Universität zu Köln

Mewe, Jana (2019). Accounting for case match and case mismatch in German free relative clauses. An empirical study with Optimality Theory modeling. PhD thesis, Universität zu Köln.

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Abstract

This thesis is concerned with case in German free relative clauses. Specifically, it is concerned with different case combinations between the covert head and the relative pronoun. Previous research provided evidence for two construction-specific preferences (Hierarchy Rule, Case Matching Rule) exclusively using offline methods. This thesis replaces the previous preferences which mostly solely describe empirical data with theoretically based and empirically corroborated universal, construction-independent violable preferences (Subset Preference, Specificity Preference) explaining empirical data. Further, it identifies the universal, construction-independent Proto-Agent first preference to be operative in German free relative clauses. This preference is especially crucial for online methods as it its influence is most palpable in incremental processing. The three identified preferences are assumed to interact with each other. Optimality Theory provides a powerful tool to capture and model the results of the three-part study of this thesis and to account for the assumed interaction of the three identified preferences. The approach of this thesis to use construction-independent preferences and opting for Optimality Theory can describe and explain most of the data of previous offline methods and of the online method of this study.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD thesis)
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Mewe, Jana jana-mewe@web.de UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-102053
Date:	2019
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Fächergruppe 3: Deutsche Sprache und Literatur > Institut für Deutsche Sprache und Literatur I
Subjects:	Germanic
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language Case English Kasus German German free relative clauses English freie Relativsätze des Deutschen German self-paced reading English headed relative clauses English Relativsätze mit Kopf German incremental processing English inkrementale Verarbeitung German thematic roles English thematische Rollen German parallel syntactic function English subject-first English Subjektpräferenz German case hierarchy English Kasushierarchie German Optimality Theory English Optimalitätshteorie German
Date of oral exam:	6 September 2019
Referee:	Name Academic Title Primus, Beatrice Prof. Dr. Schumacher, Petra Prof. Dr. García García, Marco Prof. Dr.
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/10205