution of a wh-dependency alters the representation that reflexive antecedent search operates over, allowing the grammatical but linearly distant antecedent to be accessed rapidly. In the absence of a long-distance WhFGD (Exp. 3 and 4), wh-NPs were not found to impact reading times of the reflexive, indicating that the parser's ability to select distant wh-NPs as reflexive antecedents crucially involves syntactic structure.

Antecedent factors for success in international assignments: the case of expatriates in Peru

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relative most important antecedent factors related to success in international assignment (IA) in specific context such as Peru. It reviews the full range of individual, organizational and contextual factors associated with success in IA as well as discusses the importance of context in expatriate research. Combined with limited interviews, synthesis is offered and the most relevant determinant factors are identified. Design/methodology/approach – This is a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with 45 participants who currently hold IA positions or have broad experience in overseas positions. The interviews were conducted in the English and Spanish languages. A priori coding system classification technique based on a content analysis methodology was administrated for the purpose of analyzing and codifying the interviews. Findings – The findings reveal that a combination of individual, organizational and contextual antecedent factors...

Control Structures Used in Family Business to Manage Wealth: Operationalization of Antecedent and Outcome Variables

Abstract: This commentary extends the work of Zellweger and Kammerlander by describing how the relationships they hypothesize might be operationalized and tested. It more clearly defines and provides suggest...

Active search for antecedents in cataphoric pronoun resolution

Abstract: Cataphoric dependencies where a pronoun precedes its antecedent appear to call on different mechanisms in language comprehension from forward dependencies where the antecedent precedes the pronoun. Previous research has shown that the resolution of cataphoric dependencies involves predictive processes such as the active search mechanism, which hypothesizes the automatic search for an antecedent immediately after encountering a cataphoric pronoun. The current study employs gender mismatch to investigate whether the active search for an antecedent of a cataphoric pronoun is restricted only to grammatically licit positions. We present results from an event-related potential experiment on the reading comprehension of cataphoric dependencies in Dutch. Results show that gender mismatch gives rise to an anterior negativity at grammatically licit antecedent positions only. We hypothesize that this negativity reflects the prediction failure for an antecedent after encountering a pronoun, rather than a gender mismatch. We discuss the timing, topography and functionality of this negativity with respect to previous studies and how this relates to the ERPs elicited in the processing of structural constraints on pronoun resolution.

Different effects of focus in intra- and inter-sentential pronoun resolution in German

Abstract: It is widely assumed that focused entities are more salient than non-focused ones and consequently, that an antecedent should be particularly available for a pronoun when it is foregrounded in a cleft construction. Contrary to this assumption, however, some studies observed that an antecedent focused by a cleft was less accessible than a non-focused one. We claim that the influence of clefting depends on the position of the ambiguous pronoun: clefted antecedents are only preferred as antecedents of a pronoun when the pronoun and its antecedent are in different discourse units. In order to test this hypothesis, we conducted a questionnaire and a visual world experiment in German in which we manipulated inter- vs. intra-sentential pronoun resolution. Results showed that clefting had different effects depending on the position of the pronoun. We will discuss why these results are consistent with the claim that pronouns preferentially co-refer with the sentence topic.

Financial planning and control in very small start-up companies: antecedents and effects on company performance

Abstract: This study motivates and tests hypotheses about the antecedents of the use of financial planning and control systems in very small and young start-up firms, and, in turn, the effect of this on firm performance. This setting is of particular interest since theory on financial planning and control in start-up firms is not fully specified when it comes to very small and young firms. Based on survey data, we found educational background to be an antecedent of the use of financial planning and control systems, and some support for work experience as an antecedent. Use of financial planning and control systems, in turn, was found to be an antecedent of company performance. Although theory on start-up firms suggests that sophisticated financial planning and control activities might not be beneficial for very small and young start-ups, we found empirical evidence that indicates the opposite.

