Mismatches Between the Syntactic and Pragmatic-Semantic Interpretations of Sentence (Non-)Hierarchy

Melavc, Eva (author), Lipovšek, Frančiška (mentor)

This master’s thesis is concerned with mismatches found in interpreting clause relations within multiple sentences from the syntactic and pragmatic-semantic points of view. Although the syntactic and pragmatic-semantic approaches are usually in agreement when it comes to establishing whether a multiple sentence is organised hierarchically or non-hierarchically, discrepancies between respective interpretations can be found as well. The thesis focuses on the methods which help determine the sentence hierarchy or non-hierarchy from the syntactic point of view. Further on, these are used to illustrate that even though some instances of co-ordinated clauses may impose a hierarchical reading from the pragmatic-semantic point of view, they are still non-hierarchically organised from the syntactic point of view. In this thesis, such instances encompass anomalous examples of copulative and disjunctive coordination – it is assumed that they can impose interpretations of temporal ordering, condition, reason and consequence, and concession. In the empirical part, these assumptions are confirmed by relying on the judgements provided by the native speakers of English.

• Language: English
• Keywords: clause relation, coordination, subordination, sentence non-hierarchy, sentence hierarchy, sentence symmetry, sentence asymmetry, syntax, pragmatics, semantics
• Work type: Master's thesis/paper
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Year: 2021
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-125626
• Publication date in RUL: 28.03.2021

MELAVC, Eva, 2021, Mismatches Between the Syntactic and Pragmatic-Semantic Interpretations of Sentence (Non-)Hierarchy [online]. Master’s thesis. [Accessed 17 May 2025]. Retrieved from: https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/IzpisGradiva.php?lang=eng&id=125626

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Neujemanja med skladenjskim in pragmatično-semantičnim pojmovanjem povedne (ne)hierarhije

Abstract

Magistrsko delo obravnava neujemanja med skladenjskim in pragmatično-semantičnim določanjem razmerja med stavki v večstavčnih povedih. Čeprav sta omenjena pristopa navadno skladna glede tega, ali so stavki v povedi organizirani hierarhično ali nehierarhično, ni nujno, da se skladenjska razlaga vedno ujema s pragmatično-semantično. Delo se najprej osredotoči na metode, s katerimi določimo povedno hierarhijo ali nehierarhijo s skladenjskega vidika. S temi metodami kasneje pokažemo, da so primeri, ki se lahko morda razlagajo kot ponazoritve hierarhične organizacije z vidika pragmatike in semantike, še vedno nehierarhično organizirani s skladenjskega vidika. Tovrstne anomalije so v magistrskem delu prikazane na primerih vezalnega in ločnega priredja, ki s pragmatično-semantičnega vidika izražajo časovno zaporedje, pogojnost, vzročno-posledično ali dopustno razmerje. Z empiričnim delom potrdimo domneve tako, da analiziramo in interpretiramo sodbe maternih govorcev angleščine.

• Keywords: stavčno razmerje, priredje, podredje, povedna nehierarhija, povedna hierarhija, povedna simetrija, povedna asimetrija, skladnja, pragmatika, semantika