17.1381, Diss: Cognitive Science: Vesterinen: 'Adverbial Subo...'

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LINGUIST List: Vol-17-1381. Fri May 05 2006. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 17.1381, Diss: Cognitive Science: Vesterinen: 'Adverbial Subo...'

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1)
Date: 03-May-2006
From: Rainer Vesterinen < vesterinen at telia.com >
Subject: Adverbial Subordination - A cognitive study on the infinitive, the clitic SE and finite verb forms in European Portuguese 

	
-------------------------Message 1 ---------------------------------- 
Date: Fri, 05 May 2006 09:27:15
From: Rainer Vesterinen < vesterinen at telia.com >
Subject: Adverbial Subordination - A cognitive study on the infinitive, the clitic SE and finite verb forms in European Portuguese 
 


Institution: Stockholm University 
Program: Department of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies 
Dissertation Status: Completed 
Degree Date: 2006 

Author: Rainer Vesterinen

Dissertation Title: Adverbial Subordination - A cognitive study on the
infinitive, the clitic SE and finite verb forms in European 
Portuguese 

Dissertation URL:  http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-817

Linguistic Field(s): Cognitive Science

Subject Language(s): Portuguese (por)


Dissertation Director(s):
Johan Falk
Lars Fant

Dissertation Abstract:

The aim of this study is to analyse the variation between infinitive and
finite verb adverbial clauses in European Portuguese. In order to
understand this variation, three central questions are raised: (1) What
determines the use of the uninflected vs. the inflected infinitive in
same-subject adverbial clauses? (2) What does the pronoun SE signal in
these adverbial clauses? (3) What difference is there between the use of
the inflected infinitives vs. finite verbs in different subject adverbial
clauses?

Earlier investigations about these three questions are discussed. One
conclusion of this review is that former research almost exclusively has
been conducted from a traditional or formalistic point of view that has
given priority to structural descriptions instead of semantic or conceptual
explanations. In contrast to this, the present study endeavours to examine
these issues from a cognitive linguistic perspective.

It is claimed that the use of the inflected infinitive in adverbial
same-subject clauses may be explained by contextual factors which create a
cognitive need to highlight the subject of the adverbial clause. Further,
an analysis about how the grammatical micro-context can determine the
interpretation of the clitic pronoun SE as a marker for a generic trajector
is conducted. It is also argued that the difference between infinitive and
finite adverbial clauses can bee explained by means of theories of
subjectification and mental spaces.

The conclusion is drawn that a cognitive approach to grammar can, indeed,
shed light on the issues considered. In particular, it is shown that
different adverbial constructions can express different conceptual meaning.
In the light of this fact, other issues concerned with finite and infinite
verb forms are raised. 




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