Transitivity and verb classes
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José María García-Miguel
Abstract
The received concept of transitivity includes several semantic properties based on the idea that transitive clauses express an action performed by an agent on a patient, and suggest that transitive syntactic structures typically refer to concrete actions. Arguably, a semantic characterization of syntactic transitivity requires independent definitions of semantic and syntactic transitivity and needs more empirical support. This paper is an initial quantitative exploration of semantic verb types and transitive syntactic structures in a Spanish corpus-based syntactic-semantic database (ADESSE) and in a typological valency patterns database (ValPaL), and it somewhat calls into question the hypothesis that transitive syntactic structures are more strongly associated with verbs expressing concrete actions performed by an agent than with verbs expressing certain kinds of mental states.
Abstract
The received concept of transitivity includes several semantic properties based on the idea that transitive clauses express an action performed by an agent on a patient, and suggest that transitive syntactic structures typically refer to concrete actions. Arguably, a semantic characterization of syntactic transitivity requires independent definitions of semantic and syntactic transitivity and needs more empirical support. This paper is an initial quantitative exploration of semantic verb types and transitive syntactic structures in a Spanish corpus-based syntactic-semantic database (ADESSE) and in a typological valency patterns database (ValPaL), and it somewhat calls into question the hypothesis that transitive syntactic structures are more strongly associated with verbs expressing concrete actions performed by an agent than with verbs expressing certain kinds of mental states.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- List of contributors xvii
- The conceptualization of change of state in verbs coming from gentilicios 1
- Event structure and lexical semantics in a scalar approach to actionality 21
- Lexical synonymy and argumental structure 60
- Inner and outer prepositions with Spanish verbs of vertical movement 77
- Argumental comitative and reciprocity in Spanish 98
- Causativity and psychological verbs in Spanish 110
- Lexical agreement processes 131
- Variable aspectual coercion in Spanish fictive motion expressions 153
- Agent control over non culminating events 185
- The pseudo-copulative verbs verse and sentirse 218
- On events that express properties 238
- Some reflections on verbs with clitic increase 264
- Transitivity and verb classes 288
- Romance object-experiencer verbs 312
- Aspectual approach to causative-resultative denominal verbs 334
- Denominal parasynthesis and inchoativity from both lexical-semantic and aspectual points of view 357
- Diachronic prototypicity and stativity in Spanish physical affection verbs 378
- Negative imperatives with Spanish copulas ser y estar 412
- Index 439
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- List of contributors xvii
- The conceptualization of change of state in verbs coming from gentilicios 1
- Event structure and lexical semantics in a scalar approach to actionality 21
- Lexical synonymy and argumental structure 60
- Inner and outer prepositions with Spanish verbs of vertical movement 77
- Argumental comitative and reciprocity in Spanish 98
- Causativity and psychological verbs in Spanish 110
- Lexical agreement processes 131
- Variable aspectual coercion in Spanish fictive motion expressions 153
- Agent control over non culminating events 185
- The pseudo-copulative verbs verse and sentirse 218
- On events that express properties 238
- Some reflections on verbs with clitic increase 264
- Transitivity and verb classes 288
- Romance object-experiencer verbs 312
- Aspectual approach to causative-resultative denominal verbs 334
- Denominal parasynthesis and inchoativity from both lexical-semantic and aspectual points of view 357
- Diachronic prototypicity and stativity in Spanish physical affection verbs 378
- Negative imperatives with Spanish copulas ser y estar 412
- Index 439
