Abstract Presentational constructions are linguistic structures that can convey all-focus utterances with no topic constituent that serve to introduce a referentially new entity or event into the discourse. Like many other languages, Dutch has several presentational constructions, including a Prosodic Inversion Construction (PIC), a Syntactic Inversion with Filler Insertion Construction (SIFIC) and a Non-Prototypical Cleft Construction (NPC). This article investigates these structures as alternating presentational constructions and focuses on referential givenness as a possible factor influencing the alternation. Based on a data elicitation task, referential givenness is shown to play a role in the choice of alternant. The PIC is predominantly used with unused/inactive and accessible Mental Representations of Referents (MRRs), but it can also contain brand-new MRRs. The NPC is exclusively used with brand-new MRRs. The SIFIC is used mostly with brand-new MRRs, but it can also contain accessible MRRs, in particular in positions other than the syntactic subject. The data elicitation task yielded a number of additional Dutch linguistic structures that could also be considered presentational constructions, including a construction with a perception verb used in a weak verb-like fashion and a construction with an existential sentence combined with a coordinated canonical topic-comment clause.

Abstract In this article we present an overview of current debates in the analysis of cleft sentences. The types of sentences that are often seen as prototypical examples of the cleft category are introduced byit isor a cross-linguistic equivalent; in addition, they have specificational semantics and a focus-background information structure articulation. We argue here that other, less prototypical types of constructions, which have received less attention, also belong to the cleft category: sentences that are introduced by expressions such asthere isandyou’ve got(and their cross-linguistic equivalents), as well as sentences introduced byit iswhich do not have specificational semantics and which express other types of information structure articulations (e.g. all-focus or topic-comment). We argue that it is fruitful to analyse these ‘non-prototypical’ clefts in more depth, not only to come to a better understanding about these sentence types in their own right, but also to arrive at insights in the phenomenon of ‘clefts’ in general.

Abstract This paper addresses the early variation in what has been called the [prep_que] variable in Spanish nominal complement clauses, i.e. the alternation betweende queandquein examples such asenseñal (de) quelo estimo, Zulema, este anillo ofrezco(CORDE) ‘as a sign that I appreciate You, Zulema, I offer this ring’. By applying several subsequent quantitative analyses on corpus instances of the sequences Nde queand Nque, the locus of variation is restricted to such an extent that the variation can largely be accounted for. A collostructional analysis identifies 31 central nouns of the Nde quecomplement clause construction. A diachronic cluster analysis delimits the temporal dimension of the variation to the 16th and 17th centuries. A distinctive collexeme analysis identifies nine nouns which are used in both constructional formats to a comparable degree:causa‘cause’,duda‘doubt’,esperanza‘hope’,fe‘faith’,opinión‘opinion’,recelo‘fear’,señal‘sign(al)’,sospecha‘suspicion’, andtemor‘fear’. Detailed contextual analysis of the use of these nine nouns by means of a mixed-effects logistic regression reveals that the use of the nouns with a determiner is correlated with thede quevariant, and the use of the nouns as part of complex predicates, as intener sospecha‘have suspicion’, is associated with thequevariant of the complement clause.

DI-fusion, le Dépôt institutionnel numérique de l'ULB, est l'outil de référencementde la production scientifique de l'ULB.L'interface de recherche DI-fusion permet de consulter les publications des chercheurs de l'ULB et les thèses qui y ont été défendues.

In recent years, a lively debate has emerged about the question of correctly defining lying. Two strands of argumentation have evolved in the philosophy of language: First, the idea that lying is not necessarily connected to an intention of the speaker to deceive the hearer (e.g., Carson 2010); second, the idea that there is a fundamental distinction between lying and mere misleading (e.g., Saul 2012). This paper deals with both assumptions from the vantage point of the semantics-pragmatics interface and relates them to the question of how it is possible to lie while drawing on implicit content of an utterance. It is argued that lying necessarily involves an intention to deceive and that many cases of misleading are either cases of misunderstanding or cases of untruthful implicature (Meibauer 2014a).

This article takes a composite approach that combines move analysis and multidimensional analysis to a contrastive study of textual variations in discourse moves between native and non-native English abstracts, focusing on the biology discipline. Building on a new multidimensional analysis model of English abstracts established in Cao & Xiao (2013), the present study demonstrates that in comparison with their Chinese counterparts, native English writers display a more active involvement and a more interactive style; and in all obligatory moves, they are also more focused and confident in using intensifying devices. Native and non-native abstracts differ significantly at both dimension level and move level. Such differences are discussed with reference to possible reasons and our suggestions for English abstract writing in China.

This paper discusses the importance of change in American presidential discourse. Taking the inaugural address as its data, the study proposes a corpus-based analysis of the change frame in American presidential rhetoric. Change will be shown to relate to two levels of analysis using a combined approach of quantitative and qualitative methods. Firstly, its occurrence as a lexical concept in the corpus at hand will be examined. Secondly, the study of extended portions of discourse will demonstrate that meaning representation largely occurs on the basis of motion concepts, including the conceptual metaphor CHANGE IS MOTION as the central mapping of the event structure metaphor system (ESM). As will be shown, the knowledge in the change frame is suggestive of ideological discourse structures, which attach opposing value judgements to the presence vs. absence of change, respectively.

The current contribution considers the use of the emerging modal forms want to / wanna for the speech act of advice with reference to two cognitive frameworks, viz. force dynamics and frame semantics. It is held that a volitional semantic core is projected in terms of wanting as a force dynamic experience which extends to the addressee as a mental extrapolation. In frame semantic terms the resulting speech act generates a new frame and new participant roles, so that the category “Attempt_suasion” is proposed as an addition for the verb form want in FrameNet. The interprations in terms of both theoretical frameworks are further supported by the case of second person want to / wanna for advice with an added question tag, representing respectively a lifted barrier and a frame shift, and illustrating the added potential of the forms in terms of face, when compared to the modal should.