The paper examines three types of Hungarian pronouns (adverbial, nominal, adjectival) in terms of... more The paper examines three types of Hungarian pronouns (adverbial, nominal, adjectival) in terms of grammaticalization in discourse deictical and clausal associate uses. Utilizing the criteria established by DIESSEL (1999) and KÖNIG (2020) for reviewing their usage and formal properties, the obtained data suggests that these endophoric uses can be considered to be grammaticalized to varying degrees, but none of the occurrences can be regarded as being completely meaningless purely functional formatives at the end of the grammaticalization spectrum. The study places special emphasis on deixis, which is interpreted in different ways in the structures under investigation (attention direction in discourse space, cognitive prominence). This approach allows for a comprehensive examination of the grammatical and cognitive aspects of grammaticalization, particularly deixis, providing a deeper understanding of their usage circumstances and semantic content.
Language Use and Linguistic Structure Proceedings of the Olomouc Linguistics Colloquium 2023, 2024
The paper investigates Hungarian nominal demonstrative pronouns in contexts where they
are associ... more The paper investigates Hungarian nominal demonstrative pronouns in contexts where they are associated with some clause. Two related proposals are put forward: (i) the proper analysis is based on a predicate-argument duality, which can be modelled within a nanosyntactic framework with the absence/presence of a Ref(erentiality) Phrase layer; (ii) both usages make use of the deictic meaning component, which is interpreted in terms of prominence in discourse deixis.
This paper gives an overview of constructions with propositional proforms in three languages: Eng... more This paper gives an overview of constructions with propositional proforms in three languages: English, German and Hungarian. Starting from the position that these elements are not meaningless expletives, four strategies are identified, which are different in terms of the syntactic/semantic type of the proform (regular pronoun, specialized propositional pronoun, pronoun realizing an elided nominal) and the way a clause is associated with them (anaphoric reference, adjunction, unification). The different analyses are justified based on formal differences (morphosyntactic features, selectional restrictions) and they are compatible with the architecture of LFG, previous analyses, as well as framework-independent theoretical considerations.
In this paper I argue for a treatment of Hungarian clausal associate proleptic demonstrative prof... more In this paper I argue for a treatment of Hungarian clausal associate proleptic demonstrative proforms that is in line with ideas put forward by den Dikken's (2017) and Szűcs (to appear 2024). Namely, these pronouns should be analyzed as predicates. This approach captures the non-referential but meaningful nature of the pronouns in question, thereby avoiding the theoretical and empirical problems with other analyses, which take them to be either fully meaningless (expletives) or standard discourse-deictic referential arguments. Evidence from distribution, number features, nominalization, focussing, and the general patterning of demonstrative predicates point in the direction that the proleptic proforms are a member of the "verbal modifier" category of Hungarian grammar, which are arguably all predicative in nature (Hegedűs 2013). The analysis is further motivated by the existence of such analyses for English proforms.
This paper investigates left dislocation constructions in Hungarian (whereby some discourse-promi... more This paper investigates left dislocation constructions in Hungarian (whereby some discourse-prominent entity is placed at the left periphery of the clause, with a subsequent co-referential pronoun). Two subtypes are distinguished: a) “topic left dislocation”, which is a syntactically integrated construction, sharing properties with Germanic-type left dislocation and clitic left dislocation in certain Romance languages; b) “free left dislocation”, which is a loosely integrated structure, similar to various hanging topic left dislocations. The paper explores the structures’ morphosyntactic and semantic properties, how an LFG-theoretic account of them can be formulated as well as the crosslinguistic implications of Hungarian left dislocation.
This article makes some remarks about binding and control data in Hungarian Complex Event Nominal... more This article makes some remarks about binding and control data in Hungarian Complex Event Nominals (CENs). Taking Kenesei (2005) and Laczkó (2000, 2005, 2008, 2009) as starting point, I argue that binding and control patterns in CENs are affected by the following: i) the (non-)exhaustivity entailment of the control predicate; ii) logophoricity; iii) the pragmatics of the non-obligatorily controlled PRO subjects. For the most part, the emerging view does not contradict, but rather enriches and qualifies the aforementioned accounts. CENs are independent syntactic units for the purposes of binding and control. Most apparent counter-examples can be explained in terms of i)-iii). However, there are some residual data which might lead to a shift in the background assumptions.
