Structure of English Locative Inversion
Abstract
A sentence structure involves the packaging of meaning. Words and their order decide the meaning of a sentence conveyed. This study discussed two points of problems. The first one is locative inversion structure in sentences taken from Corpus of Contemporary American English. The other problem is the constraints of locative inversion in the English grammar. The problems are discussed based on the theory of inversion by Hewings (2005). Method used to collect the data was documentation method. The analysis was conducted using descriptive qualitative method. The result of the analysis is shown using informal method. As results, this study shows that locative inversion structure is different from canonical structures. It has a distinct feature contrasting it with canonical structure. It also has several constraints regarding subject, predicate, and salient information affecting its formation.
Downloads
References
Birner, B. J. (1995). Pragmatic Constraints on the Verb in English Inversion. Lingua, Vol. 97.4, 233-256.
Birner, B. J. and Ward, G. L. (1992). On the Interpretation of VP Inversion in American English. Journal of Linguistics, Vol. 28.1, 1-12.
Bock, K., Cutler, A., Eberhard, K. M., Buttefield, S., Cutting, J. C., and Humphreys, K. R. (2006). Number Agreement in British and American English: Disagreeing to Agree Collectively. Language, Vol. 82.1, 64-113.
Bresnan, J. (1994). Locative Inversion and the Architecture of Universal Grammar. Language, Vol. 70.1, 72-131.
Bresnan, J. and Kanerva, J. M. (1989). Locative Inversion in Chichewa: A Case Study of Factorization in Grammar. Linguistic Inquiry, Vol. 20.1, 1-50.
Broekhuis, H. (2005). Locative Inversion in English. Linguistics in the Netherlands, Vol. 22, 49-60.
Bruening, B. (2010). Language-Particular Syntactic Rules and Constraints: English Locative Inversion and Do-Support. Language, Vol. 86.1, 43-84.
Coopmans, P. (1989). Where Stylistic and Syntactic Processes meet: Locative Inversion in English. Language, Vol. 65.4, 728-751.
Culicover, P. W. and Winkler, S. (2008). English Focus Inversion. Journal of Linguistic, Vol. 44.3, 625-658.
Culicover, P. W. and Levine, R. D. (2011). Stylistic Inversion in English: A Consideration. Natural Language and Linguistics Theory, Vol. 19.2, 283-310.
Dorgeloh, H. (1994). Viewpoint and the Organisation of Informative Discourse: On the Discourse Function of Full Inversion in English. Turku Conference. Turku August 10th-14th.
Green, G. M. (1980). Some Wherefores of English Inversions. Language, Vol. 56.3, 582-601.
Hartmann, J. M. (2011). Predicate Inversion and English There- Sentences. Acta Linguistica Hungarica, Vol. 58.3, 221-240.
Hewings, M. (2005). Advanced Grammar in Use. Cambridge University Press.
Levine, R. D. (1989). On Focus Inversion: Syntactic Valence and the Role of a SUBCAT List. Linguistics, Vol. 27.6, 1013-1055.
Nakajima, H. (2000). Verb Second, Locative Inversion and Topicalization. Linguistics Analysis, Vol. 30, 7-24.
Penhallurrick, J. (1984). Full-verb Inversion in English. Australian Journal of Linguistics, Vol. 4.1, 33-56.
Prado-Alonso, C. and Acuna-Farina, J. C. (2010). A Comprehensive Study of Full-verb Inversion in English. Folia Linguistica, Vol. 44.2, 509-554.
Van Valin, R. D. and Lapolla, R. J. (1997). Syntax: Structure Meaning and Function. Cambridge University Press.
Wit, A. D. (2016). The Relation between Aspect and Inversion in English. English Language and Linguistics, Vol. 20, 107-128.