Volume 15, Fall 1992

Permanent URI for this collection

https://prism.ucalgary.ca/handle/1880/100046

Browse

Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 5 of 6
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Calgary Working Papers in Linguistics, Volume 15, Fall 1992
    (University of Calgary, 1992-09) Prevost, Margrit; Rogmans, Siv M; Rowsell, Lorna V
    The editors of this issue, Siv M. Rogmans, Margrit Prevost, and Loma V. Rowsell, are pleased to present the fifteenth issue of the Calgary Working Papers in Linguistics published by the Department of Linguistics at the University of Calgary. The papers published here represent works in progress and as such should not be considered in any way final or definitive. All the contributors to this issue are or have been associated with the Department of Linguistics at the University of Calgary. The collection of essays is quite diverse, drawing from several language families and different areas of linguistic study.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    The structure of the colour lexicon
    (University of Calgary, 1992-09) Archibald, John
    One of the standard models of describing colour space is shown in Figure I. This is the model shown in Kay & McDaniel (1978). The spherical model, with its four points of equal status along the equator (red, yellow, green, blue), is justified physiologically (De Valois et al. 1966). In Archibald (1989) I pointed out that the spherical model has great difficulty accounting for the distribution of basic colour terms on the colour solid. Similarly, the model cannot explain why terms at certain points on the model are basic while terms at other points are non-basic. Ultimately, we should like our model to be able to account for these lexical facts.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Mechanisms of language change constraints on reinterpretation processes as evidenced in particle reinterpretation data from Homeric Greek
    (University of Calgary, 1992-09) Caswell, Cynthia
    Lightfoot (1980) claims that the mechanism for syntactic change, reinterpretation, lacks constraints. An in depth study of particle reinterpretation in Ancient Greek will be presented to demonstrate semantic constraints on the process. Particle reinterpretation involves several steps, whereby adverbial particles are associated with Kase-phrases (KP) and are eventually reinterpreted as the case-assigning head of the phrase. The constraints on the process are specific and easily identifiable, but they should not be attributed to the "the very broad constraints of UG", as Lightfoot claimed. Familiarity with Lehmann and Venneman's (1974) theory of word-order change and Baker's (1988) theory of incorporation is helpful for understanding the issue, but not absolutely necessary to follow the argument as presented here.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Proto-Romance syllable structure
    (University of Calgary, 1992-09) Cull, Naomi
    In this paper I am going to argue that Pre-Latin and Proto-Romance shared the same syllable structure and that Classical Latin was innovative. I believe both Pre-Latin and Proto-Romance had the syllable structure VC$CV and that in the case of certain consonant clusters, this shifted in Classical Latin to become V$CCV in order to improve the syllabic contact. Thus it is from this Proto-Romance and Pre-Latin syllable structure that the modem Romance languages are derived and on which some important later phonological processes are based.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    A government and binding approach to Bella Coola
    (University of Calgary, 1992-09) Durrant, Michael
    In the time leading up to the work presented in this paper I was struck by the relative lack of Government & Binding (GB) treatments for American Indian languages. This paper will remedy the situation somewhat by investigating the adequacy of the GB framework for a language which has hitherto been neglected by current versions of the theory. Bella Coola is an isolated member of the Salish family, located on the Canadian west coast. It seems to have branched off before any other languages of the family, the two main branches being Coast Salish and Interior Salish. Bella Coola shows characteristics of both branches, but should not be considered any closer to Proto-Salish than any other language. The Salish family shares many characteristics with the neighbouring Wakashan and Chemakuan families, most notably VSO word order, reduplication, and a lack of clear distinction between verbs and nouns. The similarities between these language families have been attributed to a real diffusion, as genetic relations remain inconclusive.