The paper examines the syntactic status of the negative marker in standard Slovenian and its Pannonian dialects in terms of the grammaticalisation process known as Jespersen's cycle. Assuming that Jespersen's Cycle can be observed synchronically, the paper focusses on the correlation between the morpho-phonological strength of the negative marker and the syntactic derivation of negative clauses. The data analysis identifies at least three different stages of Jespersen's cycle in modern Slovenian: (i) the clitic-likenegation, (ii) the bipartite negation, and (iii) the adverb-like negation, the first occurring in standard Slovenian and the latter two in the Pannonian dialect group. In terms of the generative syntactic derivation, the analysis proposes that the negative marker occupies three different structural positions: (i) the head of the Negation phrase (clitic-like negation), (ii) the specifier of the Negation phrase (adverb-like negation) or (iii) both syntactic positions (bipartite negation). In addition, the paper explores the question whether the syntactic position of the negative marker determines the semantic interpretation of multiple occurrences of negative elements, in particular, the negative concord and the double negation interpretation. The analysis shows that in Slovenian the morpho-phonological properties of the negative marker and its structural position bear no consequences for the semantic interpretation of multiple occurrences of negative elements.
COBISS.SI-ID: 47689826
The paper outlines the role played by translation as an element of culture planning broadly conceived and therefore encompassing, among other elements, language, literature, ideology, etc. It is maintained that in small or low-impact cultures, with which non-canonical literatures written in languages of limited diffusion are usually associated and which are normally characterized by bi- or multilingualism of different kinds and degrees, the potential for translation to serve as an agent of culture planning and change significantly differs from its potential in high-impact cultures. This is evident from a prominent function played by translations in sheer quantitative terms as well as from the variety and type of translation strategies adopted by translators in low-impact cultures, particularly with respect to foreignization and domestication. As a paradigmatic instance for the study of translation as an agent of culture planning the case of Slovene culture is be discussed, which throughout its documented history has been strongly dependent on translation. Parallels with situations in some other European cultures are drawn and an attempt is made to sketch out possible typological features typical of different translation cultures.
COBISS.SI-ID: 46074978
This paper deals with double object constructions where the dative object is the applied argument, showing how applicative construction data in Slovenian and in other South Slavic languages cannot be incorporated into the most influential proposal on applicative constructions in the recent generative literature, Pylkkänen (2000, 2002, 2008). A refinement of Pylkkänenćs analysisis thus proposed to deal with the Slavic data.
COBISS.SI-ID: 46205026