The Argument of the Matrix Verb Seems in Spec T: The Raised DP or the Given DP

Authors

  • Abhinan Wongkittiporn

    Department of English Language, Rangsit University, Pathum Thani 12000, Thailand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i5.6840
Received: 6 July 2024 | Revised: 15 August 2024 | Accepted: 16 August 2024 | Published Online: 21 October 2024

Abstract

Generative linguists claim that the argument of the matrix verb as in Mary seemed to be innocent is the DP (determine phrase), which is the raised argument of the to-infinitive clause being raised to be landed in the Spec T. However, the current study argues that the DP argument as the subject of the matrix verb seems to be the given DP and this is supported by functional linguistics. The argument in this study is statistically supported by the empirical evidence of international applied linguistic research articles. The data collection was English for Specific Purposes (ESP), which were indexed in the Q1 SCOPUS database. A total number of approximately 250,000 words was derived from 25 applied linguistics research articles, which contained 47 tokens concerning the argument with the matrix verb seem. The data analysis was divided into the framework of syntactic analysis and the quantitative study of inferential statistical analysis. The framework of syntactic analysis follows functional linguistics called the pragmatic discourse of givenness. The statistical analysis in this study was Pearson Correlation in SPSS29. The results showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between the given DP of the matrix verb seem and applied linguistic research articles. The p-value was reported at 0.044. Thus, the hypothesis in this study was accepted. The discussion follows the principle of cohesion and fixed colligations. It is recommended that the hypothesis in this study be tested by other English materials, such as novels and business documents, to contribute to the field.

Keywords:

Applied Linguistics Research Articles; Cohesion; Colligations; Functional Linguistics; Pragmatic Discourse of Givenness; Quantitative Study

References

Carnie, A., 2021. Syntax: A generative introduction, 4th ed. Wiley–Blackwell: New York, NY, USA. pp. 1–544.

Radford, A., 2023. Analyzing English sentence structure: An intermediate course in syntax. Cambridge University

Press: Cambridge, UK. pp. 1–541. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009322980

Radford, A., 2009. An introduction to English sentence structures. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK. pp. 1–445. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511800924

Duffley, P.J., 2003. The gerund and the to- infinitive as subject. Journal of English Linguistics. 31(4), 324–352. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0075424203257833

Wurmbrand, S., 2014. Tense and aspect in English infinitives. Linguistic Inquiry. 45(3), 403–447. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/LING_a_00161

Grosz, P.G., 2015. Movement and agreement in right-node-raising constructions. Syntax. 18(1), 1–38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/synt.12024

Bošković, Ž., 2003. A–movement and the EPP. Syntax. 5(3), 167–218. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9612.00051

Polinsky, M., 2013. Raising and control. In: Dikken, M.D. (Ed.). Cambridge handbook of generative syntax. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK. pp. 577–606. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511804571.021

Teeranate, K., Singhapreecha, P., 2022. Control before raising in Thai EFL grammar. LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network. 15(1), 588–626. Available from: https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/LEARN/index (cited 12 May 2024).

Wongkittiporn, A., 2022. Semantic denotations of imperative structures in novels. Humanities and Social Sciences Nakhonsawan Rajabhat University Academic Journal. 9(1), 92–107. Available from: https://so05.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/hssnsru/article/view/258328 (cited 12 May 2024).

Halliday, M.A.K., Hasan, R., 2013. Cohesion in English. Routledge: New York, NY, USA. pp. 1–392.

Halliday, M.A.K., Matthiessen, C.M., 2013. Halliday's introduction to functional grammar, 4th ed. Routledge: London, UK. pp. 1–808. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203431269

Kearns, K., 2011. Semantics, 2nd ed. Palgrave Macmillan: Hampshire, UK. pp. 1–265.

Wongkittiporn, A., 2023. Syntactic variation of the raised DP in passive voice via pragmatic discourse of givenness. Journal of Liberal Arts, Maejo University. 11(2), 219–246.

Smolka, V., 2011. The end-weight and end-focus principles in rhematic subjects. Theories and Practices. 7(1), 79–101.

