Syncretism : a case study of the particle zÌe in Czech
This thesis presents a case study of zÌe in Czech. The particle can appear in a number of seemingly unrelated constructions: it can be used in declaratives, interrogatives and exclamatives of various types. Below, three of its uses are considered in detail: subordinating conjunction, question tag, discourse particle. When used as a subordination conjunction or a question tag, zÌe might lexicalise one of the following functional heads: C or I. In both cases, zÌe functions as a semantically vacuous linker, the purpose of which is to mark a relation between a head of one extended projection and some dependent extended projection. As a subordinating conjunction, it links a matrix clause to an embedded clause. As a question tag, it links a matrix clause to a minimal answer. When used as a discourse particle, zÌe might appear in C or SpecCP. In both cases, zÌe functions as a a semantically contenful linker, the purpose of which is to mark a relation between its containing utterance and some other utterance that is part of the previous discourse. In the process of establishing the above, I outline a number of properties of the constructions in which zÌe appears, and I also make a number of general theoretical
Kaspar, J.
Syncretism : a case study of the particle zÌe in Czech. This thesis presents a case study of zÌe in Czech. The particle can appear in a number of seemingly unrelated constructions: it can be used in declaratives, interrogatives and exclamatives of various types. Below, three of its uses are considered in detail: subordinating conjunction, question tag, discourse particle. When used as a subordination conjunction or a question tag, zÌe might lexicalise one of the following functional heads: C or I. In both cases, zÌe functions as a semantically vacuous linker, the purpose of which is to mark a relation between a head of one extended projection and some dependent extended projection. As a subordinating conjunction, it links a matrix clause to an embedded clause. As a question tag, it links a matrix clause to a minimal answer. When used as a discourse particle, zÌe might appear in C or SpecCP. In both cases, zÌe functions as a a semantically contenful linker, the purpose of which is to mark a relation between its containing utterance and some other utterance that is part of the previous discourse. In the process of establishing the above, I outline a number of properties of the constructions in which zÌe appears, and I also make a number of general theoretical
syncretism case_study particle czech present case_study czech particle appear number seemingly unrelated construction use declarative various_type consider detail conjunction question tag discourse particle use subordination conjunction question tag might lexicalise follow functional_head case function semantically vacuous purpose mark relation head extended projection dependent extend projection subordinate conjunction link matrix clause embed clause question tag link matrix clause minimal answer used discourse particle might appear case function semantically purpose mark relation contain utterance utterance part previous discourse process establishing outline number property construction appear also_make number general_theoretical