Experimental insights into denominals and creativity in adult Romanian
The current paper investigates denominal verbs through an experiment testing how native Romanian adult speakers prefer to use and understand semi-artificial denominal (non-existent) verbs (SAD verbs) created from existing nouns, such as a cireşi ‘to cherry’ or a vulpi ‘to fox’. Regarding sentenc...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Editura Universitatii din Oradea
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Studii de Lingvistica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://studiidelingvistica.uoradea.ro/docs/12-2-2022/pdf-uri/Bleotu.pdf |
| _version_ | 1811162257996906496 |
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| author | Adina Camelia Bleotu |
| author_facet | Adina Camelia Bleotu |
| author_sort | Adina Camelia Bleotu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The current paper investigates denominal verbs through an
experiment testing how native Romanian adult speakers prefer to use
and understand semi-artificial denominal (non-existent) verbs (SAD
verbs) created from existing nouns, such as a cireşi ‘to cherry’ or a
vulpi ‘to fox’. Regarding sentence production, speakers generally prefer
to use SAD verbs in intransitive frames and with animate subjects.
Regarding interpretation, speakers prefer to associate the nouns/
nominal roots SAD verbs derive from with typical activities/states/
behavior, in line with Kiparsky’s (1997) Canonical Use Constraint.
Moreover, speakers mostly paraphrase animal and human role
SAD verb classes through ‘behave/become like N’ paraphrases,
while paraphrasing fruits/vegetables and object SAD verb classes
by directly combining typical activities/changes-of-state with N. We
provide a mixed cognitive-structural account, arguing that the literal
interpretation obtains when the light verb merges with the noun, and
the figurative interpretation obtains when the light verb merges with
the noun-like root, and that the frequency of the interactions between
humans and (in)animate entities and the naturalness of a comparison
between them determine the type of interpretation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T06:28:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2138df0ace844fa0884e27b6d85a8932 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2248-2547 2284-5437 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T06:28:11Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Editura Universitatii din Oradea |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Studii de Lingvistica |
| spelling | doaj.art-2138df0ace844fa0884e27b6d85a89322023-03-01T18:14:20ZengEditura Universitatii din OradeaStudii de Lingvistica2248-25472284-54372022-12-011221740Experimental insights into denominals and creativity in adult RomanianAdina Camelia Bleotu0Universitatea din BucureştiThe current paper investigates denominal verbs through an experiment testing how native Romanian adult speakers prefer to use and understand semi-artificial denominal (non-existent) verbs (SAD verbs) created from existing nouns, such as a cireşi ‘to cherry’ or a vulpi ‘to fox’. Regarding sentence production, speakers generally prefer to use SAD verbs in intransitive frames and with animate subjects. Regarding interpretation, speakers prefer to associate the nouns/ nominal roots SAD verbs derive from with typical activities/states/ behavior, in line with Kiparsky’s (1997) Canonical Use Constraint. Moreover, speakers mostly paraphrase animal and human role SAD verb classes through ‘behave/become like N’ paraphrases, while paraphrasing fruits/vegetables and object SAD verb classes by directly combining typical activities/changes-of-state with N. We provide a mixed cognitive-structural account, arguing that the literal interpretation obtains when the light verb merges with the noun, and the figurative interpretation obtains when the light verb merges with the noun-like root, and that the frequency of the interactions between humans and (in)animate entities and the naturalness of a comparison between them determine the type of interpretation.https://studiidelingvistica.uoradea.ro/docs/12-2-2022/pdf-uri/Bleotu.pdfdenominal verbsanimacysentence productionparaphraseslexical syntaxcognition |
| spellingShingle | Adina Camelia Bleotu Experimental insights into denominals and creativity in adult Romanian Studii de Lingvistica denominal verbs animacy sentence production paraphrases lexical syntax cognition |
| title | Experimental insights into denominals and creativity in adult Romanian |
| title_full | Experimental insights into denominals and creativity in adult Romanian |
| title_fullStr | Experimental insights into denominals and creativity in adult Romanian |
| title_full_unstemmed | Experimental insights into denominals and creativity in adult Romanian |
| title_short | Experimental insights into denominals and creativity in adult Romanian |
| title_sort | experimental insights into denominals and creativity in adult romanian |
| topic | denominal verbs animacy sentence production paraphrases lexical syntax cognition |
| url | https://studiidelingvistica.uoradea.ro/docs/12-2-2022/pdf-uri/Bleotu.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT adinacameliableotu experimentalinsightsintodenominalsandcreativityinadultromanian |