000 03261nam a2200277 4500
005 20200623235053.0
008 020130s2000 eng d
020 _a0612599825
040 _aSHU
_cSHU
_dSHU
091 _a263106
100 1 _aKabata, Kaori.
245 1 0 _aJapanese ni: A cognitive analysis of a lexically complex particle.
300 _a232 p.
500 _aSource: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 62-05, Section: A, page: 1816.
500 _aAdviser: Sally Rice.
502 _aThesis (Ph.D.)--University of Alberta (Canada), 2000.
520 _aThis dissertation addresses issues in lexical categorization. The main research question is how the meanings of a complex lexical item can best be represented. More specifically, I ask how many meanings are to be postulated, and whether and how these different meanings are related to each other. The focus of the study is on the Japanese particle, <italic>ni </italic>, whose senses are wide-ranging and span many different grammatical categories. Traditional models of lexical meaning or linguistic categorization simply cannot handle such diversity of behavior within a single lexical category in any coherent way. This study comprises a unified and empirically grounded analysis of <italic>ni</italic>'s diverse behavior.
520 _aBased on a detailed semantic analysis of an extensive array of synchronic data, I propose a network model for the semantic structure of <italic>ni</italic>, taking into account the highly polysemous nature of <italic>ni</italic>. By polysemous, I mean that one linguistic form is associated with multiple meanings. In fact, <italic>ni</italic> seems to be highly heterosemous (i.e., one form is associated with multiple meanings and grammatical functions) as a lexical item. The proposed domain-based model accommodates the diverse senses of <italic> ni</italic> by integrating them in terms of image schemas and metaphorical extensions. I argue that although <italic>ni</italic> exhibits extensive semantic diversity in its equally extensive syntactic distribution, such variation is far from random or idiosyncratic. Even seemingly contradictory senses exhibit some similarities when examined closely.
520 _aThe model is then subjected to assessment and evaluation by various empirical and experimental data. Data from a grammaticalization study of <italic>ni </italic> and similar particles in typologically diverse languages indicate how the semantic distribution that <italic>ni</italic> exhibits synchronically may be associated with the grammaticalization pathways that it has undergone through its semantic development. Data from a text count study, a child acquisition study, and a series of off-line psycholinguistic experiments, also support the main characteristics of the proposed model. It is claimed that a network model for this lexeme can best handle its complex syntactic behavior and semantic functions, although the specific configuration of any representational model is very much task- and context-dependent.
590 _aSchool code: 0351.
650 4 _aLanguage, Linguistics.
650 4 _aLanguage, Modern.
690 _a0290
690 _a0291
710 2 _aUniversity of Alberta (Canada).
999 _c215050
_d215050