A semantic approach to English grammar / R.M.W. Dixon.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dixon, Robert M. W., 1939-

Series:

Oxford textbooks in linguistics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

English language--Grammar.

English language.

English language--Semantics.

Physical Description:

xvi, 543 pages ; 26 cm.

Edition:

Second edition, revised and enlarged.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2005.

Summary:

This book shows how grammar helps people communicate and looks at the ways grammar and meaning interrelate. The author starts from the notion that a speaker codes a meaning into grammatical forms which the listener is then able to recover: each word, he shows, has its own meaning and each bit of grammar its own function, their combinations creating and limiting the possibilities for different words. He uncovers a rationale for the varying grammatical properties of different words and in the process explains many facts about English-such as why we can say I wish to go, I wish that he would go, and I want to go but not I want that he would go.

The first part of the book reviews the main points of English syntax and discusses English verbs in terms of their semantic types including those of Motion, Giving, Speaking, Liking, and Trying. In the second part Professor Dixon looks at eight grammatical topics, including complement clauses, transitivity and causatives, passives, and the promotion of a non-subject to subject, as in Dictionaries sell well.

This is the updated and revised edition of A New Approach to English Grammar on Semantic Principles. It includes new chapters on tense and aspect, nominalizations and possession, and adverbs and negation, and contains a new discussion of comparative forms of adjectives. It also explains recent changes in English grammar, including how they has replaced the tabooed he as a pronoun referring to either gender, as in When a student reads this book, they will learn a lot about English grammar in a most enjoyable manner.

Contents:

