Lability and spontaneity
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Alexander Letuchiy
Abstract
The present paper focuses on labile verbs – lexemes which can behave transitively or intransitively without a formal change. Haspelmath (1993a) and Comrie (2006) claim that the semantic spontaneity is the crucial factor for the distribution of inchoative/causative oppositions, based on data of the causative and the anticausative formal type. In contrast, my analysis of labile verbs across languages shows that for lability, another factor is crucial, namely, the semantic classification of verbs. In particular, the groups as motion verbs, destruction verbs, and phasal verbs tend to be labile across languages.
Abstract
The present paper focuses on labile verbs – lexemes which can behave transitively or intransitively without a formal change. Haspelmath (1993a) and Comrie (2006) claim that the semantic spontaneity is the crucial factor for the distribution of inchoative/causative oppositions, based on data of the causative and the anticausative formal type. In contrast, my analysis of labile verbs across languages shows that for lability, another factor is crucial, namely, the semantic classification of verbs. In particular, the groups as motion verbs, destruction verbs, and phasal verbs tend to be labile across languages.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- Trans-duction 1
-
Part I. Form and Meaning
- Types of transitivity, intransitive objects, and untransitivity – and the logic of their structural designs 15
- The interaction of transitivity features in the sinhala involitive 69
- Transitivity in Chinese experiencer object verbs 95
- Non-zero/non-zero alternations in differential object marking 119
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Part II. Acquisition and processing
- Children and transitivity 143
- Grammatical transitivity vs. interpretive distinctness 161
-
Part III. Transitivity and diathesis
- The space between one and two 191
- Event-structure and individuation in impersonal passives 209
-
Part IV. Crosslinguistic and crosscategorical considerations
- Lability and spontaneity 237
- Transitivity of deverbal nominals and aspectual modifiers of the verbal stem (evidence from Russian) 257
- Individuation and semantic role interpretation in the adpositional domain 279
- Language index 301
- Subject index 303
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgments vii
- Trans-duction 1
-
Part I. Form and Meaning
- Types of transitivity, intransitive objects, and untransitivity – and the logic of their structural designs 15
- The interaction of transitivity features in the sinhala involitive 69
- Transitivity in Chinese experiencer object verbs 95
- Non-zero/non-zero alternations in differential object marking 119
-
Part II. Acquisition and processing
- Children and transitivity 143
- Grammatical transitivity vs. interpretive distinctness 161
-
Part III. Transitivity and diathesis
- The space between one and two 191
- Event-structure and individuation in impersonal passives 209
-
Part IV. Crosslinguistic and crosscategorical considerations
- Lability and spontaneity 237
- Transitivity of deverbal nominals and aspectual modifiers of the verbal stem (evidence from Russian) 257
- Individuation and semantic role interpretation in the adpositional domain 279
- Language index 301
- Subject index 303
