Publications

Detailed Information

Number marking in Colloquial Singapore English

Cited 0 time in Web of Science Cited 0 time in Scopus
Authors

Kim, Chonghyuck; Chang, Qizhong; Lee, Leslie

Issue Date
2009
Publisher
Institute for Cognitive Science, Seoul National University
Citation
Journal of Cognitive Science, Vol.10 No.2, pp. 149-172
Keywords
Number MarkingSingapore EnglishAvoid AmbiguityParametersNominalsDeterminersAgreement
Abstract
Number marking in Colloquial Singapore English (CSE) has often been
described as sporadic or random. This description stems from the fact that
plural marking is largely optional in CSE, combined with a lack of precise
characterization of its optionality. We show that CSE number marking is not
random but systematic; plural marking is obligatory on a noun that occurs
with a number-neutral determiner in Determiner+Noun sequence, and optional
elsewhere. We propose a principle called Avoid Ambiguity Principle and
derive the optional but not-so-optional nature of CSE number marking from
an interaction between the principle and the structure of a nominal expression.
Unlike CSE, English displays obligatory number marking. We argue that this
is a result of the two languages differing in two respects – (i) English always
projects D, whereas CSE does so optionally; (ii) English D comes with unvalued
[αpl], whereas CSE D comes with valued [+/−pl]. These language-specific
parameters, coupled with the Avoid Ambiguity Principle, capture the differences
between the two languages. Under our analysis, English transformed to
CSE by a parameter resetting in category D when it came to Singapore.
ISSN
1598-2327
Language
English
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/10371/70761
Files in This Item:
There are no files associated with this item.
Appears in Collections:

Altmetrics

Item View & Download Count

  • mendeley

Items in S-Space are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

Share