This paper engages in the (X)COMP debate in LFG. It argues that the view from Hungarian supports ... more This paper engages in the (X)COMP debate in LFG. It argues that the view from Hungarian supports a "reductionist" position, as Hungarian complement clauses are easily amenable to an analysis with non-COMP functions. I also remark on the wider picture and side with those who would like to maintain a parsimonious inventory of grammatical functions in LFG, in conjunction with a reworked theory of functional and anaphoric control.
This paper investigates the Hungarian Operator Fronting construction, where an element from a sub... more This paper investigates the Hungarian Operator Fronting construction, where an element from a subordinate sentence appears in the matrix clause. Two subtypes are distinguished: a standard long-distance dependency and a proleptic version. In the latter, the fronted element is analyzed as a thematic object of the main verb. This thematic object is linked to an embedded grammatical function via obligatory anaphoric binding. The configuration can be integrated into a wider perspective of control from an LFG perspective.
This paper investigates the syntactic and information-structural properties of certain English co... more This paper investigates the syntactic and information-structural properties of certain English constructions where some discourse-prominent element is located left-peripherally: Topicalization, Clause-initial adjuncts and Left-dislocation. I show that these structures have different syntactic and information-structural properties which may be adequately represented in Lexical Functional Grammar.
Hungarian complex sentences with subordinate clauses commonly include a pronoun which is associat... more Hungarian complex sentences with subordinate clauses commonly include a pronoun which is associated with the embedded clause. The nature of this pronoun is subject to debate in the literature: it may be analyzed as an expletive or as a contentful pronoun. This paper argues for the second approach, based on theoretical, empirical and cross-linguistic considerations.
This paper uses two English structures with noncanonical word-order (Topicalization and Left-disl... more This paper uses two English structures with noncanonical word-order (Topicalization and Left-dislocation) as case studies into information-structure (IS). It is argued that topicalized elements have a contrastive IS-interpretation, while left-dislocated ones are like regular topics. Based on these observations, a new framework for IS is proposed, based on the features NEW and D(iscourse)-LINKED. As “contrast” is judged to be essential for the proper characterization of IS, it is integrated into the proposed architecture, as an additional d-linking feature. This framework is argued to be an improved amalgamation of previous IS-architectures.
The aim of this paper is to investigate the Information-Structural (IS) properties of two English... more The aim of this paper is to investigate the Information-Structural (IS) properties of two English constructions featuring constituents in a non-canonical, left-peripheral position: Topicalization (TOP) and Left-Dislocation (LD). Pulling several research threads together from generative and functional linguistics, it will be argued that seeing these as simple topic-marking devices is a too simplistic approach: in reality, LD marks a subtype of (non-contrastive) topics, Thematic Shifters, while TOP is used for contrastive IS categories: Contrastive Topics (C-TOPIC) and Contrastive Focus (C-FOCUS).
Left peripheral constructions in English and Hungarian – A perspective from Lexical-Functional Grammar, 2020
This monograph investigates discourse-related clause-initial, left peripheral constructions withi... more This monograph investigates discourse-related clause-initial, left peripheral constructions within the framework of Lexical-Functional Grammar. The following structures are to be scrutinized: English topicalization, clause-initial adjuncts and left dislocation; Hungarian left dislocation and operator fronting. The overall goal is to provide an account for these structures, especially with regard to their syntactic and information structural properties and to put them into cross-linguistic and theoretical perspective.
