Invenitive-locational constructions in Finnish: a mixed methods approach
Date
2024-04-22
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Abstract
Erinevates keeltes on erinevaid viise väljendada, kuidas asjad paiknevad ruumis. Sellised erinevad grammatilised strateegiad sõltuvad näiteks sellest, kas räägime kividest, puudest, loomadest või inimestest, kas need on olemas konkreetses või abstraktses kohas, aga ka sellest, kas paiknev asi seisab, magab, või lihtsalt on ruumis olemas. Võime veel väljendada, kas teame midagi rohkem kohast või paikneva asjast. Eesti keeles on näiteks võimalik öelda, et seen on metsas. Sellist lauset kasutatakse kui teame juba midagi teatust seenest, ent mitte palju kohast, kus ta on. Lause annab siis informatsiooni koha kohta ja seda nimetatakse lokatiivseks konstruktsiooniks. Võib ka öelda, et metsas on seen. Selles lauses öeldakse midagi sellest, mida metsas sisaldub: seen. Seen on selles lauses siis indefiniitne, kuid vastupidi mets on siin teatud mets. Seda lausetüüpi nimetatakse eksistentsiaalseks konstruktsiooniks. Nii lokatiivsetes kui ka eksistentsiaalsetes konstruktsioonides on võimalik kasutada erinevaid tegusõnu, et väljendada seene ja metsa välist ruumilist suhet. Näiteks võib öelda, et metsas leidub seeni ilma tähendamata, et keegi oleks seeni otsimas. Oma artiklipõhises doktoritöös uurin siis leiduma-verbiga konstruktsioone Euroopa keeltes ja kutsun neid invenitiivseteks konstruktsioonideks. Keskendun vastava soomekeelse löytyä-verbiga konstruktsioonidele ning analüüsin neid segametoodiliselt. See tähendab, et vaatan sama probleemi erinevatest vaatenurgatest, kasutades nii klassikalisi erialameetodeid kui ka statistikat. Doktoritöö eesmärk on seletada, kui tihti ja laialt seda tegusõna tegelikult kasutatakse soome keeles, kas tal on samad omadused kui teistel tegusõnadel ja kas teda leidub ka muudes Euroopa keeltes. Vastuseks leidsin, et pilt on Euroopa keeltes komplekssem, kui võiks arvata, ja et soome keele on invenitiivsed konstruktsioonid väga laialt ja erinevate tähenduslike funktsioonidega kasutatud. Töö avab uusi uksi keeletüpoloogia ja keelte varieerumise erialadel.
In different languages there are different ways of expressing how things are located in space. These different grammatical strategies depend on, for example, whether we are talking about stones, trees, animals, or people, on whether they are located in a concrete or an abstract place, but also on whether the thing being located is standing or lying down, or is simply existing in that space. We can also express whether we know something more about the thing being located or the location itself. For example, in English it is possible to say the bear is in the forest. This sentence can be used when we already know something about the bear, but not much about the place where it is located. Hence, this sentence provides information about the place and is called a locative construction. We can also say there is a bear in the forest. This sentence is used to specify what the forest contains: a bear. The bear is here indefinite, while the forest is a certain forest. This sentence type is called an existential construction. Both in locative and existential constructions it is possible to use different verbs to specify the spatial relation between the bear and the forest. For example, we can say that bears are found in the forest, without necessarily implying that someone be looking for said bears. In my article-based doctoral dissertation I investigate such ‘find’-based constructions in European languages, and I call them invenitive constructions. I focus on the corresponding Finnish verb löytyä ‘to be found’, which I analyze using mixed methods. This means that I look at the same problem from different perspectives, using both the classic methods of the field and statistical analyses. The purposes of the dissertation are to explain how often and broadly this Finnish verb is used, whether it has the same properties as other verbs, and whether it can be found in the other languages of Europe. As an answer, I found that the picture is more complex than it seems in European languages, and that in Finnish invenitive constructions are used very broadly and with different functions. This work opens new doors on the ongoing research on linguistic typology and language variation.
In different languages there are different ways of expressing how things are located in space. These different grammatical strategies depend on, for example, whether we are talking about stones, trees, animals, or people, on whether they are located in a concrete or an abstract place, but also on whether the thing being located is standing or lying down, or is simply existing in that space. We can also express whether we know something more about the thing being located or the location itself. For example, in English it is possible to say the bear is in the forest. This sentence can be used when we already know something about the bear, but not much about the place where it is located. Hence, this sentence provides information about the place and is called a locative construction. We can also say there is a bear in the forest. This sentence is used to specify what the forest contains: a bear. The bear is here indefinite, while the forest is a certain forest. This sentence type is called an existential construction. Both in locative and existential constructions it is possible to use different verbs to specify the spatial relation between the bear and the forest. For example, we can say that bears are found in the forest, without necessarily implying that someone be looking for said bears. In my article-based doctoral dissertation I investigate such ‘find’-based constructions in European languages, and I call them invenitive constructions. I focus on the corresponding Finnish verb löytyä ‘to be found’, which I analyze using mixed methods. This means that I look at the same problem from different perspectives, using both the classic methods of the field and statistical analyses. The purposes of the dissertation are to explain how often and broadly this Finnish verb is used, whether it has the same properties as other verbs, and whether it can be found in the other languages of Europe. As an answer, I found that the picture is more complex than it seems in European languages, and that in Finnish invenitive constructions are used very broadly and with different functions. This work opens new doors on the ongoing research on linguistic typology and language variation.
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