aced2016 ronai

Making sense of the Romanian verbal system: A ‘LEGO© pieces’ approach

Sandra-Iulia RONAI

Before any theoretical analysis…


… clear picture of the empirical facts!



This talk:



This talk: An attempt to re-organize the

Romanian verbal system.

Roadmap / Aims:

Roadmap / Aims:

1. Present:

Roadmap / Aims:

1. Present: 1.1. The problem

Roadmap / Aims:

1. Present: 1.1. The problem 1.2. A possible alternative

Roadmap / Aims:

1. Present: 1.1. The problem 1.2. A possible alternative1.3. Potential advantages

Roadmap / Aims:


2. Methodological discussion

Roadmap / Aims:



3. Get feedback!

Roadmap / Aims:



3. Get feedback! (Thank you!)

How I got here:

How I got here:

Working on the Romanian verbal system, eh?

How I got here:


Sooo… how many ‘tenses’ does this language have, anyway?

How I got here:



Uhm… weeell…

How I got here:


How I got here:

constructions


How I got here:

structuresconstructions


How I got here:

paradigmsstructuresconstructions


How I got here:

paradigmsstructuresconstructions


Uhm… weeell…

The problem:

The problem:

How many distinct verbal structures are there in Romanian?

The problem:


Structure =

The problem:


Structure = a particular combination of morphological elements

that expresses a particular combination of sematic features (values for mood, tense,

aspect, voice)

How many verbal structures in Romanian?

How many verbal structures in Romanian?I. Imperative (‘read!’):citește! II. Indicative:

1. present (‘I read’/’I am reading’): citesc 2. imperfect (‘I was reading’): citeam 3. simple perfect (‘I read’/’I have read’): citii4. compound perfect (‘I read’/’I have read’): am citit5. pluperfect (‘I had read’): citisem6. future (‘I will read’): voi

citi; oi citi; am să citesc; o să citesc 7. anterior future (‘I will have read’): voi fi citit

II. Subjunctive:1. present (‘… to read’): să

citesc2. perfect (‘… to have read’): să fi citit

III. Conditional-Optative:1. present (‘I would read’): aș citi2. perfect (‘I would have read’): aș fi citit

IV. Presumptive:1. present (‘I may read’/‘I may be reading’): oi citi2. present progressive (‘I may be reading’): oi fi citind; aș fi citind; să fi

citind3. perfect (‘I may have read’): oi fi citit









15









15 ?

How many verbal structures in Romanian?II. Indicative:

1. present (‘I read’/’I am reading’): citesc

2. imperfect (‘I was reading’):citeam

3. simple perfect (‘I read’/’I have read’): citii

4. compound perfect (‘I read’/’I have read’): am citit

5. pluperfect (‘I had read’):citisem

6. future (‘I will read’):voi citi; oi citi;

am să citesc; o să citesc

7. anterior future (‘I will have read’): voi fi citit










1 or 4?










The other auxiliaries?










oi fi citit, ??am să fi citit, ??o să fi citit

The other auxiliaries?


II. Subjunctive:

1. present (‘… to read’): să citesc

2. perfect (‘… to have read’): să fi citit

III. Conditional-Optative:

1. present (‘I would read’): aș citi

2. perfect (‘I would have read’): aș fi citit


IV. Presumptive:

1. present (‘I may read’/‘I may be reading’): oi citi

2. perfect (‘I may have read’): oi fi citit

3. present progressive (‘I may be reading’): oi fi citind; aș fi citind;

să fi citind


IV. Presumptive:




să fi citind

Didn’t we have this before?


IV. Presumptive:




să fi citind Gerund form: only here?

Traditional taxonomy:


NOT coherent!


NOT coherent!

Two situations:


NOT coherent!

Two situations:- one name, more than one structure


NOT coherent!

Two situations:- one name, more than one structure- one structure, more names

One name, more than one structure:

One name, more than one structure:‘The future indicative’:


voi citi oi citi am să citesc o să citesc



Same distribution:



Same distribution:

(1) Mâine dimineață _________ o carte la bibliotecă. tomorrow morning a book at library‘Tomorrow morning, I will be reading a book at the library’



BUT:



auxiliary Verb-infinitive



auxiliary Verb-infinitivesame

auxiliary?



auxiliary Verb-infinitivesame

auxiliary? another auxiliary



auxiliary Verb-infinitive Verb-finite

same auxiliary? another auxiliary





invariant particle





invariant particle

auxiliary? invariant particle?

