SVIBOR - Project code: 6-03-039

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Project code: 6-03-039

Syntactic Functions in English, German, Croatian and Hungarian

Main researcher: KUČANDA, DUBRAVKO (45566)

Assistants

BRDAR, MARIO (126035)

Type of research: applied
Duration from: 01/01/91. to 12/31/95.

Papers on project (total): 18

Institution name: Pedagoški fakultet, Osijek (122)
Department/Institute: Department of English Language and Literature
Address: L. Jaegera 9
City: 31000 - Osijek, Croatia

Communication: Phone: 385 (0)31 125 199; Phone: 385 (0)31 121-508 (ku}ni); Fax: 385 (0)31 126-757

Summary: The syntactic functions subject, direct object and indirect object in English, German, Croatian and Hungarian have been analyzed with the aim to give a typological characterization of these languages in terms of typological parameters such as pragmatic vs. grammatical word order, transparent vs. opaque coding of semantic functions, and nominative-accusative vs. absolutive-ergative syntax. Research methodology is based on the methodology employed in functional-typological research and protype theory. The research focused on the interaction of morphosyntactic, semantic and pragmatic factors in the description of syntactic functions. It was hypothesized that genetically related languages (English and German) need not employ the same strategy for the mapping of semantic onto syntactic functions and that genetically unrelated languages may be typologically closer than had hitherto been recognized (e.g. German and Croatian as members of the Indo-European family of languages and Hungarian as a representative of the Uralic language family).

Keywords: syntactic functions, subject, object, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, typology, protype theory, genetic relatedness, transparency, English, German, Croatian, Hungarian.

Research goals: The aim of this project was to investigate the interaction of morphological, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic factors in the description of syntactic functions subject, direct object andindirect object in three Indo-European languages (English, Germanand Croatian) and one Uralic language (Hungarian). These languages have been described in terms of typological parameters such as: (i) pragmatic vs. grammatical word order; (ii) transparent vs. opaque coding of semantic functions, and (iii) nominative-accusative vs. absolutive-ergative syntax. Recent linguistic research has shown that areally and genetically unrelated languages may be typologically closer than some related languages. There is some evidence that in terms of syntactic coding of semantic functions German (a West Germanic language) is more similar to some Slavonic languages (e.g. Croatian and Russian) than to its cognate language English. This research had three basic aims: (i) a descriptively adequate account of basic syntactic functions in the languages under consideration; (ii) the description will be based on the same set of criteria for the analysis of basic syntactic functions and its results can serve as a common basis for contrastive analysis with other languages, and (iii) research results should contribute to the typological characterization of the languages included in the project. Each of these items constitutes a whole and can therefore be used for further research within the framework of contrastive linguistics or language typology.

Other information about the project.


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Last update: 03/28/96
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