Smolka, V., 2017. What comes first, what comes next: Information packaging in written and spoken language. Acta Universitatis Carolinae Philologica. 2017(1), 51–61. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14712/24646830.2017.4

Wang, W., Csomay, E., 2024. Constructing proximity in popularization discourse: Evidence from lexical bundles in TED talks. English for Specific Purposes. 73, 95–109. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2023.10.003

McEnery, T., Hardie, A., 2011. Corpus linguistics: Method, theory and practice. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK. pp. 1–294. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511981395

Gablasova, D., Brezina, V., McEnery, T., 2017. Collocations in corpus-based language learning research: Identifying, comparing, and interpreting the evidence. Language Learning. 67(S1), 155–179. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12225

Sinclair, J., 1991. Corpus, concordance, collocation. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK. pp. 1–179.

Sinclair, J., 2004. Trust the text: Language, corpus and discourse. Routledge: London, UK. pp. 1–224. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203594070

Nuyts, J., 2012. Notions of (Inter)subjectivity. English Text Construction. 5(1), 53–76. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/etc.5.1.04nuy

Wongkittiporn, A., 2022. Raised and unraised conditions, semantic interpretations and pragmatic aspects of the verb “seem” in English novels. Academic and Research Journal of Liberal Arts. 17(1), 77–99. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14456/lar.2022.6

Khairani, A.J., Kurniawan, E., Lubis, A.H., 2024. A comparative move analysis of interdisciplinary research articles written by reputable Indonesian author throughout their early-career period. Indonesian EFL Journal. 9(2), 95–108. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25134/ieflj.v9i2.8783

Woodrow, L., 2014. Writing about quantitative research in applied linguistics. Palgrave Macmillan: Hampshire, UK. pp. 1–199. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230369955

Huang, H.Y., Wible, D., 2024. Situating EAP learners in their disciplinary classroom: How Taiwanese engineering majors ‘read’ their textbooks. English for Specific Purposes. 74, 85–102. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2024.01.003

Havery, C., 2024. Learning to read patient notes in the workplace: How reading aloud and reading alongside can help students for whom English is an additional language. English for Specific Purposes. 75, 69–83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2024.04.003

Ädel, A., 2023. Adopting a ‘move’rather than a ‘marker’approach to metadiscourse: A taxonomy for spoken student presentations. English for Specific Purposes. 69, 4–18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2022.09.001

Sawaki, T., 2023. High use of direct questions and relative absence of promotional intention in Japanese peer-reviewed research article introductions compared to their English counterparts. English for Specific Purposes. 69, 19–32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2022.09.002

Danis, N., 2022. A corpus analysis of disciplinary identity in evaluative journal articles: A Systemic Functional Linguistics approach. English for Specific Purposes. 68, 87–101. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2022.07.003

Andania, R.A., 2017. The Grammatical Accuracy, Cohesion and Coherence of Thai Students’ English Writing at Darawithaya School, Narathiwat–Thailand. IJET (Indonesian Journal of English Teaching). 6(1), 1–25. DOI: DOI:10.15642/ijet2.2017.6.1.1-25

Luczaj, K., Leonowicz-Bukala, I., Kurek-Ochmanska, O., 2022. English as a lingua franca? The limits of everyday English-language communication in Polish academia. English for Specific Purposes. 66, 3–16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2021.11.002

Vicentini, A., 2003. The economy principle in language: Notes and observations from early modern English grammars. Mots Palabras Words. 3, 37–57. Available from: https://www.ledonline.it/mpw/allegati/mpw0303vicentini (cited 12 May 2024).

Khazaie, S., Derakhshan, A., 2024. Extending embodied cognition through robot's augmented reality in English for medical purposes classrooms. English for Specific Purposes. 75, 15–36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2024.03.001

Myskow, G., Underwood, P.R., 2020. Applying concepts in international relations: The language of causal explanation in high-and low-graded concept-application essays. English for Specific Purposes. 60, 113–126. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esp.2020.06.002

Hyland, K., Jiang, F.K., 2022. Metadiscourse choices in EAP: An intra-journal study of JEAP. Journal of English for Academic Purposes. 60, 1–12. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2022.101165

Uludag, K., 2024. Exploring the association between textual parameters and psychological and cognitive factors. Psychology Research and Behavior Management.17, 1139–1150. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S460503

Downloads

How to Cite

Wongkittiporn, A. (2024). The Argument of the Matrix Verb Seems in Spec T: The Raised DP or the Given DP. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 6(5), 14–24. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i5.6840