Patterns of asymmetry in argument structure across languages
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John A. Hawkins
Abstract
This paper examines patterns of asymmetry between the arguments of multiargument predicates across languages. The asymmetries are visible in patterns of argument co-occurrence, of rule applicability, of formal marking and in linear ordering. The asymmetries have been captured in hierarchies of grammatical relations, hierarchies of morphological cases and verb agreement, hierarchies of thematic roles, and in linear precedence preferences derived from these hierarchies. The paper raises the question: why should there be such asymmetry hierarchies among the arguments of a predicate, with these correlating patterns? Some answers are proposed using the principles of efficiency and complexity developed in Hawkins (2004). The paper argues against some proposals that have been made in the literature, and takes note of phenomena that are still puzzling from this point of view.
Abstract
This paper examines patterns of asymmetry between the arguments of multiargument predicates across languages. The asymmetries are visible in patterns of argument co-occurrence, of rule applicability, of formal marking and in linear ordering. The asymmetries have been captured in hierarchies of grammatical relations, hierarchies of morphological cases and verb agreement, hierarchies of thematic roles, and in linear precedence preferences derived from these hierarchies. The paper raises the question: why should there be such asymmetry hierarchies among the arguments of a predicate, with these correlating patterns? Some answers are proposed using the principles of efficiency and complexity developed in Hawkins (2004). The paper argues against some proposals that have been made in the literature, and takes note of phenomena that are still puzzling from this point of view.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- The editors vii
- The authors ix
- Preface xi
- Introduction xiii
- A deceptive case of split-intransitivity in Basque 1
- Some argument-structure properties of ‘give’ in the languages of Europe and Northern and Central Asia 17
- Grammatical relations in a typology of agreement systems 37
- Causatives in Agul 55
- Continuity of information structuring strategies in Eastern Khanty 115
- Patterns of asymmetry in argument structure across languages 133
- Topic marking and the construction of narrative in Xibe 151
- On the hierarchy of structural convergence in the Amdo Sprachbund 177
- Pyramids of spatial relators in Northeastern Turkic and its neighbors 191
- What’s in the head of head-marking languages? 211
- Transitives, causatives and passives in Korean and Japanese 241
- Core argument patterns and deep genetic relations 257
- Three takes on grammatical relations 295
- On aspect, aspectual domain and quantification in Finnish and Udmurt 325
- Indexes 355
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- The editors vii
- The authors ix
- Preface xi
- Introduction xiii
- A deceptive case of split-intransitivity in Basque 1
- Some argument-structure properties of ‘give’ in the languages of Europe and Northern and Central Asia 17
- Grammatical relations in a typology of agreement systems 37
- Causatives in Agul 55
- Continuity of information structuring strategies in Eastern Khanty 115
- Patterns of asymmetry in argument structure across languages 133
- Topic marking and the construction of narrative in Xibe 151
- On the hierarchy of structural convergence in the Amdo Sprachbund 177
- Pyramids of spatial relators in Northeastern Turkic and its neighbors 191
- What’s in the head of head-marking languages? 211
- Transitives, causatives and passives in Korean and Japanese 241
- Core argument patterns and deep genetic relations 257
- Three takes on grammatical relations 295
- On aspect, aspectual domain and quantification in Finnish and Udmurt 325
- Indexes 355