The paper examines three types of Hungarian pronouns (adverbial, nominal, adjectival) in terms of... more The paper examines three types of Hungarian pronouns (adverbial, nominal, adjectival) in terms of grammaticalization in discourse deictical and clausal associate uses. Utilizing the criteria established by DIESSEL (1999) and KÖNIG (2020) for reviewing their usage and formal properties, the obtained data suggests that these endophoric uses can be considered to be grammaticalized to varying degrees, but none of the occurrences can be regarded as being completely meaningless purely functional formatives at the end of the grammaticalization spectrum. The study places special emphasis on deixis, which is interpreted in different ways in the structures under investigation (attention direction in discourse space, cognitive prominence). This approach allows for a comprehensive examination of the grammatical and cognitive aspects of grammaticalization, particularly deixis, providing a deeper understanding of their usage circumstances and semantic content.
Language Use and Linguistic Structure Proceedings of the Olomouc Linguistics Colloquium 2023, 2024
The paper investigates Hungarian nominal demonstrative pronouns in contexts where they
are associ... more The paper investigates Hungarian nominal demonstrative pronouns in contexts where they are associated with some clause. Two related proposals are put forward: (i) the proper analysis is based on a predicate-argument duality, which can be modelled within a nanosyntactic framework with the absence/presence of a Ref(erentiality) Phrase layer; (ii) both usages make use of the deictic meaning component, which is interpreted in terms of prominence in discourse deixis.
This paper gives an overview of constructions with propositional proforms in three languages: Eng... more This paper gives an overview of constructions with propositional proforms in three languages: English, German and Hungarian. Starting from the position that these elements are not meaningless expletives, four strategies are identified, which are different in terms of the syntactic/semantic type of the proform (regular pronoun, specialized propositional pronoun, pronoun realizing an elided nominal) and the way a clause is associated with them (anaphoric reference, adjunction, unification). The different analyses are justified based on formal differences (morphosyntactic features, selectional restrictions) and they are compatible with the architecture of LFG, previous analyses, as well as framework-independent theoretical considerations.
In this paper I argue for a treatment of Hungarian clausal associate proleptic demonstrative prof... more In this paper I argue for a treatment of Hungarian clausal associate proleptic demonstrative proforms that is in line with ideas put forward by den Dikken's (2017) and Szűcs (to appear 2024). Namely, these pronouns should be analyzed as predicates. This approach captures the non-referential but meaningful nature of the pronouns in question, thereby avoiding the theoretical and empirical problems with other analyses, which take them to be either fully meaningless (expletives) or standard discourse-deictic referential arguments. Evidence from distribution, number features, nominalization, focussing, and the general patterning of demonstrative predicates point in the direction that the proleptic proforms are a member of the "verbal modifier" category of Hungarian grammar, which are arguably all predicative in nature (Hegedűs 2013). The analysis is further motivated by the existence of such analyses for English proforms.
This paper investigates left dislocation constructions in Hungarian (whereby some discourse-promi... more This paper investigates left dislocation constructions in Hungarian (whereby some discourse-prominent entity is placed at the left periphery of the clause, with a subsequent co-referential pronoun). Two subtypes are distinguished: a) “topic left dislocation”, which is a syntactically integrated construction, sharing properties with Germanic-type left dislocation and clitic left dislocation in certain Romance languages; b) “free left dislocation”, which is a loosely integrated structure, similar to various hanging topic left dislocations. The paper explores the structures’ morphosyntactic and semantic properties, how an LFG-theoretic account of them can be formulated as well as the crosslinguistic implications of Hungarian left dislocation.
This article makes some remarks about binding and control data in Hungarian Complex Event Nominal... more This article makes some remarks about binding and control data in Hungarian Complex Event Nominals (CENs). Taking Kenesei (2005) and Laczkó (2000, 2005, 2008, 2009) as starting point, I argue that binding and control patterns in CENs are affected by the following: i) the (non-)exhaustivity entailment of the control predicate; ii) logophoricity; iii) the pragmatics of the non-obligatorily controlled PRO subjects. For the most part, the emerging view does not contradict, but rather enriches and qualifies the aforementioned accounts. CENs are independent syntactic units for the purposes of binding and control. Most apparent counter-examples can be explained in terms of i)-iii). However, there are some residual data which might lead to a shift in the background assumptions.
