This paper provides insight into the phenomenon of extra negation, also known as non-compositional, expletive, or pleonastic negation. It provides a corpus-based analysis of the Dutch negative... Show moreThis paper provides insight into the phenomenon of extra negation, also known as non-compositional, expletive, or pleonastic negation. It provides a corpus-based analysis of the Dutch negative privative construction, which consists of zonder‘without’ and niet ‘not’, in which one negation does not cancel the other. Two basic factors that trigger an extra negation are discussed, and an explanation of why these factors facilitate the use of an extra negation is offered. It is argued that the extra negation has a semantic-pragmatic function that is reminiscent of similar instances of extra negation in Dutch and other languages, specifically sentences consisting of a main clause and a subordinate clause containing a word which expresses implicit negation. It is shown that in complex hypotactic constructions, the extra negation is used to make explicit in the subordinate clause that the presupposition of non-occurrence is rejected. Show less
Modeling and analysis of cyber-physical systems are still challenging. One reason is that cyber-physical systems involve many different parts (cyber or physical), of different nature (discrete or... Show moreModeling and analysis of cyber-physical systems are still challenging. One reason is that cyber-physical systems involve many different parts (cyber or physical), of different nature (discrete or continuous), and in constant interaction via sensing and actuating.For instance, consider a group of robots, each running a program that takes decision based on the sequence of sensor readings. The sensors that equip a robot return the current position of the robot and the position of any adjacent obstacle. The interactionoccurring between each robot in the group cannot be derived solely from the specification of individual robots. If the field on which the robots roam changes its property, the same group of robots might sense different values, and therefore take different actions. Also, the time at which a robot acts and senses will affect the decision of each controller and will change the resulting collective behavior.This thesis proposes a compositional approach to the design and programming of interacting cyber-physical components. We present an algebra that provides a novel perspective on modeling interaction of cyber-physical components. Using our algebraic framework, one can design a complex cyber-physical system by first designing each part, and then specifying how the parts interact. We formalized the relation between our abstract semantic model and an implementation written in Maude, a programming language based on rewriting logic. We present some applications, including safety and liveness properties of a system consisting of a set of robots, each equipped with a battery, running on a shared field. Show less
Fortuin (2022) argues that the syntactic analysis of two types of syntaxsemantics mismatches in the distribution of adverbs proposed in Barbiers (2018) can be reduced to semantics. This would have... Show moreFortuin (2022) argues that the syntactic analysis of two types of syntaxsemantics mismatches in the distribution of adverbs proposed in Barbiers (2018) can be reduced to semantics. This would have the advantage that syntactic movement does not need to be assumed. Although I agree that the syntactic analysis I provided in (2018), and, more generally, the syntactic hierarchy of adverbs proposed in Cinque (1999), needs to be complemented with a semantic analysis, I would like to claim in this reply that the semantic analysis provided by Fortuin cannot do the job and does not make syntactic movement a superfluous ingredient of the analysis. Show less
Conditionals, or if-then sentences, form a crucial ingredient of everyday reasoning and argumentation, as they enable us to express our thoughts about possible states of the world. They are used in... Show moreConditionals, or if-then sentences, form a crucial ingredient of everyday reasoning and argumentation, as they enable us to express our thoughts about possible states of the world. They are used in very different ways, and the main aim of this dissertation is to investigate to what extent these different uses of conditionals are connected to one another and to their grammatical features.The first part of this dissertation presents an analysis of conditionals in terms of implicatures of 'unassertiveness' and 'connectedness'. Insights from semantics, pragmatics, cognitive linguistics, and neighbouring fields are combined. In the second part, the analysis is tested on a corpus of spoken and written Dutch discourse. To investigate the relation between the meaning and grammar of conditionals, several cluster analyses are conducted. The results show that grammatical features such as verb tense and modal marking do not, or only weakly, license generalised implicatures of unassertiveness and connectedness. This outcome sheds light on difficulties in applying general categories of conditionals to language use data, and it suggests that the fundamentals of categorising conditional constructions need revision.The dissertation shows the benefits of combining semantic and pragmatic analyses of conditionals. It provides an extensive discussion of classifications of conditionals, an overview of the grammatical features of Dutch conditionals, and it presents cluster analyses using state-of-the-art machine-learning techniques. The study should therefore be of interest to anyone concerned with the syntax, semantics, and pragmatics of conditionals, and to anyone working on Dutch grammar, corpus linguistics, theories of argumentation, and the interface between semantics and pragmatics. Show less