QR Out of a Tensed Clause: Evidence from Antecedent‐Contained Deletion

Abstract: This paper presents an argument based on evidence from experiments featuring Antecedent-Contained Deletion (ACD) sentences situated in carefully-manipulated discourse contexts, that covert movement is not grammatically constrained by tense. ACD is a form of Verb Phrase Ellipsis in which ellipsis is embedded in its antecedent. Under an account appealing to Quantifier Raising, the quantificational phrase containing the ellipsis site raises to a VP-external position, allowing the VP to become the antecedent. When ACD is embedded in a non-finite clause, such sentences are ambiguous, since multiple VPs can serve as an antecedent. However, when ACD is embedded in a finite clause, the range of interpretations has been claimed to be restricted, because of an independent ‘clause-bounded’ movement constraint on Quantifier Raising. However, there are exceptions to this generalization. I present evidence from an experimental investigation of finite-clause-embedded ACD sentences, relying on Cecchetto (2004), to demonstrate that under the right discourse conditions, the supposedly unavailable Matrix reading surfaces robustly, at a percentage that is surprising if the constraint were rooted in the grammar. I argue that these results call into question the source of this locality restriction, and propose that it has nothing to do with an arbitrary grammatical constraint on movement.1

Sluicing and the Inquisitive Potential of Appositives

Abstract: This paper investigates experimentally the generalizations made in AnderBois (2010, 2011, 2014) that a sluice may never take an appositive clause as its antecedent. We find that experimental participants rated sentences with sluice-antecedents in appositives as acceptable. We highlight two factors which influence the acceptability of appositive antecedents for sluices: whether the indefinite NP antecedent and the stranded wh-item include descriptive content (e.g., a man, which man), and whether the appositive clause engages with an issue raised in the preceding context. We argue that AnderBois’s claim that appositive clauses are conventionally unable to antecede sluices is too restrictive and suggest that any theory of sluicing must allow appositive clauses to antecede sluices.

Constraints on Donkey Pronouns

Abstract: This article reports on an experimental study of donkey pronouns, pronouns (e.g. it) whose meaning covaries with that of a non-pronominal noun phrase (e.g. a donkey) even though they are not in a structural relationship that is suitable for quantifiervariable binding. We investigate three constraints, (i) the preference for the presence of an overt NP antecedent that is not part of another word, (ii) the salience of the position of an antecedent that is part of another word, and (iii) the uniqueness of an intended antecedent (in terms of world knowledge). We compare constructions in which intended antecedents occur in a context such as who owns an N / who is an N-owner with constructions of the type who was without an N / who was N-less. Our findings corroborate the existence of the overt NP antecedent constraint, and also show that the salience of an unsuitable antecedent’s position matters. Furthermore, our findings show that uniqueness only matters in the N-less type construction and not in the N-owner type construction; we conclude that this supports a potential approach in terms of dynamic semantics over a competing e-type approach.

Syntactic Processing in Professional Interpreters: Understanding Ambiguous Sentences in Reading and Translation

Abstract: This study evaluates the way in which interpreters activate the source language and the target language (TL) when they perform the interpreting task. We focused on syntactic ambiguities. In sentences like Someone shot the servant of the actress who was on the balcony, two antecedents (‘servant’ and ‘actress’) are potential correct agents of the clause (who was on the balcony). Previous studies showed that Native English speakers interpret the second antecedent as the agent (actress); Spanish speakers prefer the first antecedent (servant), and Spanish–English bilinguals do not show any preference. In the present study, we observed the interpreters’ syntactic processing when they either read the ambiguous sentences in Spanish to repeat them in Spanish or read the sentences in Spanish to translate them into English. The way ambiguous sentences were processed depended on the task: professionals did not show a clear attachment preference when they read and repeated sentences, while they used the strategy preferred in the TL when they performed the interpreting task. Interpreters managed TL syntactic properties in a flexible manner during the comprehension phase of the interpreting task.

Role-Play Technique as an Antecedent of Performance in English Language: Evidence from Secondary Schools in Wareng District, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Abstract: In Kenya, there is a national concern over English language dismal performance over the years in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (K.C.S.E). Blame has been put on teachers of English language for relying on techniques that favor them at the expense of their students. This article therefore sought to assess the use of role-play technique as the most appropriate technique to improve performance in K.C.S.E English language. Moreover, it sought to establish the attitude of both teachers and students towards the use of role-play technique. Findings, conclusion and recommendations are presented. Keywords : Role-play technique, attitude, performance

Extraposition and Prosodic Monsters in German

Abstract: In this chapter, the implications of extraposition for syntax–prosody interface are examined in a recursive theory of prosodic structure. It is shown that extraposition in German often improves the prosodic structure of a sentence. The prosodic grammar has its own rules and constraints, which can have an impact on syntax in the following way: If two syntactic structures are in competition for expressing the same content, and at the same time one of them is clearly preferred in terms of prosodic structure, the latter one is chosen. Only a theory allowing recursivity on a regular basis can reveal the formal influence of prosody on syntax. If entire syntactic constituents are parsed in entire prosodic constituents, a clause located in the middle field violates Layeredness and Equal Sisters. Such a constellation is called a “prosodic monster.” In the case of prepositional phrases (PP) extraposition, recursion of prosodic domains is avoided, but no prosodic monster is at play. Extraposition is not always available: it is blocked by an accented constituent intervening between the antecedent or reconstructed position and the extraposed constituent. In the last part of the chapter, an optimality-theoretic approach is proposed that accounts for extraposition as a prosody-driven operation.

