The ezafat suffix: The syntax-semantics interface【翻译】

Acknowledgements
It has been a wonderful opportunity to observe how my own native language works
through the amazing lens of linguistics which took me to the depths of human language
faculty. I am fortunate to have been taught about the tools by means of which I could think of
language not only as a mechanism of communication among people but also as an
evolutionary and inherent product of the brain that transformed humanity.
I admire the work of linguists whose determination and industrious efforts have
resulted in the recognition of linguistics as a science that is of basic importance for many
other sciences. Finally, I appreciate having been allowed to study in this marvelous field at
the Eastern Michigan University Linguistics Program whose faculty members laboriously
guided and assisted me throughout my master‟s degree program.
Writing this thesis was never the sole result of my own research. In fact, a number of
respected faculty members and friends made this paper possible. I must admit that this paper
would never have been possible without the guidance and assistance of Dr. T. Daniel Seely
who is also my academic advisor. Special thanks to Dr. Seely for his ideas and directions that
made it possible for me to first choose the topic of my research and then finish it as a
research project.
Also, I am truly indebted of Dr. Beverley Dewey Goodman for agreeing to be my
second reader. In fact, I received a great amount of motivation from her when I decided to
write this thesis. I would also like to thank my mother for providing me with helpful
information and sources since the beginning of my research. I also thank my friends who
study Dari language and literature at Kabul University and Kabul Education University for
iii
providing me significant information throughout writing my thesis and being always
available to answer to my questions. In addition, many thanks to my Facebook friends for
willingly responding to the surveys I conducted for this research and for their constructive
comments.
It is worth mentioning that writing this paper was a never-to-be-forgotten experience
that taught me not only about a specific aspect of Dari language, that is, the Ezafat suffix, but
also about myself. Learning special skills and important abilities were among the most
important aspects of writing this paper. It is important to mention that it is only I who am
responsible for any errors and shortcomings in this research paper, and I hope to be able to
continue research on some of the aspects of Dari noun phrases that I have not been able to
address in this thesis.
iv
Abstract
Any discussion of Dari noun phrases pays special attention to Ezafat and the way it behaves.
Ezafat is of great importance to understanding the underlying structure of a Dari noun phrase.
Much of this thesis uses the methodologies and tools provided by generative syntax to
determine the status of Ezafat and to answer a number of questions posed by Ezafat. I
hypothesize that Ezafat belongs to a functional category which is base-generated under D and
its function is to mark nouns for genitive case. In addition, the analysis of Ezafat entails the
classification of most Dari prepositions as a subcategory of noun. My analysis of Ezafat takes
place at a level that mediates between syntax and semantics, that is, a presentation of the
function of Ezafat in the syntactic structure and the range of possible meanings that are
generated by it in a modified-Ezafat-modifier configuration. Finally, the function and
meanings of Ezafat are discussed in noun, adjective, prepositional, and adverb phrases.
v
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ii
Abstract ..................................................................................................................................iv
List of Figures ........................................................................................................................vi
Chapter One: Introduction .....................................................................................................1
The Syntactic Standing of the Ezafat Suffix ..............................................................1
The Categorial Status of Ezafat .................................................................................2
Lack of Ezafat in Adverbial Phrases ..........................................................................4
Ezafat in Prepositional Phrases ..................................................................................5
Ezafat as a Genitive Case Marker ..............................................................................6
DP-internal Agreement and Case ...............................................................................7
Ezafat and the Syntax-Semantics Interface ................................................................8
Chapter Two: The Syntactic Standing of the Ezafat Suffix ...................................................10
Ezafat as a Phonological Element ..............................................................................11
Ezafat as a Morphological Element ...........................................................................12
Grammaticality Judgments ........................................................................................16
Ezafat in NP, AdjP, AP, and PP.................................................................................18
Chapter Three: The Categorial Status of Ezafat ....................................................................21
Ezafat in the Nominal Domain ..................................................................................22
Ezafat in the Adjectival Domain ................................................................................28
Lack of Ezafat in Adverbial Phrases ..........................................................................34
Ezafat and the [+N] Feature .......................................................................................35
vi
Chapter Four: Ezafat in Prepositional Phrases.......................................................................41
Classification of Prepositions: True vs. Nominal Prepositions .................................42
On Nominality of P2s ................................................................................................45
Ezafat in the Prepositional Domain ...........................................................................46
Chapter Five: Ezafat as a Genitive Case Marker ...................................................................54
Ezafat and the Indefinite Marker ...............................................................................56
Ezafat in Adjective Phrases (Continued) ...................................................................57
Chapter Six: DP-internal Agreement and Case .....................................................................65
Ezafat Insertion Rule..................................................................................................65
Underlying vs. Surface Representations ....................................................................67
Examples and Trees ...................................................................................................68
Chapter Seven: The Syntax-Semantics Interface ...................................................................71
Summary ................................................................................................................................76
References ..............................................................................................................................78
vii
List of Figures
Figure 1: Distribution of Ezafat ............................................................................................14
Figure 2: X0-adjunction..........................................................................................................23
Figure 3: Ezafat after filters ...................................................................................................24
Figure 4 Abney‟s model.........................................................................................................26
Figure5 Order of noun and adjectives ....................................................................................27
Figure 6 Head movement .......................................................................................................28
Figure 7 Multiple possessors .................................................................................................29
Figure 8 Ritter‟s model ..........................................................................................................30
Figure 9 Head raising to D .....................................................................................................32
Figure 10 Superlative blocking the movement ......................................................................32
Figure 11 Ezafat lowers to head position ...............................................................................36
Figure 12 Occurrence of Ezafat .............................................................................................39
Figure 13 Lack of Ezafat........................................................................................................39
Figure 14 P2‟s as nouns .........................................................................................................56
Figure 15 Feature spreading...................................................................................................66
Figure 16 The application of the Ezafat rule .........................................................................68
Figure 17 Head to D ...............................................................................................................73
Figure 18 Head to D – multiple possessors ...........................................................................73
Figure 19 Rule adjustment .....................................................................................................74

原文地址：

http://www.hongfu951.info/file/resource-detail.do?id=7409a0a8-f870-4342-82a8-6bfffe353923