Attested in cuneiform, hieroglyphic and alphabetic texts dating to the first two millennia BCE, the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family is intriguing already by itself. But... Show moreAttested in cuneiform, hieroglyphic and alphabetic texts dating to the first two millennia BCE, the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family is intriguing already by itself. But Anatolian is also of central importance for the reconstruction of Proto-Indo-European, the last common ancestor of the Indo-European language family. Not only is it the earliest attested branch, it has also long been suspected that Anatolian reflects an earlier stage of the proto-language than that underlying the rest of the family.Focusing on the three best-attested Anatolian languages, Hittite, Luwian and Lycian, this book aims to further our understanding of Anatolian, and by extension Proto-Indo-European, by offering in-depth analyses of essential issues in Anatolian historical morphology and semantics. Various well-known as well as several newly adduced topics are scrutinized to determine whether the innovations leading to the discrepancies with the rest of Indo-European took place on the Anatolian or on the non-Anatolian side.The present study suggests that Anatolian is in many respects closer to the ancestor of the other Indo-European languages than is often claimed. Nevertheless, the investigation has also led to new evidence in favor of the hypothesis that Anatolian was the first branch to split off from the family. Show less
In this work, I attempt to inventorise the various positions -ing forms can take in English sentences from a semiotactic perspective, focusing on the elusive semantics of the clausal gerund (e... Show moreIn this work, I attempt to inventorise the various positions -ing forms can take in English sentences from a semiotactic perspective, focusing on the elusive semantics of the clausal gerund (e.g. Reading books is fun). It is hoped that this work will be a useful contribution to the active debate that still surrounds the clausal gerund, and that it will convince the reader of the versatility and usefulness of the semiotactic framework in analysing linguistic data. Show less
This thesis tapped into the details of speech production in Mandarin Chinese in the framework of current psycholinguistic models of speech production. The findings in this thesis not only... Show moreThis thesis tapped into the details of speech production in Mandarin Chinese in the framework of current psycholinguistic models of speech production. The findings in this thesis not only contribute to the understanding of the underlying neuropsychological mechanisms of speech production in Mandarin Chinese, but also provides insights into the understanding of the accountability of current models of speech production that are mostly based on evidence from West Germanic languages. Show less
The use of the electronic medium to compose music entails a variety of cognitive idiosyncrasies which are experienced by both the artist and the audience. Structured around this medium on both... Show moreThe use of the electronic medium to compose music entails a variety of cognitive idiosyncrasies which are experienced by both the artist and the audience. Structured around this medium on both practical and conceptual levels, this study utilizes a tripartite methodology involving artistic practice, cognitive experimentation and theoretical discourse to investigate these idiosyncrasies. All three components of this methodology operate concurrently to address a succession of questions: How do we experience electronic music? How does electronic music operate on perceptual, cognitive and affective levels? What are the common concepts activated in the listener’s mind when listening to electronic music? Why and how are these concepts activated? In this dissertation I argue that our experience of electronic music is guided by a cognitive continuum rooted in our everyday experiences. I describe this continuum as spanning from abstract to representational based on the relationship of gestures in electronic music to events in the environment. Conducting this research has significantly expanded my comprehension of the experiential depth of electronic music. It has also affirmed my belief that we have much more to gain from the electronic medium, and that the cognitive continuum is one of its most remarkable offerings. Show less
