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A Deverbal Analysis of Adverbials in Hindi PDF
A Deverbal Analysis of Adverbials in Hindi PDF
by
MARGARET STEFFENSEN
January, 1971
I. Background
Duration
'
(..
)
Place f
\ Frequency, etc. (
In the first sentence, the verb requires an instantive adverb, while the
137
expansion rules may generate an adverb of time, and this adverb dictates
the morphological signs on the verb. The. advantages of this analysis are:
changing transformation.
Mike Geis (1970) has discussed before, after , until and since as
lexical items. Sentences with before and after are derived from a sequence
of the form:
,x- '. 6. at a time which was ; earlier'; than the time at which
.,_ later
The fact that before and after can be modified by measure phrases and
: . ;
138
tives do show up. Until and since do not act like comparatives and can
are derived from aspectual verbs like end and begin, in structures such as
This deeper level of analysis has greater explanatory power than a more
(1970) in which she Studies all types of adverbials and posits a highly
general they are, and will then consider some arguments that could be
II. Introduction
structure which is higher than the main verb, i.e., the verb which
sentence such as
NP ^VP
it S
^-
. . ..V '
NP
X I
! I
UP VP .
!
'
'
\ \ \
number of languages, has pointed out that this is overwhelmingly the case.
tion with the analysis given by Geis, it is immediately obvious why this
UP VP
:
MV AUX
NP^ \
laRkaa akhbaar laa -taa hai
the boy newspaper bring -s
Dropping, for the moment, the now-controversial AUX node, when an adverb
~
Itf" VP
NP VP
1
1
: . : : :
141
is followed by a copula:
^snowing J etc.
This suggests that there is a general distinction between the two languages
20. It is from the shop that the boy brings the newspaper.
moved to the beginning of the sentence and thereby becomes the focus
U2
Tills v;ould indicate that ill English, the grammar can either delete the it
is possible:
mentioned .~bove.
vjhich the negation has as its scope the Main Verb (the lovjer sentence),
the other in which the scope is the entire proposition (the higher
2k. The boy didn't bring the newspaper from the store.
. 2Ua. From the store, the boy didn't bring the nevjspaper.
2Ub. It is not the case that the boy brought the newspaper
from the store.
This reflects the fact that the truth conditions for {2k) can be met
some other place. In no case does negation have only the adverbial in its
In either language, a short negative response does not specify what the
scope isi Thus the following answei* does not make clear i;hether the girl
26. Did the girl bring the vegetables from the market?
28. It wasn't from the store that the boy brought the
newspaper
29. VJas it from the market that the girl brought the vegetables?
In both languages, focus can also be achieved with regular word order and
the feature markings on the deep structure it. The following arguments,
*opinion in
'^
3^. The boy was sitting with the girl on ; the sofa. "^
i *the plan. (
stated on the function word rather than the noun since the latter can
making them highly unusual since they are typically obligatory. Further-
if placed on the noun since there are many more nouns than function words
:
1-45
features were chosen since a postposition does not occur alone. This
must be given for the fact that the same featiures of nouns are significant
for both verbs and postpositions: [+ concrete, abstract ,,,] (J. Geis,
1970:20).
derived from higher verbs. Verb Phrase Deletion is the rule which
'*'"
39. Hildegard was eating in the living room and Jack was
playing his ukelele.
The fact that the adverbial has been deleted is shoxm by the following -
sentence: . :
^0, *Mary left at exactly midnight butil read War and Peace .
us
verb, read .
English, but both postpositions and verbs behave in the same way. This
U3. I was reading for five hours and John was writing a letter,
likhtaa rahaa.
writing kept
activity verb:
: .
lAT
k6, 1 read in the library for ten hours and Rachael wrote a
paper
This can mean either that Rachael wrote a paper in the library for ten
hours or that she worked on the paper for ten hours elsewhere. That this
U7. John swam in the pool for thirty minutes and Susan
wrote letters.
These two activities clearly do not both occur in the pool, but the time
semantic constraints.
double adverbials , ,
preferred.
50. John swam in the river for one hour and his wife slept,
The undei stood object is a generic term rather than a specific one.
