The nominal onion and how to make your way

from within to the surface

Sebastian Lobner
(University of D
usseldorf)

The talk presents a comprehensive general model of the functional-semantic structure of the NP
(or RP, in RRG terms), as organized in functional layers. It is restricted to non-generic argument
NPs and does not include functions that deal with the relation of an NP to its sentential or discourse
context, such as case and agreement marking, or marking of the information-structural status. The
model of functional layers is similar to, but more detailed and comprehensive than those proposed in
Rijkhoff (2002) and Van Valin (2008). Its relationship to syntax will not be discussed.
Starting from the lexical noun NUCLEUS, the model distinguishes a hierarchy of seven functional
layers:
(1) Relation possession, (de)relationalization
(2) Quality qualitative modification (by adjectives, relative clauses, etc.)
(3) Unit formation of countable units and of sum referents (plural, numerical classifiers)
(4) Quantity quantity specification
(5) Order elements that locate the referent in an ordering: ordinals, superlatives, next, etc.
(6) Definiteness indefinites, definites, adnominal demonstratives, and adnominal possessives
(7) Quantification proper partitives and genuine quantifiers such as every.
NP-internal operations are related to these functional layers and ordered relative to each other. The
result is a flow diagram that integrates all major operations. The flow diagram also displays whether
the operations are optional or necessary, and whether they can be covert or not.
Following and extending the approach to determination taken in Lobner (2011), the model distinguishes lexical nouns in terms of three binary conceptual features: relationality, inherent uniqueness, and countability. These features propagate from the nucleus level to the NP level. They may be
subject to change when certain operations cause a corresponding conceptual shift. The model reflects
the way in which the operations affect the three features. Thus the resulting features of the NP can
be derived from those of the nucleus and from the operations applied.
References
Lobner, S. (2011). Concept types and determination. Journal of Semantics 28: 279-333.
Lobner, S. (2015). The semantics of nominals. In N. Riemer (ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Semantics. 293-302.
Rijkhoff, J. (2002). The Noun Phrase, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Van Valin, R. (2008). RPs and the nature of lexical and syntactic categories in Role and Reference
Grammar. in R. Van Valin (ed.), Investigations of the Syntax-Semantics-Pragmatics Interface,
Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins, pp. 161178.