functional discourse grammar and constituent order typology

Functional Discourse Grammar and constituent order typology

Kees Hengeveld

Introduction

In Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG), constituent order is taken care of in a novel way in two different senses:

(i) the word order component of FDG makes use of templates that are dynamically constructed using maximally four absolute positions: initial (PI), second (P2), middle (PM) and final (PF)

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Introduction

In Functional Discourse Grammar (FDG), constituent order is taken care of in a novel way in two different senses:

(ii) the assignment of constituents to positions occurs in two different steps: a hierarchical and a configurational one

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Introduction

These two aspects of the approach to constituent order in FDG provide a new perspective on classical constituent order typology:

(i) the availability of maximally four absolute positions leads to the question whether the six-way classification of basic consituent orders in terms of S, O, and V is not far too simple

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Introduction

These two aspects of the approach to constituent order in FDG provide a new perspective on classical constituent order typology:

(ii) the hierarchical approach leads to the question whether one should really start looking at S, O, and V, rather than at peripheral constituents such as sentence adverbs.

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Contents

1. Constituent order in Functional Discourse Grammar2. Classical constituent order typology3. FDG templates and constituent order typology4. FDG hierarchies and constituent order typology5. Conclusions

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1. Constituent order in Functional Discourse Grammar

Frames, Lexemes, Primary operators

Templates,Auxiliaries, Secondary operators

Interpersonal Level

Representational Level

Formulation

Morphosyntactic Encoding

Morphosyntactic Level

Phonological Encoding

Phonological Level

Prosodic patterns,Morphemes, Tertiary operators

Morphosyntactic encoding

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Interpersonal Level

Representational Level

Morphosyntactic Level

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Steps in morphosyntactic encoding

Hierarchical ordering(Alignment)Non-hierarchical ordering(Dummy-insertion)(Agreement)

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TemplatesOrdering templates make use of maximally four language specific

absolute positions which serve as anchor points in the ordering process: initial, second, middle, and final position:

PI P2 PM PF

As soon as an absolute position is occupied, and only when it is occupied, the template is expanded with further relative positions:

PI PI+1

PI+2 etc.P2 P2+1 P2+2 etc. etc. PM-2 PM-1 PM PM+1 PM+2 etc.

etc. PF-2 PF-1 PF

Hierarchical ordering

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Interpersonal Level M → A → C → R → T↓

Representational Level p → ep → e → fc → fl

Within each level assign a position to elements with higher scope before assigning a position to elements with lower scope

Assign a position to interpersonal units before assigning a position to representational units

Non-hierarchical ordering

Non-hierarchical ordering is guided by alignment considerations: is a language accusative, ergative or hierarchical, does complexity of constituents play a role?

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Hierarchichal ordering: IL

She finally (ΣA) honestly (ΣF) reportedly (ΣC) is the queen’s sister.

PI PM

--- ---

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PI PM PM+1 --- finally ---

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PI PM PM+1 PM+2

--- finally honestly ---

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PI PM PM+1 PM+2 PM+3

--- finally honestly reportedly ---

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PI PM PM+1 PM+2 PM+3

--- finally honestly reportedly [is the

queens sister]

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PI PI+1 PM PM+1 PM+2 PM+3

She --- finally honestly reportedly [is the

queens sister]

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Hierarchical ordering: RL

She drinks continuously (σf) again (σe) recently (σep).

PI PM PF

--- --- ---

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PI PM PF-1 PF

--- --- --- recently

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PI PM PF-2 PF-1 PF

--- --- --- again recently

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PI PM PF-3 PF-2 PF-1 PF

--- --- --- continuously again recently

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PI PI+1 PM PF-3 PF-2 PF-1 PF

She --- --- --- continuously again recently

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PI PI+1 PM PF-3 PF-2 PF-1 PF

She --- drinks --- continuously again recently

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Hierarchical ordering: IL/RL

Perhaps (σp) I will (πep) accept that.

PI PM

--- ---

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PI PI+1 PM

Perhaps --- ---

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PI PI+1 PM PM+1

Perhaps --- will ---

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PI PI+1 PM PM+1 PM+2

Perhaps --- will accept ---

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Perhaps --- will accept that.

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Perhaps I will accept that.

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That (RContrast) perhaps (σp) I will (πep) accept.

(Connolly 2012: 465)

PI PM

--- ---

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PI PI+1 PM

That --- ---

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PI PI+1 PI+2 PM

That perhaps --- ---

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PI PI+1 PI+2 PM PM+1

That perhaps --- will accept.

