Vietnamese Passives from the Perspective of Lexical Mapping Theory

In this presentation, Huong Ho discusses the cognitively demanding nature of passives across languages. Huong Ho proposes the morphosyntactic realisation of Vietnamese passives based on Lexical Mapping Theory within Lexical Functional Grammar.

This presentation is part of Huong Ho's PhD project, which is among the first studies to analyse the syntax of Vietnamese, an Austroasiatic language, within the theoretical framework of Lexical Functional Grammar.

Cross-linguistically, the passive is a discourse-pragmatically driven structure that reduces the prominence of the agent and shifts focus to another participant in the event, enabling the speaker to express their perspective precisely.

Second-language learners typically cannot process passives at the initial stages of second-language acquisition. They must first acquire and automatise the basic lexical and morphological systems of the language before incorporating discourse-pragmatic factors in their speech and writing.

Date

Friday 14 June 2024

Time

1 to 2 pm

Location

Parramatta South Campus, EA.2.30

Online via Zoom

Speaker

Huong Ho
Western Sydney University

Suggested pre-reading

Bettoni, C., & Di Biase, B. (2015). Processability Theory: Theoretical bases and universal schedules. In C. Bettoni & B. Di Biase (Eds.), Grammatical development in second language: Exploring the boundaries of Processability Theory (pp. 13-59). European Second Language Association.

Bresnan, J., Asudeh, A., Toivonen, I., & Wechsler, S. (2016). Lexical-functional syntax (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.

Pienemann, M., Di Biase, B., and Kawaguchi, S. (2005). Extending Processability Theory. In M. Pienemann (Ed.), Cross-linguistic aspects of Processability Theory (pp. 199-251). John Benjamins.

Segalowitz, N. (2005). Automaticity and second languages. In C. J. Doughty & M. H. Long (Eds.), Blackwell handbooks in linguistics: The handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 382-408). Blackwell Publishers.