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CHAPTER 12
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
12.1 Summary of Study
The analysis presented here is the result of my comprehensive investigation of the
nouns and noun phrases of the Modem Khmer language. The study marks my
contribution to Khmer studies, particularly in the area of syntax. In addition to my actual
analysis, this work gives enough data and background to serve as a basis for further
contributions to the study of Khmer grammar.
No other comprehensive syntactic analysis studies are available for evaluation or
comparison with this research. Despite the limitations imposed by the lack of previous
up-to-date syntactic work on which to build, I believe I have found some interesting
regularities and generalizations in the area of nouns and noun phrases.
There are no adjective or determiner classes in the Khmer language. The word
classes of the Khmer language are those allowed by the lexicase framework, and the
structure of noun phrases is consistent with the constraints imposed by this model. In
addition they are supported and consistent with the right-branching typology of SVO
languages. The role of demonstrative pronouns is very critical and crucial in the
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language; they disambiguate constructions as a whole, and help to demarcate individual
constituents.
In general, the verb is the basic backbone of the construction. The syntactic
dependency relationships between a regent and its immediate adjacent dependents are
investigated and a summary is presented in Table 12.1.
Noun classes in Khmer were found to include: the anaphoric noun qaa,pronouns,
classifier nouns, relator nouns (which consist of the locational relator nouns and the non-
locational relator noun rbah2),extension nouns (which are subdivided into the relative
noun daacl and the non-relative noun kaar), number nouns and non-number nouns, which
are composed of independent location nouns and ordinary nouns (chapter 3).
The word qaa in Khmer is an anaphoric noun that shares similar characteristics
with other nouns, such as being able to function as the Nom-PAT, Nom-AGT or Acc-
PAT of a verb in a construction, and as a predicate dependent of a copula verb. It is not a
pronoun because it must have a dependent, whereas a pronoun does not require one. In
addition it takes a restrictive modifier and a pronoun takes only a non-restrictive modifier.
It can function as the regent of the extension nouns daacl and kaar and of relational
nouns (relator nouns and the noun rbah2),whereas pronouns cannot.
This dissertation proposes a new universally applicable definition of pronouns
that enables lexicase theory to capture various syntactic and semantic generalizations
about pronouns and non-pronominal nouns.
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The comprehensive subcategorizationof pronouns enables us to have a better
understanding of Khmer pronouns and their syntactic functions in pairwise dependency
relationships.
The classifier nouns belong to a subclass of nouns and they bear the predicate
function in relation to their regents, number nouns and the anaphoric noun. This class of
nouns cannot take a dependent attribute. Lexically, classifier nouns are fascinating and
rich in morphology (chapter 6).
The two extension nouns that were discussed in this work are daad and kaar.
They are distinctive and function as the head of an NP. The relative noun daad can have
verbs, nouns (including qaa and kaar), personal pronouns, number nouns, locational
nouns and common nouns as its regents, and some pronouns and verbs as its dependents.
The non-relative noun kaarfunctions as a nominalizer; it can only have verbs and the
anaphoric noun qaa as its regents, and it can take verbs, pronouns and nouns including
the predicate relative noun daad and the predicate possessive noun rbah2as its
dependents (but daad cannot take kaaras its dependent). In addition, the complement
clause dependent of the non-relative noun kaardoes not require a gap, whereas a relative
clause dependent on daadhas a gap (chapter 7).
The relator noun class is subcategorized into location and non-location subclasses.
The syntactic differences between the locational relator nouns and free location nouns is
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that locational relator nouns must have a dependent. Locational relator nouns are
different from prepositions in that they are the head of an endocentric construction
whereas prepositions are the head of an exocentric construction, and also in that they can
occupy the subject and object slots, whereas prepositions cannot (chapter 8).
The possessive noun rbah2 has a critical syntactic role of paraphrasing
constructions that would otherwise be ungrammatical due to the syntactic constraints
imposed by the linear precedence order. It functions as the predicate dependent to its
regents and requires a COR dependent (chapter 8).