The purpose of the thesis is to (i) single out and clarify the most common types of issues emerging in the interpretation of multilingual tax treaties (i.e. tax treaties authenticated in two or... Show moreThe purpose of the thesis is to (i) single out and clarify the most common types of issues emerging in the interpretation of multilingual tax treaties (i.e. tax treaties authenticated in two or more languages), and (ii) suggest how the interpreter should tackle and disentangle such issues under public international law, with a particular emphasis on the kinds of arguments he should use and the kinds of elements and items of evidence he should rely upon in order to support his construction of the treaty. In order to address such issues, the author has developed a normative (prescriptive) legal analysis based on modern linguistic and, more specifically, semantic theories. However, since the purpose of the study is to suggest how the interpreter should now tackle and disentangle those issues, the author has also carried out a positive (prescriptive) analysis, which highlights the generally accepted principles and rules of treaty interpretation, in order (i) to carve out from his (non-ideal) normative legal theory the results potentially conflicting with such generally accepted principles and rules and (ii) to show how his normative legal theory might be applied to solve interpretative issues in cases where no common solution has been reached yet. Show less
Words may have multiple interpretations. Generally, native speakers do not perceive this as a problem, because the context provides enough clues as to what is meant. For non-native speakers and... Show moreWords may have multiple interpretations. Generally, native speakers do not perceive this as a problem, because the context provides enough clues as to what is meant. For non-native speakers and students of dead languages, however, the existence of multiple interpretations sometimes does raise problems. This suggests that the context is not the only clue native speakers use to interpret words.In this dissertation, it is studied what types of context Dutch speakers need to interpret the poly-interpretable word ergens ‘somewhere/anywhere’, modal particle. The results of this investigation were used to find out more about the Ancient Greek form που ‘somewhere, anywhere’, modal particle.This thesis shows that the study of contextual cues that allow native speakers to interpret their language provides insights that may be used in the study of dead languages. The modal interpretations of ergens and που turned out to be quite different, but the context of both words clearly showed recurring (albeit different) patterns. Knowledge of the common interpretation of words in specific contexts seems crucial for their interpretation, suggesting that it is not words themselves that carry meaning, but words-in-context. Show less
This is a critical edition with introduction and indices of the Questiones libri Porphirii, a commentary on Porphyry__s Isagoge attributed to the fourteenth-century logician Thomas Manlevelt. Not... Show moreThis is a critical edition with introduction and indices of the Questiones libri Porphirii, a commentary on Porphyry__s Isagoge attributed to the fourteenth-century logician Thomas Manlevelt. Not much is known about Thomas Manlevelt, but his work is remarkable enough. Following in the footsteps of William of Ockham, Manlevelt stresses the individual nature of all things existing in the outside world. He radically challenges traditional medieval conceptions of the outside world. He applies Ockham__s Principle of Parsimony in an unscrupulous manner to do away with all entities not deemed necessary to preserve. In the end, Manlevelt even maintains that substance does not exist. The introduction to this edition sketches the historical and philosophical background of this logical-semantical text, in which individuality and the accidental play the key role. This edition contributes to our knowledge of the development of Ockhamism on the continent. Moreover, it confronts us with a hitherto hardly known thinker whose ideas may prove to be of more than just historical value. Show less
This dissertation addresses the semantics of pluractional verbs in Hausa. The notion of pluractionality is discussed and delimited with respect to related phenomena such as aspect. A detailed... Show moreThis dissertation addresses the semantics of pluractional verbs in Hausa. The notion of pluractionality is discussed and delimited with respect to related phenomena such as aspect. A detailed description of pluractionality in Hausa is provided, presenting new data based on the author’s fieldwork. This description lays the empirical groundwork for a theoretical analysis of pluractionality. The interpretation of pluractional verbs in Hausa is viewed as the result of three semi-independent meaning components: event plurality, the non-equivalence condition constraining the process of event individuation, and additional conditions on use following from the fact that Hausa pluractionals are ‘special’ plurals. These three components do not all have the same status, both with respect to each other and across speakers. This accounts for some of the specific properties of Hausa pluractionals, as well as for much of the extensive variation in the use and interpretation of pluractionals among speakers of Hausa. This thesis is of interest to both descriptive and theoretical linguists working on Hausa, pluractionality, or plurality in general. Show less
