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Ambiguity of different types contributes significantly to humor creation, as predicted by incongruity theory This holds for homonymy, polysemy, structural and scope ambiguity, as well as any multiplicity of meanings that arises due to pragmatic factors. A consideration of languages with rich inflectional morphology, such as Russian, further reveals that linguistic humor may be based on the semantic indeterminacy of certain grammatical phenomena. The present paper provides evidence in favor of this claim by taking the imperfective aspect, genitive case-assignment and instrumental case-assignment into account. It is demonstrated that the ambiguity / indeterminacy associated with these phenomena gives rise to the creation of humorous effects. We further generalize that the core functions of case and aspect correlate with the less salient readings of ambiguous sentences (often the absurd, non-bona-fide ones). In contrast, the more peripheral and even idiomatic functions give rise to the salient, bona-fide readings. A functional explanation is put forward for this apparent discrepancy: the prototypical, easily accessible functions of case and aspect make it easier for the hearer to process a sentence in its non-salient interpretation.

This article investigates the intercultural competence and identities of undergraduate heritage language learners (HLLs) studying abroad under the auspices of the U.S. Flagship Program. Based on su...

Since at the turn of the twenty-first century heritage language (HL) research and education was a new field emerging, this research timeline traces the complete history of the field in the US through 2016. It highlights how theories and perspectives have changed, been challenged, and widely accepted. The field's roots are in Spanish since, as the language of the most numerous immigration group, it has long been a commonly taught language in the US.

The present paper investigates the impact of structural ambiguity on humor creation in Russian. A range of jokes is analyzed which are based on the possibility of assigning two distinct structures to the same sentence, which, in turn, results in the emergence of two opposed scripts / scenarios / readings, as is necessary for the creation of a humorous effect. We consider several types of structural ambiguity, as well as the ways in which they interact with additional linguistic phenomena, such as homonymy, polysemy and the complement / adjunct distinction.

This paper investigates the semantics of the Arabic diminutive (DIM) created with the use of the fuʿayl template. DIM may contribute a wide range of sub-meanings, including smallness in size, low quantity, low quality, spatial and temporal proximity, etc. We put forward a scalar analysis according to which DIM systematically maps an argument of the stem to a relatively low degree on a scale. In particular, this degree is lower than the standard of comparison, independently supplied either by the context or by the linguistic environment. The scale in question, we argue, is not lexicalized by DIM but rather contributed by the stem to which DIM applies. The contrast between the various sub-meanings of DIM is thus reduced mainly to the differences between the environments in which it appears.

The article is devoted to Hebrew predicate nominal sentences in which the lexical item ze fulfills a copula-like function. A hypothesis is put forward according to which the demonstrative ze has acquired its new function under the influence of Slavic contact languages.

This paper puts forward a formal analysis of the semantics of Russian verbal prefixes that is formulated within the framework of degree semantics. Prefixes are analyzed as degree modifiers. The paper demonstrates how this analysis captures the properties of pere-, one of the most complex and challenging verbal prefixes in Russian. It is proposed that spatial, temporal, excessive, comparative, and iterative uses of this prefix can all be unified under a scalar approach. The distinctions observed between these uses are largely restricted to the types of scale and comparative standard that are involved in the semantics of the verbal phrase.

This article proposes a semantic approach to Slavic verbal prefixes. A hypothesis is put forward according to which a verbal prefix imposes a relation between two degrees on a scale. One is a degree associated with the event denoted by the verbal predicate. The other one is the standard of comparison, contributed by a linguistic expression that appears in the sentence, or by the context. The scale to which the prefix applies is most typically contributed by the linguistic environment in which the prefix appears. The article demonstrates how the proposed analysis applies to two specific morphemes in Russian: the prefix nedo- and the prefix pere- under the interpretation of excess. It is demonstrated that these prefixes apply to a wide range of scales, including property and volume/extent scales, a time scale, as well as certain scales that do not affect the aspectual properties of the predicate but are lexicalized by the verbal stem. It is also argued that the two prefixes apply to the same type of standar...

This paper investigates three phenomena that involve genitive Case-assignment to the direct object in Russian: Genitive of Negation, Intensional Genitive and Partitive Genitive. I argue, following Neidle (1988), that Genitive of Negation and Intensional Genitive share a considerable number of properties and should be provided a unified account. It is proposed that both phenomena are sensitive to the notion of ‘existential commitment’: the choice of genitive Case is strongly associated with the lack of commitment to the existence of the referent. A distinction between different types of existential commitment is introduced, with each type determining Case-assignment in a certain class of sentences. The picture is then extended to include Partitive Genitive. Numerous properties differentiate this Case from both Intensional Genitive and Genitive of Negation. However, despite these differences, all the three types of genitive Case are unified by a the non-specific, indefinite interpretation. I propose that this complex pattern can be accounted for by means of the notion of ‘individuation’. All the types of genitive nominals under investigation are non-individuated, which accounts for the observed similarity. The difference between Partitive Genitive and the other Cases is proposed to result from the fact that different types and sources of non-individuation are involved.

This paper addresses the problem of placing and teaching heritage speakers of immigrant languages in college-level foreign language programmes, drawing conclusions from research on heritage speakers of Russian. For pedagogical purposes, heritage speakers cannot be viewed either as native speakers of the target language or as foreign language learners, and are best treated as a separate population requiring their own curriculum and materials. The paper advocates that students’ proficiency be used as the basis for placement and curriculum development. An essential tool in determining heritage proficiency is knowledge of a student's linguistic biography, and therefore biographical information should be solicited from incoming heritage students. Heritage students’ motivation for studying their heritage language can serve as a guiding principle for materials selection and curriculum design.

Apres avoir etabli une distinction entre langue maternelle, langue d'heritage (langue parlee dans la famille, differente de celle du pays d'accueil chez les immigres) et langue etrangere (acquise par des etudiants en milieu scolaire apres un developpement complet de la langue maternelle), les As. evaluent la competence et les besoins pedagogiques des differents types d'etudiants en russe aux Etats-Unis