Semantic and Syntactic Patterns of Property Predicate Reflexion in German

• Published in: Vestnik Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Serii͡a︡ 2, I͡A︡zykoznanie. Vol. 24; no. 5; pp. 56 - 61
• Main Author: Generalova, Larisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Volgograd State University 10.12.2014
• Subjects: conceptualization; mental modeling; semantic predicate of property; the scope of ontology; transposition markers
• ISSN: 1998-9911; 2409-1979
• DOI: 10.15688/jvolsu2.2014.5.7

The article focuses on references of semantic and syntactic patterns to cognitive comprehension of an extralinguistic event by means of semantic predicate of property. The choice of this object for research may be explained by an ambiguity of its interpretation in scientific writings due to its semantic variations in the context. The main reason of controversy in the predicate properties definitions is uncertainty in the choice of its numerous differential attributes that may be used to classify the semantic predicate, which results in the lack of general classification. The author puts forward a proposition that the semantic predicate as a conceptual category should be abstracted at most from the level of ontology and be classified with a minimal set of distinctive features. It is proved that any situation presented by a relational predicate can be reconsidered as a predicate of property, if one could introduce some deictic markers into a sentence structure thus indicating to a non-localized character of an event in the time axis and evaluative elements. It is determined that German native speakers widely use the "sein + adjective (noun)" pattern to conceptualize the original event through the predicate of property. The specificity of these structures in use is viewed as depending on differences between some conceptualized situations, their reference to certain spheres of reality and ontological specificity of reflected events. It is proved that the use of a certain marker for the original denotation situation comprehension depends on its relation to a particular ontological sphere of life.