The Structure of Nominalization in Burmese
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Transcript of The Structure of Nominalization in Burmese
The Structure of Nominalization in Burmese
How Underlying Nominals Provide Order to the Grammar
Ontological Nominals function as a kind of Architectural Support to Language
Burma11-16th Century Written 11-16th Century Written Burmese – Modern – Formal Burmese – Modern – Formal BurmeseBurmese
17-20th Century Spoken 17-20th Century Spoken Burmese – Modern – Colloquial Burmese – Modern – Colloquial BurmeseBurmese
Burmese Nominals
T-B Linguists have observed different kinds of nominalizations with odd functions across many languages (relativization/genitivization).
Observation: Pervasive use of nominalization on multiple levels – word to sentence.
High frequency of affixually derived nominalizations functioning as other parts of speech — adverbs and adjectives.
Nominals functioning as more than local nouns.
What is nominalization?
A noun or noun-like construction “The barbarians’ destruction of the city” “John’s criticism of the book”
"A nominalization is a noun phrase that has a systematic correspondence with a clausal predication which includes a head noun morphologically related to a corresponding verb." “The barbarians destroyed the city.” “John criticized the book.”
Cognitively, a Nominal is a Bounded Region
How is nominalization manifest in Burmese?
Compound Nouns:
‘Television’ image-look sound-hear |kyf\rifoHjum:
[N+V]Noun + [N+V]Noun = Noun
‘Tong’ bamboo hand pinch 0g:vufckyf
[[N+N]Noun + V]Noun Nominalized Clauses:
‘eating is good’ [eat + onf sany] good [V+P]Noun ‘[his having cooked first without going to church] onf sany -
caused us to have to return home twice”
Nominal Construction of New Vocabulary – ‘TV’ and ‘Tong’
Levels of Language Processing
OntologicalGrammatic
al
Conceptual
Semantic
What is Ontology? In Philosophy: “Ontology is the theory of objects and
their ties. The unfolding of ontology provides criteria for distinguishing various types of objects (concrete and abstract, existent and non-existent, real and ideal, independent and dependent) and their ties (relations, dependences and predication)”.(Raul Corazzon 2003)
In General: “1. A science or study of being: specifically, a branch of metaphysics relating to the nature and relations of being; a particular system according to which problems of the nature of being are investigated; first philosophy”.
“2. a theory concerning the kinds of entities and specifically the kinds of abstract entities that are to be admitted to a language system."(Webster’s 3rd International Dictionary )
Ontology – Artificial Intelligence
An ontology is a specification of a conceptualization.
In AI: “That is, an ontology is a description (like a formal specification of a program) of the concepts and relationships that can exist for an agent or a community of agents. This definition is consistent with the usage of ontology as set-of-concept-definitions, but more general.” (Gruber 1993)
Formation Components
Form Classes – Three types
Nouns Verbs Particles
Things
Relations
Conceptual ObjectsOntological Objects
Juxtaposition — a normal formative processDoubles and Balanced Pairs
P + P chaining
N + N compounding
V + V compound and chaining
Rules of Nominal Formation
N + N Nominal N + V Nominal N + P Nominal Positional Phrase
Compound Noun Clause
Grammatical Construction
Ontological Construction
Types of Nominals
Conceptual Nominal
Ontological Nominal
Grammatical Nominal
Semantic Nominal
Thing
Form
Function Class
Lexical Class
Ontological Nominal is not the same as Grammatical Nominal
Ontological nominals (objects, concepts, or other entities) are:
abstract units that exist as linguistic entities via boundary features
perceptual and posited by the language itself
manifest by cognitive operations such as blending and conceptual integration as well as word formation processes
Key to Understanding
Nominalization is onf sany Nominalizes Sentences
(Sentence final particle)
Nominalizes Clauses (Relative and Attribute
Clauses)
Nominal Topicalizer
Clause
Sentence
Word
Grammatical Nominalization
Burmese: Head-Final Grammar
SOV Verb final postposition particle final
Final is the Head
Modifier + Head Configuration Modifier +
Head
N + N N + V N/V + P V + V
Asymmetrical Relations of Figure and GroundGround + Figure
Absolutive vs.Figure + Ground
Transitive
Sentence final Marker (Realis) onf sany
Example 1.
usefr rSm ajumi f uav: w aumi f |Sd yg onf̀ kyun-ma.
hma kraung ka.le: ta. kaung hri. pa sany
slave-female
Loc cat small one Clf-animal
exist Polite Nom/ Realis
I (female)
kitten one
"I have a kitten."
Nominalized Clause
(Relative) onf sanyExample 4b
t a\y: \ydki f onf. ausmi f: om: rsm: a-pre: pruing sany. kyaung: sa: mya: race compete Nom/Realis school son many
"The pupils who competed in a race..."