This can also occur with certain prepositions, which is what would be
obligatorily be deleted:
DaakTar hai?
doctor is (honorific )I
Deletion, and the same type of process occurs in the case of Object
thus seems to require some surface verbal in the case of both verbs and
transitive main verbs and adverbials in English supports the theory that
the following verbs which can take an adverbial form, such as there,
feel that the sentences with the adverbial ERO-form are only marginally
150
there I
,
>_
61. Some fans were entering the sports arena and others
were leaving | it, (
Y there. (
The same thing occurs with prepositions : some may occur with adverbial
62. The bandits were hiding beyond the river, but the
posse was afraid to ride beyond j it. ">,
there. / >
This does not occur with all prepositions, just as it does not occur with
all verbs
6U, Jane, worked until five o'clock and Bill worked iintil
j' it
; too.
~,
*then j
6^. She was going to the city by airplane and the boy
was going there by car.
65. He arrived home and his guests arrived "T there too.
\*to it -
\ *at it j
151
only the adverbial form occurs. The informants I consulted said the
postpositions
66, That thief was leaving the bank and the police were
entering it,
^it in
67, Some people are going into the theatre and some
people are coming out of it,
us se 1^
'
it from 1
1 ..
,^ *us me i'
69, John worked until fovir o'clock and Bill worked until
( then too.
,
152
adverbial phrase or the verb phrase and thus represents the desired
a regularizing tendency: both verbs and adverbs can take only the
analysis and then be deleted by a late rule. That this process is often
153
would have additional support for a verbal origin for all three* In
73i He is a fool*
adverb, but not when it contains a predicate nominal. Thus there are
-.-Yi- ?.i.
.7^- :9 likes the girl (who is) singing ---
nominal
154
VJith adjectives:
With adverbials
155
following data:
156
This would mean that \7ith animate subjects, certain adverbial phrases
can not occur as predicates, but only with verbs such as baiThnaa, to
sit ; khaRaa honaa, to stand ; le,Tnaa, to lie . In any case, these examples
them fiirther.
157
undergo reduction.
dissertation, in many cases using her examples and in all cases applying
both transitive verbs and postpositions have objects and exhibit co-
are posited as verbs, some explanation must be given for the fact that
not feel the argi;iment is o strong one. With many adverbial objects of
late rule. This, would explain the presence of the oblique case.
study of Mohawk and Oneida that synchronic rule ordering does not
grammar is not alv;ays generated by adding a rule to the end (see Chpt.
13). This would argue that there is a distinction between the historical
nouns does not preclude the possibility that they are now perceived
from nouns, but they are usually derived from the locative case. This
Many of the derivations he gives for the pronominal adverbs show that
except in the adverbial form, while in others the stem can still be
160
By the time of Hindi, the case endings vere almost completely gone
and one form had to express the relationships formerly given by six
used case forms also served this purpose. This evolved into the
extent (note that presently there is still a trace of case in the oblique
argued that postpositions were deverbal and case endings were not.
161
would predict,
(2) It has been suggested that because the noun of agency, vraalaa,
do not find this a serious objection. Although waalaa can occur with
noxms and postpositions, it can also occvir with adjectives and verbs
to the postpositions, the same data could be used as evidence for the
reveals that when the waalaa does join with a verb, it is only after
shown by the face that the verb inflects in the same way a noun does:
These facts indicate that waalaa does not attach to nouns and verbs at
all but rather to Noun Phrases. A postposition and a verb, at the time
The distribution of this form gives strong support for treating post-
class:
The most serious objection to the verbal analysis is the fact that
considered a postposition:
163
(1955 :U86) also states that these can be preceded by either the genitive
or the ablative but no other group. The fact that this is a highly
restricted group suggests that this form can be predicted, with the
this kind.
16^
sentences (1967:500):
yahaa has the same markings as par , so the latter may be deleted, se ,
group.
accordingly*
sag
166
kii bagal me
ie tale under talaa bottom
following:
(1) The genitive marker agrees in gender vath it. This would
mean we would have to mark all postpositions for gender. Naturally this
me, se, par^ tak, ko and probably a few others. Since there is no way
to determine what the gender of these might be, the feature chosen would
this position.
ke) end in -e, the marker for both pliiral and oblique case. This
168
jaan ke ghar ml
John of house in
Jaan ke ghar
John of house
This also explains the semantic link between the noun and the postposi-
tional phrase
he says that only the clause complementizer, kii, and the gerundive,
off on the wrong foot since there are no sentences in Hindi of the form:
. .
