Two types of (apparently) ditransitive light verb constructions
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Maria Cristina Cuervo
Abstract
An analysis of Spanish ditransitive constructions with light verb dar reveals that despite surface similarity these constructions belong to two groups corresponding to distinct argument structures. While expressions like dar permiso/ánimo ‘give permission/encouragement’ correspond to double-object constructions, experiencer constructions like dar miedo/envidia ‘give fear/envy’ correspond to an unaccusative structure that patterns syntactically and semantically with configurations with psychological predicates of the piacere/gustar ‘like’ type. On the present account, the morphosyntactic and semantic properties of the construction –including subject properties of the dative, case, and restrictions on bare nouns– derive directly from the way sentences are built in the syntax, not from stipulations in lexical entries or linking rules. The proposal is extended to cover predicates formed with other light verbs (e.g., ser ‘be’, parecer ‘seem’, resultar ‘be’, quedar ‘remain’).
Abstract
An analysis of Spanish ditransitive constructions with light verb dar reveals that despite surface similarity these constructions belong to two groups corresponding to distinct argument structures. While expressions like dar permiso/ánimo ‘give permission/encouragement’ correspond to double-object constructions, experiencer constructions like dar miedo/envidia ‘give fear/envy’ correspond to an unaccusative structure that patterns syntactically and semantically with configurations with psychological predicates of the piacere/gustar ‘like’ type. On the present account, the morphosyntactic and semantic properties of the construction –including subject properties of the dative, case, and restrictions on bare nouns– derive directly from the way sentences are built in the syntax, not from stipulations in lexical entries or linking rules. The proposal is extended to cover predicates formed with other light verbs (e.g., ser ‘be’, parecer ‘seem’, resultar ‘be’, quedar ‘remain’).
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- Editors’ introduction 1
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Part 1. Language contact and bilingualism
- Subject pronoun expression in bilinguals of two null subject languages 9
- Where are hiatuses left? 23
- Loanword adaptation in the French of Spanish-speaking immigrants in Montréal 39
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Part 2. Phonology and interfaces
- Morphology and phonology of word-final vowel deletion in spoken Tuscan Italian 57
- Relativization, intonational phrases and rich left peripheries 73
- Stress domain effects in French phonology and phonological development 89
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Part 3. Syntax and morphophonology
- Syntactic realizations of plural in Romance and Germanic nominalizations 107
- The syntax of Spanish parecer and the status of little pro 125
- Two types of (apparently) ditransitive light verb constructions 139
- Modal ellipsis in French, Spanish and Italian 157
- Optional prepositions in Brazilian Portuguese 171
- An apparent ‘number case constraint’ in Romanian 185
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Part 4. Semantics and morphology
- Generic bare singulars in Brazilian Portuguese 203
- Aspect shift in stative verbs and their arguments 217
-
Part 5. Psycholinguistics
- Experimenting with wh -movement in Spanish 233
- How Spanish phonotactics informs psycholinuistic models of speech production 249
- Index 265
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- Editors’ introduction 1
-
Part 1. Language contact and bilingualism
- Subject pronoun expression in bilinguals of two null subject languages 9
- Where are hiatuses left? 23
- Loanword adaptation in the French of Spanish-speaking immigrants in Montréal 39
-
Part 2. Phonology and interfaces
- Morphology and phonology of word-final vowel deletion in spoken Tuscan Italian 57
- Relativization, intonational phrases and rich left peripheries 73
- Stress domain effects in French phonology and phonological development 89
-
Part 3. Syntax and morphophonology
- Syntactic realizations of plural in Romance and Germanic nominalizations 107
- The syntax of Spanish parecer and the status of little pro 125
- Two types of (apparently) ditransitive light verb constructions 139
- Modal ellipsis in French, Spanish and Italian 157
- Optional prepositions in Brazilian Portuguese 171
- An apparent ‘number case constraint’ in Romanian 185
-
Part 4. Semantics and morphology
- Generic bare singulars in Brazilian Portuguese 203
- Aspect shift in stative verbs and their arguments 217
-
Part 5. Psycholinguistics
- Experimenting with wh -movement in Spanish 233
- How Spanish phonotactics informs psycholinuistic models of speech production 249
- Index 265
