Syntactic Ambiguity of (Complex) Nominal Groups in Technical English

Autor/inn/en	Borucinsky, Mirjana; Kecalj, Jana
Titel	Syntactic Ambiguity of (Complex) Nominal Groups in Technical English
Quelle	In: International Journal of English Studies, 19 (2019) 2, S.83-102 (20 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1578-7044
Schlagwörter	Syntax; English for Special Purposes; Ambiguity (Semantics); Form Classes (Languages); Phrase Structure; Language Teachers; Teacher Education; Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Engineering; Marine Education; Computational Linguistics + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Analytischer Sprachbau; Phrasenstruktur; Language teacher; Sprachunterricht; Lehrerausbildung; Lehrerbildung; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Maschinenbau; Linguistics; Computerlinguistik
Abstract	Complex nominal groups are common in technical English (i.e., English for Specific Purposes, ESP) since they allow lexical items to be tightly packed into a clause which consequently leads to increased lexical density and syntactic ambiguity. In this paper, we analyse (complex) nominal groups in technical English. We propose that, in addition to context and extralinguistic knowledge (i.e. shared technical background that the ESP teacher does not necessarily possess), the structure of the nominal group--or, more precisely, the position of modifiers within the group also plays a role in resolving of syntactic ambiguity and disambiguation of meaning. Thus, modifiers standing farthest from the head have the least specifying potential and are followed by other modifiers that restrict the meaning of the entire nominal group. In this way, the participle "reciprocating" in "steam reciprocating engine" (vs.*"reciprocating steam engine") is more specific in meaning and is thus positioned closer to the head of the nominal group. Our results indicate the type of modification (i.e. linear or non-linear) lends support to the disambiguation of complex nominal groups. The paper's main contribution is in the field of ESP teacher education in the way that it helps ESP teachers who are not specialists in the field of (marine) engineering to process understand and successfully teach complex nominal groups. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	University of Murcia. Department of English Philology Merced Campus, Calle Santo Cristo 1, Murcia 30071 Spain. Tel: +34-868-88-3406; Fax: +34-868-88-3409; e-mail: publicaciones@um.es; Web site: http://www.um.es/ijes
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01