ADNOMINAL ADVERBIALS IN ROMANIAN: EXAMPLES OF PREPOSITIONAL GROUPS FORMED WITH ROMANIAN PREPOSITION DE Cover Image

ADVERBIAUX ADNOMINAUX EN ROUMAIN: L’EXEMPLE DES GROUPES PREPOSITIONNELS COMPLEXES EN DE
ADNOMINAL ADVERBIALS IN ROMANIAN: EXAMPLES OF PREPOSITIONAL GROUPS FORMED WITH ROMANIAN PREPOSITION DE

Author(s): Alexandru Mardale
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies
Published by: Editura Universitaria Craiova
Keywords: adnominal adverbials; complex prepositional groups; functional P; lexical P.

Summary/Abstract: Romanian displays two types of complex PPs (i.e. PPs formed on at least two simple Ps), which may attach to Ns. The first one is headed by a combination of two (and very rarely three) lexical Ps, e. g. dela ‘from’, pe sub ‘under’, pe lângă ‘near’, de pe lângă ‘from near’ (e.g. venirea lui de la Londra (his coming from London)). The second type is headed by acombination of one functional P (namely de) and one lexical P, e. g., de la ‘from’, de pe ‘on’, de sub ‘under’, de lângă ‘near’ (e.g. cartea de pe raft (the book on the shelves)). In this paper, we take a closer look to these two types of prepositional constructions. Firstly, we examine the various morpho-syntactic and semantic constraints under which the different constituents of the complex PPs may fall (e.g. the categorial status of the P’s complement (NP vs DP), and correlatively, the absence or presence of a determiner, their syntactic function (argument vs. modifier), their semanticinterpretation (specific – non specific)). Secondly, we pay special attention to the analysis of de occurring in the second type of complex PPs. In this respect, we show that complex PPs in type two are not genuine PPs and that de is not lexical, but the overt realization of a functional category (namely, Mod(ifier)).

  • Issue Year: XVIII/2014
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 258-270
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: French
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