Variation in syntax and semantics of degree phrase: evidence from ukrainian 

Abstract.

VARIATION IN SYNTAX AND SEMANTICS OF DEGREE PHRASE: EVIDENCE FROM UKRAINIAN

Khrystyna Kunets

Department of English Philology, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Lviv, Ukraine.

Abstract

Background: Degree operator analysis is a common approach to measure phrase and adjective semantics, with degrees being measures of some properties, and adjectives denoting a relation between individuals and degrees. However, not all adjectives combine with measure phrases; besides, the syntactic and semantic combinability of gradable adjectives varies from one language to another. For example, in Ukrainian, measure phrases do not combine with adjectives; instead, measures appear with adverbs, prepositional phrases, nouns, or in possessive structures.

Purpose: The aim of the current paper is to conduct syntactic and semantic analysis of these structures to test if the degree approach to adjectives and measure phrases is also applicable to the phrases with measures in Ukrainian. This is a typological study, which compares Ukrainian to other Slavic and non Slavic languages and describes the variation both within Ukrainian and across different languages.

Results: Degree phrases which include adverbs, prepositional phrases, and nouns in the instrumental case all bear similar semantics. Their variation is motivated by syntactic-morphological limitations of the language, as well as in the case of possessive structures, which we here explore in terms of possessive strategies of predication.

Discussion: Traditionally, adjectives are viewed as denoting a relation between the individual and degree. However, evidence from Ukrainian suggests that this function can be carried out by adverbs too, which due to syntactic-morphological reasons can step in a DegP in place of the adjective. The meaning we get at the top of the maximal projection of the DegP can be realized through syntactically various heads inside their architecture, such as adverbial suffix -шки/жки, preposition, or case assigner, for example. Grammatically the Deg head can be realized in a number of ways, but this does not change the meaning of the maximal projection of the DegP.

Keywords: Degree phrase, measure, Ukrainian, adjective, adverb, possessed properties.

Vitae

Khrystyna Kunets is PhD in Philology, Associate professor at the Department of English Philology at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. Research interests: syntax, semantics, and their interfaces.

Correspondence: khrystyna.kunets@lnu.edu.ua 

Article.

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