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PI PI+1 PI+2 PM PM+1

That perhaps I will accept.

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Perhaps (σp) I will (πep) accept that.That (RContrast) perhaps (σp) I will (πep) accept.


Perhaps I will accept that.PI PI+1 PI+2 PM PM+1

That perhaps I will accept.

Phrases

the (πR) three (πx) pairs of (πf) shoes that you bought

PI PF

--- ---

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Phrases


PI PI+1 PF

the --- ---

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Phrases


PI PI+1 PI+2 PF

the three --- ---

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Phrases


PI PI+1 PI+2 PI+3 PF

the three pairs_of --- ---

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Phrases


PI PI+1 PI+2 PI+3 PI+4 PF

the three pairs_of shoes --- ---

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Phrases


PI PI+1 PI+2 PI+3 PI+4 PF-1 PF

the three pairs_of shoes --- --- that you bought

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Words

Manuel ano fi-nu(πe)-ti(πC)-e(πF).Manuel food eat-PERC-REP-DECL‘They say Manuel ate.’

PF

---

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Words


PF-1 PF

--- -e

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Words

Manuel ano fi-nu(πe)-ti(πC)-e(πF).Manuel food eat-PERC-REP-DECL‘They say Manuel ate..’

PF-2 PF-1 PF

--- -ti -e

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Words


PF-3 PF-2 PF-1 PF

-- -nu -ti -e

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Words


PF-4 PF-3 PF-2 PF-1 PF

--- fi -nu -ti -e

2. Classical constituent order typology

S, O, and V

• Classical clausal constituent order typology focuses on the position of S, O, and V in transitive clauses

• This is problematic by itself, as S, O, nor V are universal (nor are, perhaps, transitive clauses)

• I therefore rather use Predicate, Actor and Undergoer as the basic notions

• Six patterns in classical constituent order typology: VSO, SVO, SOV, VOS, OVS, OSV

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3. FDG templates and constituent order typology

Issues

From the perspective of FDG templates two major questions have to be addressed in constituent order typology:

(i) Which and how many absolute positions are used by a language?

(ii) To which of these positions are Predicate, Actor, and Undergoer assigned?

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Absolute positions

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1 absolute positionPI - - -- - PM -- - - PF

2 absolute positionsPI P2 - -PI - PM -PI - - PF

- - PM PF

Absolute positions

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3 absolute positionsPI P2 PM -PI P2 - PF

PI - PM PF

4 absolute positionsPI P2 PM PF

Absolute positions

Are there any universal restrictions on combinations of absolute positions?

(i) PI seems to be universal(ii) P2 by definition cannot exist without PI

(iii) Templates with just one absolute position are highy unlikely

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Absolute positions

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2 absolute positionsP1 P2 - -P1 - PM -P1 - - PF

3 absolute positionsPI P2 PM -PI P2 - PF

PI - PM PF

4 absolute positionsPI P2 PM PF

Predicate, Actor and Undergoer

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PI P2 PM PF

Pred A UPred A UPred A UA Pred UA Pred UA Pred UA U PredA U PredA U Pred


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PI P2 PM PF

Pred U APred U APred U AU Pred AU Pred AU Pred AU A PredU A PredU A Pred


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PI P2 PM PF

Pred A UPred A UPred A UPred A UPred A UPred A U


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PI P2 PM PF

A Pred UA Pred UA Pred UA Pred UA Pred UA Pred U


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PI P2 PM PF

A U PredA U Pred A U Pred A U PredA U Pred A U Pred


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PI P2 PM PF

Pred U APred U APred U APred U APred U APred U A


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PI P2 PM PF

U Pred AU Pred AU Pred AU Pred AU Pred AU Pred A


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PI P2 PM PF

U A PredU A Pred U A Pred U A PredU A Pred U A Pred


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PI P2 PM PF

Pred A UPred A U

Pred A UPred A U

Pred U APred U A

Pred U APred U A


Instead of 6 there are now 64 possible orders. Some of these are probably non-existent, but testing this would require an enormous sample and detailed information on all the languages in the sample

Some illustrations of the placement of A and U in absolute and relative positions follow.

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Portuguese

O Pedro leu o livro.the Pedro read the book. ‘Pedro read the book.’Ontem o Pedro leu o livro.yesterday the Pedro read the book. ‘Yesterday Pedro read the book.’

→ no P2 position

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Portuguese

O Pedro ontem leu o livro. the Pedro yesterday read the book. ‘Yesterday Pedro read the book.’

→ verb not in PI+N

O Pedro leu o livro.the Pedro read the book. ‘Pedro read the book.’

