33.2058, Review: Linguistic Theories; Semantics; Syntax: Van Valin, Jr. (2021)
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LINGUIST List: Vol-33-2058. Fri Jun 17 2022. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.
Subject: 33.2058, Review: Linguistic Theories; Semantics; Syntax: Van Valin, Jr. (2021)
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Date: Fri, 17 Jun 2022 20:04:04
From: David Karaj [davidmkaraj at gmail.com]
Subject: Challenges at the Syntax-Semantics-Pragmatics Interface
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Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/32/32-1950.html
EDITOR: Robert D. Van Valin, Jr.
TITLE: Challenges at the Syntax-Semantics-Pragmatics Interface
SUBTITLE: A Role and Reference Grammar Perspective
PUBLISHER: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
YEAR: 2021
REVIEWER: David M. Karaj
SUMMARY
“Challenges at the Syntax-Semantics-Pragmatics Interface. A Role and Reference
Grammar Perspective”, published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing, is an edited
collection of 12 papers addressing various theoretical and descriptive issues
in linguistics from the point of view of Role and Reference Grammar (RRG)
theory (Van Valin and LaPolla 1997; Van Valin 2005). The volume is divided
into four parts – Part 1 “Lexical Representation and Argument Structure”, Part
2 ''Argument Marking'', Part 3 “Syntactic Structure”, and Part 4 “Information
Structure”. The volume ends with an index of languages analysed across the
chapters (Language index, p. 309) and an index of discussed issues (Subject
index, pp. 311-314). The volume opens with the Editor’s Introduction by Robert
D. Van Valin, Jr., where a telegraphic recap of RRG is given together with a
general overview of the volume’s structure and the contents of each chapter.
Part 1 opens with a paper by Rainer Osswald, “Activities, Accomplishments and
Causation that “explores the evolution of the RRG system of lexical
decomposition in relation to the different proposals put forth in Dowty
(1979)” (p. xii) and demonstrates how RRG tackles some of the flaws of Dowty’s
(1979/1991) system of Aktionsart classes. The second paper, “Simplex and
Complex Predicates in Persian: An RRG Analysis”, by Jens Fleischhauer,
describes light verb constructions in Persian and draws a strict distinction
between them and pseudo-incorporation. The last paper in this part is “Linking
Syntax and Semantics in Comparatives of Taiwan Sign Language”, by Chien-hung
Lin and Jung-hsing Chang. It describes comparative constructions in Taiwan
Sign Language, with particular focus on the usage of signing space in
expressing the relationship between the arguments.
Part 2 contains five papers with a focus on syntactic structure. Hideki
Kishimoto proposes a characterisation of the distribution of ni marked
three-argument predicates in Japanese based on their lexical meaning in
“Dative Case and Three-Place Predicates in Japanese”. The next paper by Conor
Pyle examines the use of case markers in two indigenous Australian languages:
“Purposive Case and Semantic Arguments in Australian Western Desert Dialects”.
In “A Neo-Jakobsonian Account of Default Case: Instrumental vs. Dative”,
Wataru Nakamura attempts to integrate the RRG approach towards case assignment
with Jakobson’s (1936/1984) definitions. In “A Cross-Linguistic Survey of the
Instrument-Subject Alternation”, Koen Van Hooste offers a preliminary study of
a 14 language sample of Instrument-Subject Alternations in an attempt to
examine the extent of the phenomenon. Sergio Ibáñez Cerda, in “Two-Theme
Constructions and Preposition Assignment in Spanish”, proposes new assignment
rules for the Spanish prepositions ‘por’, ‘con’, and ‘de’ in the analysed
constructions.
Part 3 consists of two papers, the first one, “An Analysis of Non-Iconic Word
Order in Bamunka Reference Phrase”, by Ciara Anderson, analyses adjective-like
elements in Bamunka. The second paper in this part is “Cosubordination”, in
which Robert D. Van Valin, Jr. defends the validity of the notion of
cosubordination introduced in RRG and responds to some of the arguments
against this linkage type that have been raised in the literature.
In Part 4 Anja Latrouite and Robert D. Van Valin, Jr., in “An RRG Account of
Aspects of the Information Structure-Syntax Interface in Tagalog”, analyse
some Tagalog inversion constructions, their functions, and structural position
relevant to information structure. The last paper in the volume, “Why Eve
Shouldn’t Eat the Snake: An Intelligent Answer from Corpus-driven Information
Structure and Reference Tracking in Biblical Hebrew”, by Nicolai
Winther-Nielsen, explores reference tracking with the help of the analysis of
the layered structure of the phrase.
EVALUATION
“Challenges at the Syntax-Semantics-Pragmatics Interface. A Role and Reference
Grammar Perspective” (hereafter: “Challenges”) is, in a way, a direct
continuation of the other edited volumes dedicated to syntactic explorations
within the framework of Role and Reference Grammar. These include “Advances in
Role and Reference Grammar” (Van Valin 1993) and “Investigations of the
Syntax-Semantics-Pragmatics Interface” (Van Valin 2008), which all make use of
the terminological apparatus put forward and elaborated in Van Valin & LaPolla
1997, Van Valin 2005, and subsequent works.
