An experimental study of Hindi and English perfective interpretation
An experimental study of Hindi and English perfective interpretation
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印地语和英语完美解释的实验研究
DOI：
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发表时间：
2012
期刊：
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通讯作者：
Anubha Kothari
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
S. Arunachalam;Anubha Kothari
人们观察到，包括许多南亚语言在内的几种语言，有些完成式并不需要完成它们所描述的事件。我们在当前的研究中对这一现象进行了探讨，提出了实验和跨语言的观点。我们比较印地语和英语的完美口译。使用各种谓词类型，我们测试了完美解释的语义账户的预测，该账户预测了印地语和英语之间的明显差异，以及某些类型的谓词的明确模式。我们的结果表明，语义解释不足以捕捉说话人对这些完成语的解释，并表明包括语境因素在内的各种因素可能在起作用。除了为我们理解这一令人困惑的现象提供了经验数据外，这些结果还表明了对语义现象的实验研究的作用。
It has been observed for several languages, including many South Asian languages, that some perfective forms do not entail completion of the events they describe. We explore this phenomenon in the current study, contributing experimental and cross-linguistic perspectives. We compare perfective interpretations in Hindi and in English. Using a variety of predicate types, we test the predictions of a semantic account of perfective interpretation, which predicts clear-cut differences between Hindi and English as well as clear patterns for certain types of predicates. Our results indicate that a semantic account is inadequate to capture speakers’ interpretations of these perfectives, and suggest that a variety of factors, including contextual ones, may be at play. In addition to contributing empirical data to our understanding of this puzzling phenomenon, these results also indicate a role for experimental investigation into semantic phenomena.