Morphology!



BUT: - Different morphology!


voi citi oi citi am să citesc o să citescALSO:


voi citi oi citi am să citesc o să citescALSO: Cartography / linearization:



clitic îl voi citil- oi citi

am să îl citesco să îl citesc ‘I will read it’



clitic (clitic-like) adverbîl voi citi voi mai citil- oi citi oi mai citi

am să îl citesc am să mai citesco să îl citesc o să mai citesc‘I will read it’ ‘I will read again’



BUT: - Different morphology!



BUT: - Different morphology!- Different linearization / Cartography!

One structure, more than one name:

One structure, more than one name:Până mâine seară, Gică va fi citit tot romanul. until tomorrow evening Gica all novel‘By tomorrow evening, Gică will have read the whole novel.’

‘indicative future perfect’

One structure, more than one name:Până mâine seară, Gică va fi citit tot romanul. until tomorrow evening Gica all novel‘By tomorrow evening, Gică will have read the whole novel.’

‘indicative future perfect’

Q: Ce-o fi făcut Gigă ieri seară? what do-participle Gică yesterday eveningA: Nu știu, va fi citit și el un roman… not know read-participle and he a novel‘Q: What do you suppose Gică was doing last night?’‘I don’t know, he might have been reading a novel.’

‘presumptive perfect’

BUT: One structure, still one name:


În general, citesc multe romane fantasy. in general read many novels fantasy‘I generally read many fantasy novels.’Chiar acum citesc un roman fantasy. right now read a novel fantasy‘I’m reading a fantasy novel right now.’

‘the present indicative’


În general, citesc multe romane fantasy. in general read many novels fantasy‘I generally read many fantasy novels.’Chiar acum citesc un roman fantasy. right now read a novel fantasy‘I’m reading a fantasy novel right now.’


Mâine dimineață, citesc la bibliotecă.tomorrow morning read at library‘Tomorrow morning, I will be reading at the library.’


Another example:

Another example:Dacă aveam mai mult timp, aș fi mers și eu la seminar.if have more time and I to seminar‘If I had more time, I, too, would have gone to the seminar.’

‘conditional perfect’



Colega mea pretinde că aș fi mers și eu la seminar. colleague-the mine claims that and I to seminar‘My colleague claims that I, too, went to the seminar.’




Colega mea pretinde că aș fi mers și eu la seminar. colleague-the mine claims that and I to seminar‘My colleague claims that I, too, went to the seminar.’


Colega mea pretinde că am mers și eu la seminar. colleague-the mine claims that and I to seminar‘My colleague claims that I, too, went to the seminar.’

‘indicative compound perfect’


NOT coherent!



NOT coherent!


= The problem

Why is this a problem?


1. No systematic form-meaning correlations!



2. Obscures the role each of the component morphological elements plays.




3. Potential confusion!




3. Potential confusion!

4. Limiting (difficult to see new patterns).

WHAT IF….

WHAT IF….

… we put aside grammar-book labels?

WHAT IF….


… we look at the morphology first and foremost?

WHAT IF….



… go back to the old Structuralist ethos?

WHAT IF….



… go back to the old Structuralist ethos?

= A potential alternative

A ‘LEGO© pieces’ approach:


What if…


What if…

… the “elements of language”


What if…

… the “elements of language” = pieces of a

formal system?


What if…


formal system?= building blocks

that can combine in certain ways?


What if…


formal system?= building blocks

that can combine in certain ways?

… like LEGO©s! :D


‘citisem’


‘citisem’

Features:


‘citisem’

Features: color, shape, size, number of connecting bumps…


‘citisem’

Features: Features: color, shape, size, number of connecting bumps…


‘citisem’

Features: Features: color, shape, size, mood, tense, aspect,number of voice, person, number…connecting bumps…


- Different possibilities of filling the same space:


- Different possibilities of filling the same space:

Gică ____________ multe romane fantasy.Gică many novels fantasy

citește ‘reads’ a citit ‘has read’avea să fi citit ‘will have read’

Morphology first and foremost


Step 1: Identify the distinct elements.



Step 2: See what combines with what (possible and impossible combinations).



Step 2: See what combines with what (possible and impossible combinations).

Step 3: Decide what the emergent patterns mean.

Morphology first and foremostStep 1: Identify the distinct elements.