A Remnant Condition for Ellipsis

Abstract: In this paper, we focus on the proper formulation of the identity relations between elided expressions and their antecedents. We focus primarily on sluicing (1), i.e., ellipsis of a wh-question to the exclusion of the wh-phrase (the remnant);1 as customary, we use a strike-through to mark elided material. The antecedent clause is the sentence Jack saw someone and the correlate is the XP in the antecedent that the remnant “corresponds to,” in some intuitive sense. Thus, in (1), the correlate for who is someone.

Adverbial relative clauses in world Englishes

Abstract: This paper investigates adverbial relative clauses in world Englishes, in particular relative clauses expressing place (the place where), time (the time when), manner (the way in which) and reason (the reason why). Using data from the ICE corpora, it compares the varieties spoken in India, Hong-Kong and Singapore. In particular we consider: (i) the meaning expressed by the relative clause; (ii) the nominal antecedent, both its meaning and form; and (iii) the relative word used to introduce the relative clause (adverbial relative word, wh- pronoun, that and zero). An examination of these issues reveals distinguishing features in the distribution of relative words that are related to the different constructions, to the specific postcolonial varieties that have been developed in the different countries and, finally, to the interaction between the superstrate and the different substrate languages.

Exploring the function of relative sentences in New Testament Greek

Abstract: The traditional view of the function of relative sentences in the Greek New Testament differed markedly from that in many modern languages. This view was challenged in the mid-1980s and a number of striking correspondences with a variety of modern (and some classical) languages were pointed out, despite some differences. The purpose of this article is, amongst others, to explore functional aspects of the relative sentence against this background, and to provide further substantiation for the new view and some new perspectives in the light of recent literature. The conclusion is that the view of the functions of the relative sentence, as developed in the mid-1980s, still seems valid. The view is also supported to a large extent by recent literature, especially with respect to the relative sentence’s adjectival use, despite differences relating to nuances and terminology. However, recent New Testament grammars still distinguish so-called ‘conditional’, ‘concessive’, ‘causal’, ‘final’ and ‘resultative’ relative sentences as part of their adverbial use, despite strong evidence to the contrary. The conclusion reached is that relative sentences seem to have the following functions in New Testament Greek, which correspond to their functions in numerous modern languages: (1) Identifying a referent(s) with or without an overt nominal antecedent. (2) Providing background or additional information for a nominal or sentential antecedent in the form of a parenthesis, explanation or concession, or some combination of these. (3) Qualifying a verb with regard to time, location or manner. (4) Functioning as a conjoined sentence.

Antecedents of Crowdfunding Project Success: An Empirical Study

Abstract: Crowdfunding platforms are social media websites that allow people to invest small amounts of money that add up to fund valuable larger projects. These websites are structured around projects with project goals, duration, and registered initiator. We use a dataset from a reward-based crowdfunding platform – Demohour to examine the antecedents of the successful project. The results suggest that project goal, duration, initiator participation and experience, the number of followers, the source of followers, and the number of visitors significantly influence the project success.

A diachronic and synchronic study of the alteration of uniform expressions from those who to those that

Abstract: It is widely acknowledged that 'those that' is used to refer to things. However, 'those that' is also used to refer to people, as is 'those who'. This study reports that this commonly accepted idea is not valid based on synchronic and diachronic analysis. Synchronically, it is not rare to encounter 'those that' being used to refer to people. Diachronically, the usage of 'those that' in reference to people appeared before the establishment of prescriptive grammar. The conclusion of this study elucidates why 'those that' as used to refer to people is due to the operation of 'that' as a relative pronoun. When an antecedent includes either people or things on one hand and people or animals on the other, 'that' is chosen as a relative pronoun. Consequently, 'those that' is a uniform expression used to denote both people and things; furthermore, it is an old and unremarkable expression.