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Two Kinds of Structural Noun Incorporation
Author(s) -
Barrie Michael
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
studia linguistica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.187
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1467-9582
pISSN - 0039-3193
DOI - 10.1111/stul.12034
Subject(s) - parameterized complexity , noun , noun phrase , computer science , linguistics , nominalization , object (grammar) , phenomenon , natural (archaeology) , mathematics , natural language processing , artificial intelligence , algorithm , history , philosophy , epistemology , archaeology
This paper proposes a novel solution to the problem of noun incorporation constructions in which both an incorporated noun and a nominal double, hyponymous object, or stranded modifier are present. Such doubling constructions have been difficult to reconcile with a syntactic approach to noun incorporation. I propose that doubling constructions arise from an underlying structure in which the incorporated nominal and the double are merged as a constituent. In doing so, I argue against the parameterized φ‐deletion analysis proposed in Baker et al. (2005), pointing out some shortcomings of their analysis. This proposal also ties together doubling and stranding into a unified phenomenon, a result I show is supported by cross‐linguistic evidence. I also tie doubling/stranding in with the availability of NI with unaccusatives and show how this also falls out from the current proposal. Thus, this proposal makes a strong testable prediction on the distribution of the properties of NI found in natural language.