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In:English Noun Phrases from a Functional-Cognitive Perspective: Current issues
Edited by Lotte Sommerer and Evelien Keizer
[Studies in Language Companion Series 221] 2022
► pp. 395–428

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Coordinated phrases as dvandvas

A competition-theoretic perspective

 | Niigata Agro-Food University
Published online: 21 January 2022
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https://doi.org/10.1075/slcs.221.11nis
Abstract
It is generally accepted that coordinated compounds known as dvandvas are attested in some languages but not in others. For instance, they are very common in Japanese (e.g. dan-zyo ‘lit. male-female = male and female’) but unattested in English (e.g. * male-female), which instead requires phrasal coordination. The present paper uses Competition Theory to explore where this cross-linguistic variation comes from, focusing on the unattestedness of dvandvas in English. This theory assumes that cross-linguistic variations occur when morphology and syntax compete to realize an underlying structure; languages are classified into two types in a macroparametric manner, depending on whether they prefer morphological or syntactic realization. Taking a competition-theoretic approach, this paper claims that the unattestedness reflects the nature of English as a particular type of language, which is determined by a macroparameter. Furthermore, Competition Theory predicts that dvandvas have phrasal counterparts in English. The correctness of this prediction will be verified by observing that a particular type of coordinated phrase exhibits the defining property of a dvandva regardless of their different surface forms. It will be proposed that the relevant type is derived in a specific way, which results in its dvandva status.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Defining dvandvas
    • 2.1Two entities but one concept
    • 2.2Dvandvas vs. appositional compounds
  • 3.Competition Theory
    • 3.1Competition in surface realization
    • 3.2English as a syntax-preferring language vs. Japanese as a morphology-preferring language
    • 3.3The interaction between two types of parameter: The cancelation of competition and occurrence of marked realization patterns
  • 4.A competition-theoretic approach to dvandvas and coordinated phrases: How can the unattestedness of dvandvas in English follow from Competition Theory?
    • 4.1The unattestedness of dvandvas in English: Coordinated phrases with dvandva status
    • 4.2Motivations for the dvandva analysis
    • 4.3Other examples of coordinated phrases with dvandvas status
  • 5.Derivation of dvandvas and coordinated phrases
  • 6.Other SAE languages and the earlier periods of English
  • 7.Concluding remarks
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
  • Dictionaries
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