A number noun is a predicate noun except when it functions as the subject or
object of a verb. It can take pronouns, the predicate relative noun daael, and of course
predicate classifier nouns as its dependents, but cannot take the anaphoric noun qaa,free
location nouns or common nouns as its dependents. A number noun can have anaphoric
nouns, location nouns and common nouns as its regents, but it cannot have pronouns,
classifier nouns, extension nouns and relational nouns as its regents (chapter 9).
An independent or free location noun is a noun which can appear as the
immediate sole dependent of the location verb n;}wj. It can be the regent of all subclasses
of nouns except classifiers, and can have the anaphoric noun, relational nouns and
ordinary nouns as it dependents (chapter 10).
Khmer ordinary nouns are basic countable nouns. Proper nouns, title nouns and
mass nouns constitute the semantic subclasses of ordinary nouns. Ordinary nouns can
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take all noun types except classifier nouns as their dependents. They can have anaphoric
nouns, locational relator nouns, non-Iocationallocation nouns rbah2andnjj, and other
ordinary nouns as their regents (chapter 10).
The syntactic linear precedence hierarchy of a noun phrase that has more than one
dependent sister can be summarized by this sequential order:
(1) r COR 1 < [+prdc]i V ~
lLOC J
(2) r COR 1 < r COR 1
iv ~ iv ~
lp J lp J
(3) rvi pl
1 < N~
J
12.2 Contributions
To the extent that the results of this investigation of nouns and noun phrases of
Modem Khmer has been successful, it makes a contribution to comparative syntactic
research on the languages of the Mon-Khmer group. Like any other scientific hypothesis,
this dissertation represents the current state of our knowledge of the subject matter, and
will require changes as new data are included and new generalizations are discovered.
These results also complete another step in my plan to work on a Khmer reference
grammar in the near future, with the collaboration of other scholars in several subfields of
linguistics.
Chhan
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Dependents
Anaphoric Nqaa [+nphr]neh, nah
[+dfnt,+lctn]naaj, naa2
[-dfnt, +lctn]
naamziu;Jjj,naamziU;Jj2
[+spcf]
sq{};J.h, Sq{};Jj2
[-spcf, -anmt]khJlOm
[+dfnt, -lctn]qne;Jknaaj,qne;Jknaa2
[-spcf, +anmt]Classifier N
daad [+rltv]kaar [-rhy]LocationalRelator N
[+lctn, +rltr]rbah2 or nij[-lctn, +rltr]Number NLocation NOrdinary N
qaa
LaC
LaC
+prdc
+prdc
+prdc
+prdc
+prdc+prdc+prdc
+prdc+prdc+prdc
Table 12.1 Syntactic Dependencyof Khmer Nouns
Pronouns[+pmn]
SYNTACTIC DEPENDENCY OF KHMER NOUNSClassifier Extension N Locational rbah2 or nijN [+c1sf] daael & kaar Relator N [-lctn, +rltr]
[+rlty] [-rhy] [+lctn, +rltrj- - COR- -
[+prnn, -lctn] LaC
[+dfnt, -lctn] LaC,+prdc
[-anmt] +prdc[+dfnt, -lctn] +prdc
-
-
-
-[+dfnt, -lctn] +prdc
[-spcf] +prdc- -
- -
---
-
- LaC
- LaC
LaC
LaC
- +prdc I+prdc
- +prdc I+prdc
-
-
----
-
---
-
-
-- +prdc--
- +prdc
---
COR
-
-
COR
- COR
- COR
- --
- -- -
-
- -- COR
COR-
COR
-
-
-
-
COR
COR
----
-
-CORCOR
NumberN
[+nmbr]-
LaC
LaC
+prdc
+prdc
-
-
+prdc+prdc
--
-
---
LocationN
[+lctn}COR
LaC
LaC
+prdc
+prdc
COR
COR
-+prdc
-LaC
+prdc
+prdcLaC, COR
COR
OrdinaryN
[-lctn]+prdc,CORLaC
LaC
+prdc
+prdc
COR
COR
-+prdc
-LaC
+prdc
+prdcLaCCOR
wVI0
Chhan
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1996