1.1 Grammar and semantics 5

1.2 Semantic types and grammatical word classes 7

1.3 Semantic roles and syntactic relations 9

1.4 The approach followed 12

1.5 Words and clitics 16

2 Grammatical sketch 19

2.1 Pronouns 19

2.2 Verb and verb phrase 22

2.2.1 Forms of the verb 22

2.2.2 Verb phrase 24

2.2.3 Verbal systems 25

2.3 Noun phrase 26

2.4 Main clauses 11

2.4.1 Imperative clauses 29

2.5 Adverbial elements 30

2.6 Relative clauses 32

2.7 Complement clauses 36

2.8 Omission of be 53

2.9 Types of -ing clause 54

2.10 Word derivations 56

2.11 Clause derivations 58

2.11.2 Causatives 59

2.11.3 Passives 61

2.11.4 Promotion to subject 61

2.11.5 Reflexives 62

2.11.6 Reciprocals 65

2.11.7 Have a Verb, Give a Verb and Take a Verb 66

2.12 Clause linking 67

2.13 Syntactic preferences and constraints 71

Part B The Semantic Types 79

3 Noun, adjective and verb types 81

3.1 Types associated with the Noun class 82

3.2 Types associated with the Adjective class 84

3.2.1 Comparison of adjectives 91

3.3.1 Subject and object 93

3.3.2 Grammar versus lexicon 95

3.4 Primary and Secondary verbs 96

4 Primary-A verb types 102

4.1 Motion and Rest 102

4.2 Affect 110

4.3 Giving 119

4.4 Corporeal 124

4.5 Weather 127

4.6 Others 128

5 Primary-B verb types 131

5.1 Attention 131

5.2 Thinking 139

5.3 Deciding 143

5.4 Speaking 146

5.5 Liking 160

5.6 Annoying 164

5.7 Others 169

6 Secondary verb types 172

6.1 Secondary-A types 172

6.1.1 Modals and Semi-Modals 172

6.1.2 Beginning 177

6.1.3 Trying 183

6.1.4 Hurrying 186

6.1.5 Daring 187

6.2 Secondary-B types 188

6.2.1 Wanting 188

6.2.2 Postponing 195

6.3 Secondary-C types 196

6.3.1 Making 196

6.3.2 Helping 201

6.4 Secondary-D types 202

6.4.1 Seem 203

6.4.2 Matter 205

Part C Some Grammatical Topics 207

7 Tense and aspect 209

7.1 Basic distinctions 210

7.2 Generic 211

7.3 Future 212

7.4 Present and past systems 215

7.4.1 Perfective verus imperfective 215

7.4.2 Actual versus previous 217

7.4.3 Present versus past 219

7.5 Irrealis and aspect 222

7.6 Back-shifting 223

7.7 Occurrence 225

8 Completeness clauses 230

8.1 Parentheticals 233

8.2 Meanings of complement clauses 238

8.2.1 that and wh- 238

8.2.2 that and ing 240

8.2.3 Modal (for) to, Judgement to, and that 242

8.2.4 The role of for in Modal (for) to complements 247

8.2.5 Omitting to from Modal (for) to complements 251

8.2.6 Omitting to be from to complements 253

8.2.7 ing and Modal (for) to 255

8.2.8 wh-to 255

8.2.9 (from) ing 257

8.3 Complement clauses with Secondary verbs 260

8.3.1 Modals and Semi-Modals 260

8.3.2 Beginning, Trying, Hurrying and Daring 261

8.3.3 Wanting and Postponing 264

8.3.4 Making and Helping 268

8.3.5 Seem and Matter 269

8.4 Complement clauses with Primary-B verbs, and with adjectives 270

8.4.1 Attention 270

8.4.2 Thinking 272

8.4.3 Deciding 274

8.4.4 Speaking 275

8.4.5 Liking, Annoying and Adjectives 279

8.4.6 Other Primary-B types 283

9 Transitivity and causatives 286

9.1 The semantic basis of syntactic relations 287

9.2 Prepositions and transitivity 289

9.2.1 Verbs with an inherent preposition 290

9.2.2 Phrasal verbs 293

9.2.3 Inserting a preposition 297

9.2.4 Omitting a preposition before non-measure phrases 299

9.2.5 Omitting a preposition before measure phrases 303

9.3 Dual transitivity 305

9.3.1 S = A: transitive verbs that can omit an object 305

9.3.2 S = O pairs: which is basic? 309

9.3.3 Causatives 311

10 Nominalisations and possession 317

10.1 Possession 317

10.2 Varieties of deverbal nominalisation 322

10.2.1 Nominalisations denoting unit of activity and activity itself 323

10.2.2 Nominalisations denoting a state or a property 327

10.2.3 Nominalisations describing a result 328

10.2.4 Object nominalisations 329

10.2.5 Locus nominalisations 332

10.2.6 Agentive nominalisations 333

10.2.7 Instrumental nominalisations 336

10.2.8 Possession of a nominalisation: summary 337

10.3 Derivational processes 338

10.4 Nominalisation of phrasal verbs 343

10.4.1 Agentive nominalisations 344

10.4.2 Unit and activity nominalisations 346

10.5 Nominalisation by semantic type 348

10.5.1 Primary-A types 348

10.5.2 Primary-B types 349

10.5.3 Secondary verbs 351

11 Passives 353

11.1 The nature of passive 354

11.2 Which verbs from Primary types may passivise 360

11.3 How verbs from Secondary types passivise 364

11.4 Complement clauses as passive subjects 367

11.5 Prepositional NPs becoming passive subjects 369

12 Adverbs and negation 375

12.1 Adverbs 376

12.2 Forms and types 379

12.2.1 Adjective types and derived adverbs 381

12.3 Positioning 385

12.3.1 Position 'A' and other medial positions 389

12.3.2 Positions 'F' and 'O' 392

12.4 Adverbs modifying NPs 394

12.5 Adverbs with sentential but not manner function 402

12.5.1 Time adverbs 405

12.5.2 Spatial adverbs 410

12.6 Adverbs with manner but not sentential function 413

12.7 Adverbs with both sentential and manner function 418

12.8 Adverbs modifying adjectives and adverbs 422

12.9 Other properties 423

12.9.1 Comparatives 423

12.9.2 An adverb as a complete utterance 426

12.10 Combinations of adverbs 427

12.11 Negation 432

12.11.1 Sentential and manner-type negation 432

12.11.2 Negative attraction 435

12.11.3 Constituent negation 436

12.11.4 Inherently negative verbs 441

12.11.5 Negation and sentential adverbs 441

12.11.6 Complex negators 443

12.11.7 Negative modifier to a noun 444

13 Promotion to subject 446

13.1 General characteristics 446

13.2 The circumstances in which promotion is possible 449

13.3 Which roles may be promoted 451

14 Give a Verb, have a Verb and take a Verb constructions 459

14.1 Criteria adopted 462

14.2 Syntax 467

14.3 Meaning 469

14.4 Occurrence 476

Appendix List of adjective and verb types, with sample members 484.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [492]-500) and index.

ISBN:

0199283079

0199247404

OCLC:

59877521

Publisher Number:

9780199283071 (hbk.)

9780199247400 (pbk.)