169
beforfe the ger\indive element - pafa . He then says the -naa is obligatorily
serious reader to question this analysis. However, there are many more
fundmnental reasons to do so
such as:
If the only reason the kaa - naa does not appear in the sentences with
170
sentences
This is a major problem for his analysis which he does not resolve.
of the following sentences with the clause complementizer have the same
The ger\andive equivalent for all three of the above, in Sinha's analysis
is:
He says (1970:107):
He could also have included kaun, who. In any case, this seems to be
both major and unpredictable i I have found no Hindi speaker who agrees
gets rid of the question words beyond the quotations given above concerning
wo ka\m hai.
he who is
172
Unfortunately, he claims the two above are not synonymous because 12k
the significance of the fact that in 125 the ke baare me follows samay
time and in 133 it follows wo (us), him. This is due to his failure to
clearly spells out this position when he says that baaraa, unlike
wishay, can not appear alone meaning theme and he will therefore
173
Even at the most fundamental operational level, these are clearly not
Burrows, baaraa would be marked so it could not occur outside the phrase
\ theme, f
.
, ., *mal ne us baaraa ke wishay me socaa
I that matter about thought
surface structures is far beyond the scope of this paper, the trees
than anything Sinha suggests, and they reflect the correct semantic
.
174
NP VP
NP
Note that the kaa -naa complementizer can not apply to the embedded
deletable.
Nr" VP
NP
NP VP
/
/ / .._ I
_.
175
NP VP
X
NP
NP VP
NP VP
t
The problems created by having two different sources for the same
dominating the adverbial subject i& preserved during the Adverb Lowering
transformation and triggers the genitive insertion, but this must wait
NOTES
and to Dr. Yamuna Kachru for many hours of discussion which contributed
the oblique case. Since this may be a slightly different process and
rob the woman of the Jewels (th3 woman does not have the Jewels); load
REFERENCES
University of Chicago.
Burrow, Thomas. I965. The Sanskrit language. London: Faber and Faber.
M.I.T. Press.
Fairbanks, Gordon H. and Bal Govind Misra. 1966; Spoken and written
Gallagher, Mary. 1970. Adverbs of time and tense. Papers from the
Center Press,
..I..M .
,
168
jaan ke ghar me
John of house in
Jaan ke ghar
John of house
This also explains the semantic link between the noun and the postposi-
tional phrase
he says that only the clause complementizer, kii, and the gerundive,
off on the wrong foot since there are no sentences in Hindi of the form:
.
169
before the gerundive element -naa. He then says the -naa is obligatorily
serious reader to question this analysis. However, there are many more
such as:
If the only reason the kaa - naa does not appear in the sentences with
sentences:
This is a major problem for his analysis which he does not resolve.
of the following sentences with the clause complementizer have the same
The gerundive equivalent for all three of the above, in Sinha's analysis
is:
He says (1970:107):
171
He could also have included kaun, who. In any case, this seems to be
both major and unpredictable. I have found no Hindi speaker who agrees
gets rid of the question words beyond the quotations given above concerning
wo kaun hai.
he who is
Unfortunately, he claims the two above are not synonymous because 121+
the significance of the fact that in 125 the ke baare me follows samay,
time and in 133 it follows wo (us), him. This is due to his failure to
clearly spells out this position when he says that baaraa, unlike
wishay, can not appear alone meaning theme and he will therefore
173
Even at the most fundamental operatiohal level> these are clearly not
Burrows, baaraa would be marked so it could not occur outside the phrase
i affair. i
surface structures is far beyond the scope of this paper, the trees
than anything Sinha suggests, and they reflect the correct semantic
.
NP VP
WP
Note that the kaa -naa complementizer can not apply to the embedded
dele table.
NP' VP
NP
/ NP VP
/
/ /
/
mal ye .
baaraa wo baaraa (haiX fme puuchaa
'
NP
I
The problems created by having two different sources for the same
transformation and triggers the genitive insertion, but this must wait
NOTES
and to Dr. Yamuna Kachru for many hours of discussion which contributed
the oblique case. Since this may be a slightly different process and
rob the woman of the Jewels (th3 woman does not have the Jewels); load
University of Chicago.
Burrow, Thomas. 1965* The Sanskrit language. London: Faber and Faber.
M.I.T. Press.
Fairbanks, Gordon H. and Bal Govind Misra. I966. Spoken and written
Gallagher, Mary. 1970. Adverbs of time and tense. Papers from the
Center Press,