15.954, Qs: Dictionary Database; Greek Possessive Enclitics

[LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List:  Vol-15-954. Sun Mar 21 2004. ISSN: 1068-4875.

Subject: 15.954, Qs: Dictionary Database; Greek Possessive Enclitics

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1)
Date:  Tue, 16 Mar 2004 23:34:02 +0200
From:  "Drezner" <arik200 at bezeqint.net>
Subject:  dictionary database

2)
Date:  Wed, 17 Mar 2004 11:56:59 +0100
From:  Michael Cysouw <cysouw at zas.gwz-berlin.de>
Subject:  Qs: Modern Greek possessive enclitics

-------------------------------- Message 1 -------------------------------

Date:  Tue, 16 Mar 2004 23:34:02 +0200
From:  "Drezner" <arik200 at bezeqint.net>
Subject:  dictionary database


Hello,

My name is Arik Drezner and I am developing dictionary software.

I am looking for a bilingual dictionary databases (in text file).

I have a number of questions:

1. Where can I find such a database (if you don't have it)?

2. How much it will cost? I will appreciate if you could fill up the following table.

3. Is there additional fees or royalties for distributing the database in my software?

      Database
     Number of words
     Price ($)

      English -> Dutch

      Dutch -> English

      English -> French

      French -> English

      English <-> German

      English <-> Hebrew

      English <-> Italian

      English <-> Russian

      English <-> Spanish

      English <-> Portuguese

      English <-> Japanese

      English <-> Korean

      English <-> Chinese




Best regards

Arik Drezner

R&d engineer

E-mail: arik200 at bezeqint.net


-------------------------------- Message 2 -------------------------------

Date:  Wed, 17 Mar 2004 11:56:59 +0100
From:  Michael Cysouw <cysouw at zas.gwz-berlin.de>
Subject:  Qs: Modern Greek possessive enclitics


Dear colleagues,

I'm looking for more information on the placement of enclitic
possessive pronouns in Modern Greek (MG). I would be grateful for any
references to published work or input from personal knowledge. The
phenomenon in which I am interested is the following.

Sadock (1991: 71-72) mentions that MG possessive pronoun enclitics can
either be placed at the end of the NP (1a), or on the immediate
preverbal word (1b) but not elsewhere (1c).

1a)  a-filos-mu
      the-friend-my

1b)  o-kalos-mu   filos
      the-dear-my  friend

1c) *o-kalos-mu   palyos  filos
      the-dear-my  old     friend

Halpern (1995: 35-36) finds that sentences like (1c) are not
completely ungrammatical to all speakers, and further notes the
possibility to have multiple possessive enclitics (2).

2)  to-mikro-mu    palo-mu  spiti
     the-little-my  old-my   house

In a basic description of MG, Mackridge (1987: 222) notes in passing
that the possessive pronoun enclitic, while normally final in the NP,
'may also follow an adjective or other premodifiers ... when the
pronoun really qualifies the noun modified by the premodifier.' He
claims there to be a difference in meaning between the pre-nominal
enclitic (3a) and the post-nominal enclitic (3b), in that the possible
meaning of (3b) are more restricted.

3a)  to   palio  mas  autokineto
      the  old    our  car
      'our car, which happens to be old'
      'our previous car'

3b)  to   palio  autokineto  mas
      the  old    car         our
      'our previous car'

My questions are:

- What are the possible placement of the possessive enclitics in MG?
- Do all different person/number enclitics behave the same?
- Is there any consice investigation into the possibilities of the
placement of the possessive enclitic in MG, preferably with corpus
data?
- Is the immediate preverbal word really the preferred host, as
claimed by Sadock?
- Is there any difference in meaning, as claimed by Mackridge?
- Is there any dialectal/idiolectal variation, as claimed by Halpern?

Thanks in advance for any help
Michael Cysouw
ZAS Berlin

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