Case Roles / Relations and Discourse Relations: A Maori Language-based Perspective

Abstract

The overall aim of this research project is to explore case roles/ relations and discourse relations (referred to in this thesis as 'intra-propositional relations' and 'interpropositional relations' respectively) from the perspective of the Maori language. The thesis begins with an outline of the scope of the research and the approaches and methods used (Chapter 1). This is followed by a critical review of selected literature on case roles/ relations (intra-propositional relations) (see Chapter 2) and discourse relations (inter-propositional relations) (see Chapter 3) where it is noted that some of the relational theories and models appear to lack descriptive and/or explanatory adequacy. In Chapter 4, two models (an intra-propositional relational model and an interpropositional relational model) are developed on the basis of the critical review in Chapters 2 and 3, and these models are applied to a written corpus of Maori language texts, the primary aim being to track the ways in which intra-propositional and interpropositional relations are signalled in Maori. In Chapter 5, l supplement the corpus-based findings reported in Chapter 4 by reexamining the findings of two earlier studies from the perspective of the models introduced in Chapter 4. One of these earlier studies, reported in the early 1980s, is concerned with the distribution of prepositions in Maori in relation to case roles/ relations (intra-propositional relations); the other, produced much more recently (in 2001) is concerned with the signalling in Maori of a selection of what are referred to in that Work as 'semantico-pragmatic relations' (inter-propositional relations). Chapter 6 provides an overview of the research and a summary of the findings, together with an indication of its limitations, possible areas of application, and suggestions for future research.