Semantic roles and verbless constructions
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Katja Västi
Abstract
Semantic roles constitute one of the most notorious notions in linguistics because they have been defined in numerous ways depending on the author’s theoretical framework and goals. Typically these definitions are somehow, more or less explicitly, based on verbs and their properties. In this chapter, semantic roles are discussed from a completely different perspective; we examine genuinely verbless constructions attested in Finnish newspaper headlines. The chapter addresses three main questions: First, what kinds of constructions do not need a finite verb to express dynamic events? Second, what kind of information remains unconceptualized in verbless constructions? And finally, what are semantic roles based on if there is no verb? The goal of the chapter is to show that verbs are not needed to define semantic roles, as an array of semantic roles can be recognized even in constructions lacking a verb.
Abstract
Semantic roles constitute one of the most notorious notions in linguistics because they have been defined in numerous ways depending on the author’s theoretical framework and goals. Typically these definitions are somehow, more or less explicitly, based on verbs and their properties. In this chapter, semantic roles are discussed from a completely different perspective; we examine genuinely verbless constructions attested in Finnish newspaper headlines. The chapter addresses three main questions: First, what kinds of constructions do not need a finite verb to express dynamic events? Second, what kind of information remains unconceptualized in verbless constructions? And finally, what are semantic roles based on if there is no verb? The goal of the chapter is to show that verbs are not needed to define semantic roles, as an array of semantic roles can be recognized even in constructions lacking a verb.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
-
Introduction
- Recent developments and open questions in the field of semantic roles 1
- Identifying semantic role clusters and alignment types via microrole coexpression tendencies 27
- Semantic role clustering 51
- Semantic roles and verbless constructions 79
- Benefaction proper and surrogation 109
- Exploring a diachronic (re)cycle of roles 133
- Functive phrases in typological and diachronic perspective 173
- Language index 217
- Subject index 219
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
-
Introduction
- Recent developments and open questions in the field of semantic roles 1
- Identifying semantic role clusters and alignment types via microrole coexpression tendencies 27
- Semantic role clustering 51
- Semantic roles and verbless constructions 79
- Benefaction proper and surrogation 109
- Exploring a diachronic (re)cycle of roles 133
- Functive phrases in typological and diachronic perspective 173
- Language index 217
- Subject index 219