Elements in the verb cluster:



1. verbal:



1. verbal:

2. non-verbal:



1. verbal: • lexical verb (finite or non-finite)

2. non-verbal:



1. verbal: • lexical verb (finite or non-finite)• auxiliaries

2. non-verbal:



1. verbal: • lexical verb (finite or non-finite)• auxiliaries• particles

2. non-verbal:



1. verbal: • lexical verb (finite or non-finite)• auxiliaries• particles• suffixes

2. non-verbal:



1. verbal: • lexical verb (finite or non-finite)• auxiliaries• particles• suffixes

2. non-verbal: • clitics• clitic-like adverbs • negation

Elements in the verb cluster:Auxiliaries:

Elements in the verb cluster:Lexical verb:


- Finite forms (includes suffixes!)


- Finite forms (includes suffixes!)- Non-finite forms:



- V-infinitive



- V-infinitive- V-participle



- V-infinitive- V-participle- V-gerund




Participles:




Participles: O, FI, SĂ

Morphology first and foremostStep 2: See what combines with what (possible and impossible combinations).

Combinations:

Questions:

Questions:

What do pieces combine with specific other pieces?

Questions:

What do pieces combine with specific other pieces (and not others)?

Questions:

Questions:

What do the gaps in the system tell us?

Questions:

Questions:

What does it all mean?

Questions:

What does it all mean?

=> Answer will have to be theoretical…

Methodology philosophizing:


This kind of formalization can work for any language.



Interesting to ask: how the inventory of pieces (and the types of possible and impossible combination of different pieces) transfers from one language to another.



Interesting to ask: how the inventory of pieces (and the types of possible and impossible combination of different pieces) transfers from one language to another.

Describing one’s mother tongue vs. a language one DOES NOT speak: more similar in this methodology.


More generally / abstractly:



Sometimes, you have to forget what you think you know…




… look at old data with new eyes…





… be ready to notice new patterns (and/or the lack thereof!)…





… be ready to notice new patterns (and/or the lack thereof!)…

… be open to finding answers to questions you didn’t even thought you had…

Summary / Conclusion:

Summary / Conclusion:1. The traditional taxonomy of Romanian verbal structures

lacks consistency.


lacks consistency.2. This can lead to confusion and obscure patterns and

generalizations.



generalizations.3. Going back to the basics and looking at the morphology

in itself can help.




in itself can help.4. A ‘LEGO© pieces’ approach makes formalizations easier.5. Considering possible and impossible combinations of

elements raises interesting questions.




in itself can help.4. A ‘LEGO© pieces’ approach makes formalizations easier.5. Considering possible and impossible combinations of

elements raises interesting questions.6. This type of approach can be used by any linguist,

regardless of framework.

Selected Bibliography:Academia Romană, Institutul de Lingvistică Iorgu Iorgan–Al. Rosetti. 2005. Gramatica Limbii Romane. Bucuresti: Editura Academiei Romane, 323 – 584;Avram, L. 1999. Auxiliaries and the Structure of Language. Bucharest: The University of Bucharest

Press; Cinque, G. 1999. Adverbs and Functional Heads: A Cross-Linguistic Perspective. OUP;Davies, W. D. 2009. ‘Methodological thoughts from the linguistic field’. In k@ta, 11(1), 18-38;Dobrovie-Sorin, C. 1994. The Syntax of Romanian. Comparative Studies in Romance. Berlin New

York: Mouton de Gruye;Gutu-Romalo, V. 1962. ‘Formele verbale compuse [Compound verb forms]’. In Studii și Cercetări de

Lingvistică 13 (2), 191-199;Gutu-Romalo, V. 1968. Morfologie structurala a limbii romane [Structural Morphology of

Romanian]. Bucharest: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste Romania;Pană-Dindelegan, G. (ed). 2013. The Grammar of Romanian. OUP;Rizzi, L. ’The fine structure of the left periphery.’ In Elements of grammar. Springer Netherlands,

1997. 281-337;Svenonius, P. 2012. Spanning. Ms., UiT The Arctic University of Norway. ling.auf.net/lingbuzz/001501; Zafiu, R. 2002. ‘”Evidentialitatea” în limba romană actuală [‘Evidentiality’ in contemporary

Romanian]’. In Aspecte ale dinamicii limbii romane actuale [Aspects of the Dynamics of Contemporary Romanian]. Bucharest: Editura Universitătii din Bucuresti, 127-144.

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