Topic Marker onf sany
Example 3
a|_ 0g onf n t cg t arSmi f xJ wGi f \ri f edki f yg onf̀ hrwe wa sany nya. a-
hka a-hmaung
htai: twang mrang nuing pa sany
gold yellow Nom/ Topic
night time darkness in Loc- at
see able Polite Nom/ Realis
"Golden Yellow is able to see at night in the darkness."
Nominal Template – Formal Burmese
(realis)
Nominal Template – Formal Burmese (irrealis)
Nominal Template – Colloquial Burmese
(realis)
Nominal Template – Colloquial Burmese
(irrealis)
Application of the Rules of Ontological Formation
N+N N N+V N N/V +P N
ND15
Formation Process
xdkh ajumifhhtui. kraung.
Dm Res
N N
N
vGwf vyf a|: t p lwat lap re: a-ca.
free vacant Nom beginning
V V
V
N
P
N
N
N
t rsdK: om: aeh u a-myui: sa: ne. ka.
kind son day S
N N
N N
N
N
P
N
[ l I qdk ju yg onf̀hu rwe hcui kra. pa sany
said Tm say Pl-S Plt Nom
V
N
N
P
N
N
V
P
N
P
N
P
Ontological Constructions
WORD
EXPRESSION
SENTENCE
Simple and Complex Words, Phrases, Nominalized Clauses
Clause or Particle Phrase
Sentence, Section, Text
Three Types
Ontological Form Rules
Constructional Forms
Accommodates Traditional Constructions
Basic Structural Description
Word Simple word, Compound Word,
Phrase, Modifier Clauses (N ) + N N
Expression Clause N + V N
N / V+ P N Sentence Sentence, Paragraph, Text N + Obs N
Ontological WORDOne sentence Part 1
Ontological WORDOne sentence Part 2
Ontological WORDOne sentence Part 3
Ontological SENTENCE (Text) Structure
Structural Overview of one Expository Text
Topical Sections of Text - onf sany marked
Expository Text – Ground- Figure Relations
[ Ground Figure ][ Ground Figure ][ Ground ][ Figure ] [ Ground ][Figure]
Ontological SENTENCE (Text)
Structure of a Narrative Text
Particle u ka. Agent/Source marks Sections of Text
Narrative Headedness Figure-Ground
Relations
Reverse of Expository Text Ground - Figure Relations
Particle u ka. Sentence 1
Narrative Action Line and
Offline – distribution of u ka.
Ontological Nominalization The Structure of Abstract Objects that form: Word Expression
s Sentences
(N+N) (V+V)
(Word with Observer)
(N+V) (N + P)
Advantages to Ontological Analysis versus only Grammatical or Semantic Consistent and simple method of analysis
that describes the organization of Word to Text, with same conceptual processes and rules of formation.
Separates Ontological from Semantic and Grammatical and leaves those differences for different constraints.
Explains predominance of nominals and why they are used as major constituents.
Further Advantages
Recognizes Burmese pattern preference for Doublets, Juxtapositioning, Balanced sets.
Recognizes Headedness and the way this is manifest in information structure via Ground – Figure gestalt.
Further Advantages
Recognizes the role of the Observer in The Sentence and Text The nature of nominals themselves Provides the base forms for word constituency
relations in complex units. Analysis recognizes cultural values
balance and harmony distance of the observer from the phenomena;
Buddhist detachment
Burmese Proverb
t|Sif \rifh. u^efwifha-hrang mrang. kwyan tang.master high slave comely
As the master’s position is exalted,the servant’s conduct becomes
decorous.
THE BEGINNING
Of Natural Sound
Practical Application
Burmese Primers — Demonstration of Ontological
Forms used in Literacy
Ontological Word
Literacy with WORD Level Units
Simple Words of One Syllable Inherent Vowel and Tone, Teaching only
Consonant e.g. u ka. ‘dance’ One symbol = Burmese Syllable / Word Juxtaposition of Balanced Set =
Ontological Nominals Simple Ontological Nominals of [N+N],
[N+ V] or [V+V]
KindergartenPrimer
Juxtaposition,Balanced Pairs
First story Kindergarten
Stories based on the Ontological Nominal Unit
First Grade Primer
Complex yet balanced units structure natural Burmese text. The length and complexity of the sentence is not significantly difficult because ontological nominals create ease.
Pedagogical wisdom begins with simple and build to complex sentences. One text of two sentences. First sentence is 2 ontological units long. Second sentence consists of 31 ontological
units.
End of Orthographic Sentence
Second sentence consists of 31 ontological units.
Natural textNo Word Space Normally in BurmeseBut ‘Phrase’ space is not really optional
The Same Natural Text Marked Indicating Particles
‘Phrase’ space following Particles
Less Natural Text -NT Romans 11:23
Less Natural Text with Particles
Ontological Nominals
Naturally used in Literacy Structure complex sentences – even
for newly literates, making meaningful units that can ‘stand alone’.
Naturally marked in text with phrase space to aid in chunking the sub-sentential units.