The current paper discusses the lexicalization of complex constructions composed of an adjective and a noun. It is argued that compounds/compound-like constructions are more prone to become lexicalized than phrases/phrase-like constructions. The relationship between lexicalization and the cognitive process of memorization represents a key point of our analysis. We report evidence from psycholinguistic studies contrasting compounds/compound-like constructions to phrases/phrase-like constructions either within a single ...

Die Abbildung außersprachlicher auf sprachsystematische Strukturen stellt für modulare Modelle der Sprachproduktion eine Herausforderung dar: So können scheinbar synonyme Verben ihre thematisch ausgezeichneten Argumente unterschiedlich syntaktisch positionieren: Hans ängstigt Maria oder Maria fürchtet Hans. Theoretisch-linguistische Abhandlungen deuten diese Divergenz als grammatische Eigenheit der Psych-Verben, welche entweder im Sinne einer lexikalischen Stipulation bzw. als Reflex syntaktischer Operationen beschrieben ...

In name-informing constructions like "The phenomenon is called a “sun halo”", the noun mentioned in the quotation (a “sun halo”) adopts a referring interpretation, as indicated by the determiner. As an account, we claim predicates like call to introduce a copular relation, which is the source of referring uses of nominals in name-informing quotation: To call y “n” entails that y is an n. Two copula types are argued to be covertly contained in name-informing constructions, an identificational copula and an equative ...

The article is based on an empirical project that explored linguistic and educational needs from 1990 till 1992 for future Europe. The matter of discussion attends to the question whether 'action-oriented' foreign language teaching taking place between the constraints of the pluralistic society, the pedagogic freedom of the teacher and the demands, needs and interests of the pupil is a vicious circle or not. Therefore the multifarious conditions of language teaching are focussed. The following spheres are pointed out ...