Project description
Syntactic functionality revisited: comparing multilingual speakers of related languages
Syntactic functions, more commonly referred to as grammatical relations, are essential components of language and communication, but the nature of functionality is not well understood. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the SynFuMIR project aims to investigate functionality in an innovative study of multilingual speakers of southern regional Italian, Sicilian, Calabrian and Apulian. Focusing on two or more highly related languages with slightly different but comparable constructions (restructuring, pseudo-coordination and multiple agreement) will allow for an investigation of the relevant grammatical features in a new way. SynFuMIR will test the hypothesis that location plays an essential role in functionality and non-canonical argument structure.
Objective
The project SynFuMIR investigates functionality in syntax by analyzing complex motion verb constructions in regional Italian.
Functionality concerns various grammatical aspects of certain linguistic items that allow lexical units to be assembled together in more complex structures. Although it is a fundamental aspect of language, its nature has not been fully understood yet. Crucial questions to theoretical linguistics depend on our understanding of functionality. These questions will be tackled with new data from multilingual speakers. Syntactic functionality will be investigated by collecting new data via on-site fieldwork with speakers of Southern regional Italian, Sicilian, Calabrian, and Apulian (around 300 speakers in total). The considered constructions are restructuring, pseudo-coordination, and multiple agreement constructions. The main objective of the study is the development of a new theory of syntactic functionality based on the role of location as a syntactic element. My hypothesis is that location plays a crucial role in functionality and non-canonical argument structure. Other goals are language documentation and the investigation of language contact.
By focusing on language contact between two or more extremely closely related languages that contain slightly different but comparable constructions, the involved grammatical features will be investigated in a new way compared to previous studies on the topic. Our understanding of language contact (micro-contact) and multilingualism (bilectalism) will also benefit from this study. Besides its contribution to grammatical theory, this project has also a social and cultural impact on speakers communities because of the engagement of Italian speakers about their dialects and the acknowledgment of regional Italians as real languages. It also represents an example of fruitful collaboration between different fields of linguistics: theoretical syntax, experimental linguistics, and sociolinguistics.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2023-PF-01
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30123 Venezia
Italy
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