→ verb in PM

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Portuguese

O Pedro leu ontem o livro. the Pedro read yesterday the book. ‘Yesterday Pedro read the book.’→ Undergoer in PF

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Portuguese

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PI P2 PM PF

A Pred U

Dutch

Peter las het boek snel.Peter read the book quicky‘Peter read the book quickly.’Waarschijnlijk las Peter het boek snel. probably read Peter the book quickly‘Probably Peter read the book quickly.’

→ verb in P2

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Dutch

Peter las het boek. Peter read the book‘Peter read the book.’

→ A in PI

Peter las gisteren snel het boek.Peter read yesterday quickly the book‘Peter read the book quickly yesterday.’

→ modifiers in PM, U not in P2+1 but in PM or PF 72

Dutch

Peter las het boek gisteren snel. Peter read the book yesterday quickly‘Peter read the book.’

→ U not in PF

Jan las het boek. → U in PM

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Dutch

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PI P2 PM PF

A Pred U

English

Peter read the book.Probably Peter read the book.

→ verb not in P2

Peter probably read the book. → verb not in PI+N

Peter read the book.→ verb in PM

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English

*Peter read probably the book. → U in PM+1

Peter read the book probably.→ modifier in PF

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English

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PI P2 PM PF

A Pred U

Leti

Lo Tutkuei Solemaana nvava Seli=oat Tutukei Salomon is.called

Seli=IND‘Salomon is called Seli in Tutukei.’

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Leti

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PI P2 PM PF

A Pred U

Examples of A Pred U languages

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PI P2 PM PF

Portuguese A Pred UDutch A Pred UEnglish A Pred ULeti A Pred U

FDG hierarchies and constituent order typology


• In many approaches to constituent order nuclear constituents are taken as the point of departure

• Functional Discourse Grammar, as a top-down model, rather starts with the peripheral constituents, applying a hierarchical principle

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• In such an approach constituent order directly reflects the pragmatic and semantic scope of constituents

• This has to be achieved in a functional model of language that does not allow any transformation, such as movement, deletion, etc.

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• Any absolute position may act as the starting point of hierarchical ordering, as shown in the following examples.

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Tagalog

Sa=kasamaang-palad bhumiagsak si=GagaUnfortunately AV.failed NOM=Gaga

sa=pagsusulit. DAT=examination

‘Unfortunately Gaga failed the examination.’

Hierarchisch ConfigurationeelPI PI+1 PI+N PX PX+1 ...

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Hidatsa

Wíra i apaari ki stao ski.tree it grow INCH REM.PST CERT'The tree must have begun to grow a long time ago.'

Configurationeel Hierarchisch ... PX-1 PX PF-N PF-1 PF

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Leti

Rèkna side la=Agustus tujublas ra-sèka=e=lolet’s_sayusually DIR=August 17 3.PL-dance=EXCT=LOC

Servaru. Serwaru.EXCT

‘Let’s say they usually do a specific war dance in Serwaru on 17 August.’

Hierarchisch HierarchischPI PI+1 PI+2 PM-2 PM-1 PM PM+1 PM+2 PF-2 PF-1 PF

Configurationeel

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Lillooet

Kaxim=a=kwú?=tu?.he.disappeared=REINF=REP=PAST‘He disappeared, I heard.’

Configurationeel Hierarchisch ConfigurationeelPI P2 P2+1 P2+2 P2+n P2+n+1 ...

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A typology in terms of hierarchical starting points

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PI P2 PM PF

Tagalog +Lillooet +Hidatsa +Leti + +English + + +etc.

Interaction between hierarchical and configurational ordering

Languages often have the predicate in the same field as the one they use for hierarchical ordering, but Lillooet shows that this is not a necessary combination

There appear to be predicate-final languages that start hierarchical ordering in initial position, but I am not aware of predicate-initial languages that start hierarchical ordering in final position, which again points at the universality of the initial position.

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Conclusions

Conclusions

Though the typological data needed to check the predictions that follow from the FDG approach to constituent order are difficult to obtain, this first exploration suggests:

(i) that the four absolute positions proposed in the theory have clear typological correlates, which leads to a far larger number of possible word order types as those recognized in classical constituent order typology.

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Conclusions


(ii) that the distinction between hierarchical and configurational ordering leads to a new typology of languages in terms of their starting point for hierarchical ordering.

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Conclusions


(iii) that the interaction between patterns of hierarchical and configurational ordering are not random, but restricted in systematic ways.

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This presentation is available at www.keeshengeveld.nl

functional discourse grammar and constituent order typology

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