This paper engages in the (X)COMP debate in LFG. It argues that the view from Hungarian supports ... more This paper engages in the (X)COMP debate in LFG. It argues that the view from Hungarian supports a "reductionist" position, as Hungarian complement clauses are easily amenable to an analysis with non-COMP functions. I also remark on the wider picture and side with those who would like to maintain a parsimonious inventory of grammatical functions in LFG, in conjunction with a reworked theory of functional and anaphoric control.
This paper investigates the Hungarian Operator Fronting construction, where an element from a sub... more This paper investigates the Hungarian Operator Fronting construction, where an element from a subordinate sentence appears in the matrix clause. Two subtypes are distinguished: a standard long-distance dependency and a proleptic version. In the latter, the fronted element is analyzed as a thematic object of the main verb. This thematic object is linked to an embedded grammatical function via obligatory anaphoric binding. The configuration can be integrated into a wider perspective of control from an LFG perspective.
This paper investigates the syntactic and information-structural properties of certain English co... more This paper investigates the syntactic and information-structural properties of certain English constructions where some discourse-prominent element is located left-peripherally: Topicalization, Clause-initial adjuncts and Left-dislocation. I show that these structures have different syntactic and information-structural properties which may be adequately represented in Lexical Functional Grammar.
Hungarian complex sentences with subordinate clauses commonly include a pronoun which is associat... more Hungarian complex sentences with subordinate clauses commonly include a pronoun which is associated with the embedded clause. The nature of this pronoun is subject to debate in the literature: it may be analyzed as an expletive or as a contentful pronoun. This paper argues for the second approach, based on theoretical, empirical and cross-linguistic considerations.
This paper uses two English structures with noncanonical word-order (Topicalization and Left-disl... more This paper uses two English structures with noncanonical word-order (Topicalization and Left-dislocation) as case studies into information-structure (IS). It is argued that topicalized elements have a contrastive IS-interpretation, while left-dislocated ones are like regular topics. Based on these observations, a new framework for IS is proposed, based on the features NEW and D(iscourse)-LINKED. As “contrast” is judged to be essential for the proper characterization of IS, it is integrated into the proposed architecture, as an additional d-linking feature. This framework is argued to be an improved amalgamation of previous IS-architectures.
The aim of this paper is to investigate the Information-Structural (IS) properties of two English... more The aim of this paper is to investigate the Information-Structural (IS) properties of two English constructions featuring constituents in a non-canonical, left-peripheral position: Topicalization (TOP) and Left-Dislocation (LD). Pulling several research threads together from generative and functional linguistics, it will be argued that seeing these as simple topic-marking devices is a too simplistic approach: in reality, LD marks a subtype of (non-contrastive) topics, Thematic Shifters, while TOP is used for contrastive IS categories: Contrastive Topics (C-TOPIC) and Contrastive Focus (C-FOCUS).
Left peripheral constructions in English and Hungarian – A perspective from Lexical-Functional Grammar, 2020
This monograph investigates discourse-related clause-initial, left peripheral constructions withi... more This monograph investigates discourse-related clause-initial, left peripheral constructions within the framework of Lexical-Functional Grammar. The following structures are to be scrutinized: English topicalization, clause-initial adjuncts and left dislocation; Hungarian left dislocation and operator fronting. The overall goal is to provide an account for these structures, especially with regard to their syntactic and information structural properties and to put them into cross-linguistic and theoretical perspective.
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Papers by Péter Szűcs
are associated with some clause. Two related proposals are put forward: (i) the proper analysis is based on a predicate-argument duality, which can be modelled within a nanosyntactic framework with the absence/presence of a Ref(erentiality) Phrase layer; (ii) both usages make use of the deictic meaning component, which is interpreted in terms of prominence in discourse deixis.
Books by Péter Szűcs
are associated with some clause. Two related proposals are put forward: (i) the proper analysis is based on a predicate-argument duality, which can be modelled within a nanosyntactic framework with the absence/presence of a Ref(erentiality) Phrase layer; (ii) both usages make use of the deictic meaning component, which is interpreted in terms of prominence in discourse deixis.