Noun Incorporation and Its Kind in Other Languages

Abstract

This chapter proposes analyses for a variety of constructions that resemble noun incorporation in a number of languages using the theory of phrase structure developed in Chapter 3. First, it discusses the general structure of the extended nominal projection. This section also relates linear order in NI constructions to the structure of nominals. This chapters specifically examines NI in Sierra Popoluca, English gerunds, noun+verb compounding in German progressive-beim constructions, a kind noun+of NI in Persian ‘long’ infinitives, a construction in Tamil which has been argued to be noun incorporation, and finally adverb incorporation in Blackfoot. In all cases, incorporation is handled by the dynamic antisymmetric theory proposed in Chapter 3.