Just like in the previous volumes, “Challenges” includes some of the papers
previously presented at RRG conferences which, in this reviewer’s opinion,
adds an interesting dimension to the volume. Besides various proposals on how
to tackle different issues from the point of view of RRG, it also offers some
insights into a theory-internal discussion, for instance, as found in the
papers of Osswald (pp. 3-30), Nakamura (pp. 135-168), and Van Valin (pp.
241-256). Similarly to the aforementioned collected volumes, “Challenges”
demonstrates a very strong cross-linguistic orientation of the RRG framework
(given the wide array of languages described across its chapters), once again
proving RRG’s ability to adapt to typologically distinct languages from all
over the world.
Broadly speaking, most of the papers contained in the volume clearly present
their argumentation (with one or two being somewhat less convincing). The
range of topics covered is relatively broad, presenting some issues previously
discussed in the field of linguistics (but not analysed from the point of view
of RRG), as well as topics of interest to a wider audience (not specifically
interested in RRG). Given the extent of covered phenomena and the fact that
some of the described issues lie beyond the scope of my interests, I will
refrain here from discussing specific papers. In any event, if one of the
goals of this volume is to showcase RRG’s adaptability to various languages
and familiar issues in linguistics, I believe it is quite successful in
reaching that objective. As an example, I would like to mention the paper
“Linking Syntax and Semantics in Comparatives of Taiwan Sign Language” (pp.
63-87), which demonstrates RRG’s seamless applicability to the analysis of a
non-spoken language – an end that is far beyond the reach of some other
theoretical frameworks.
Unlike, for instance, “Advances in Role and Reference Grammar”, this volume
does not include any synopsis of the theoretical framework (except for a very
short paragraph in the Introduction). This comes as no surprise and is
completely understandable, as nobody should expect the Editor to repeat the
same introductory remarks in each work. Therefore, readers who are not at all
familiar with RRG are advised to refer first to e.g. Van Valin 2009, in order
to gain a basic understanding of the terminology used and the “anatomy’” of
the sentence diagrams. All in all, however, I believe that the book is quite
accessible without a thorough knowledge of RRG and that the reader will need
to resort to external references only when reading those chapters that have a
stronger theory-internal orientation. On a similar note, a list of
abbreviations for glosses used is not always included in each paper.
Finally, given the above, I do not have any major critical remarks to share
regarding this volume. The only criticism I would like to bring up here is a
note to the publisher regarding the formatting of the text: overall the book
has very few typographical errors but the text formatting is quite tiring for
the eyes. Generally, a bigger format of the book could help in solving this
problem, as it would allow for a different organisation of the text, wider
margins, etc. More importantly, the sentence diagrams (the trees) are not
formatted in a consistent manner – some are perfectly clean and easy to read
while others are blurry, leaving an impression of a not very thoroughly
prepared text. These remarks, while hopefully useful, are not to diminish the
overall value of the book. All in all, “Challenges” is in my opinion perhaps
not as compelling as the previous collected volumes of RRG papers but, as
underlined throughout this review, shows time and again the great adaptability
of RRG to formulate cross-linguistic generalisations and will hopefully
stimulate further research in this framework.
REFERENCES
Dowty, David. 1979/1991. Word Meaning and Montague Grammar. D. Reidel,
Dordrecht.
Jakobson, Roman. 1936. Beitrage zur allgemeinen Kasuslehre: Gesamtbedeutungen
der russischen Kasus [Contributions to the general theory of case: General
meanings of the Russian cases]. Travaux du Cercle Linguistique de Prague 6.
240-288. Reprinted in Waugh, Linda R. & Halle, Morris (eds.), 1984. Russian
and Slavic grammar: Studies 1931-1981, 59-103. Berlin: Mouton.
Van Valin, Robert D., Jr. & LaPolla, Randy J. 1997. Syntax: Structure,
meaning, and function. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Van Valin, Robert D., Jr. (Ed.). 1993. Advances in Role and Reference Grammar.
Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins.
Van Valin, Robert D., Jr. 2005. Exploring the syntax-semantics interface.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Van Valin, Robert D., Jr. (Ed.). 2008. Investigations of the
Syntax-Semantics-Pragmatics Interface (Vol. 105). John Benjamins Publishing.
Van Valin, Robert D., Jr. 2009. An overview of Role and Reference Grammar.
Online:
http://linguistics.buffalo.edu/people/faculty/vanvalin/rrg/RRG_overview.pdf.
[Last access: 30.10.201].
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
David M. Karaj is a PhD candidate at the University of Pavia, Italy. His main
research interests regard language typology, syntax and valency-changing
phenomena.
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