It is desirable to model software systems in such a way that analysis of the systems, and tool development for such analysis, is readily possible and feasible in the context of large scientific... Show moreIt is desirable to model software systems in such a way that analysis of the systems, and tool development for such analysis, is readily possible and feasible in the context of large scientific research projects. This thesis emphasizes the methodology that serves as a basis for such developments. I focus on methods for the design of data-languages and their corresponding tools. Show less
The aim of this research was to establish if the semiotactic theory of C.L. Ebeling could be applied to Modern Japanese and mathematical descriptions of Japanese sentences could be made that are... Show moreThe aim of this research was to establish if the semiotactic theory of C.L. Ebeling could be applied to Modern Japanese and mathematical descriptions of Japanese sentences could be made that are consistent, clear and easy to understand. For this purpose example sentences from various sources, containing the most frequently used structures and expressions of Modern Japanese, were analyzed and described. In doing so, new light has been shed on various aspects of the Japanese language. Firstly, the general assumption that particles, also called postpositions, are similar in meaning and function to the prepositions in English proved to be true only for a number of the particles. Furthermore it was found that the traditional definitions for transitivity do not apply for Japanese, and the commonly assumed classification of noun phrases marked by the particle ga as direct objects has been rejected, in favor of the view that all noun phrases marked by nominative ga are subjects. That this method yields a better insight into the structure of the Japanese language is also demonstrated by the fact that, contrary to the classification commonly assumed until now, it was concluded that there are no indirect objects in Japanese. Show less
In the last years, there has been a growing interest for distributed systems both in computer science and in society. The most popular and biggest distributed system in the world is the Internet. A... Show moreIn the last years, there has been a growing interest for distributed systems both in computer science and in society. The most popular and biggest distributed system in the world is the Internet. A distributed system is a collection of independent computers that appears to its users as a single coherent system. These computers are connected to each other through a network. On each of these computers there is at least one (software) component that needs to communicate with other components on remote computers to achieve some goal. Components can consist of processes, databases, applications, etc. These components are not only distributed among the several computers of a network but they also run in parallel. Therefore, distributed systems need appropriate theory and infrastructures for the coordination of its concurrently running components. In this thesis we present MoCha, a novel coordination framework. MoCha allows dynamic reconfiguration of connections among the components in a system, a property that is very useful and even crucial in systems where the components themselves are mobile. Furthermore, MoCha provides exogenous coordination. This makes it possible to coordinate components from the 'outside' (exogenous), and thus, change a distributed system's behavior without having to change its components. Show less
This thesis is on the history and philosophy of logic and semantics. Logic can be described as the ‘science of reasoning’, as it deals primarily with correct patterns of reasoning. However, logic... Show moreThis thesis is on the history and philosophy of logic and semantics. Logic can be described as the ‘science of reasoning’, as it deals primarily with correct patterns of reasoning. However, logic as a discipline has undergone dramatic changes in the last two centuries: while for ancient and medieval philosophers it belonged essentially to the realm of language studies, it has currently become a sub-branch of mathematics. This thesis attempts to establish a dialogue between the modern and the medieval traditions in logic, by means of ‘translations’ of the medieval logical theories into the modern framework of symbolic logic, i.e. formalizations. One of its conclusions is that, when properly understood within their own framework, the interest of medieval logical theories for modern investigations go beyond mere historical interest, but that a thorough conceptual analysis of such theories must be undertaken in order to avoid conceptual misprojections. While such translations of medieval into modern logic have been attempted before, the approach presented here is innovative in that attention is paid to the similarities as well as to the dissimilarities between the two traditions, and to what can be learned from the medieval masters for modern investigations in logic and semantics. Show less
