Introduce
-
Anna Siewierska✝
Abstract
This paper investigates the lexical and morpho-syntactic strategies used in three branches of European languages (Slavic, Romance, and Germanic) to express a specific non-prototypical type of three-participant event: that of an agent introducing a human Theme to a human Recipient. Earlier cross-linguistic research has shown that there are formal restrictions on the expression of three-participant events with two human non-agents. While these studies differ in the functional explanations offered for the attested restrictions, they are alike in taking the prototypical give ditransitive as their point of departure, and in predicting no principled differences in the behaviour of lexical verbs and/or event types other than give. This paper investigates to what extent the patterns found in these studies are applicable to introduce verbs, which occur in combination with two human non-agents (much) more frequently than give verbs. We find, on the one hand, that similar restrictions indeed apply in specific cases. On the other hand, the range of attested morpho-syntactic variation is wider than previous studies have accounted for. This variation is due to the strong influence on argument structure of individual lexical verbs and verb classes, as well as the specific semantic properties of the event type under study. Keywords: three-participant constructions; prototypicality; animacy; person; argument realization
Abstract
This paper investigates the lexical and morpho-syntactic strategies used in three branches of European languages (Slavic, Romance, and Germanic) to express a specific non-prototypical type of three-participant event: that of an agent introducing a human Theme to a human Recipient. Earlier cross-linguistic research has shown that there are formal restrictions on the expression of three-participant events with two human non-agents. While these studies differ in the functional explanations offered for the attested restrictions, they are alike in taking the prototypical give ditransitive as their point of departure, and in predicting no principled differences in the behaviour of lexical verbs and/or event types other than give. This paper investigates to what extent the patterns found in these studies are applicable to introduce verbs, which occur in combination with two human non-agents (much) more frequently than give verbs. We find, on the one hand, that similar restrictions indeed apply in specific cases. On the other hand, the range of attested morpho-syntactic variation is wider than previous studies have accounted for. This variation is due to the strong influence on argument structure of individual lexical verbs and verb classes, as well as the specific semantic properties of the event type under study. Keywords: three-participant constructions; prototypicality; animacy; person; argument realization
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Argument structure in flux 1
-
Part I. Argument structure and encoding strategies
- Non-canonical subjects in clauses with noun predicates 15
- Differential agent marking in Hinuq 33
- Case variation and case alternation in Indo-European and beyond 53
- Constructional polysemy and argument realisation with the Irish GET verb 87
-
Part II. Argument structure and verb classes
- Latin preverbs and verb argument structure 119
- Experiencing linking 135
- Introduce 169
- On the relationship between lexical aspect, verbal meaning, and (lexical) argument structure 201
- Four Romanian verbs of occurring 231
-
Part III. Unexpressed arguments
- The pro cycle 257
- Argument promotion and SE-constructions in Brazilian Portuguese 285
- Unaccusativity and the diachrony of null and cognate objects in Greek 307
-
Part IV. Split intransitivity
- Split intransitivity in Irish and the syntax-semantics interface 345
- Semantic constraints on the Latin impersonal passive 373
- Auxiliary selection in German 405
- Tornar and volver 435
-
Part V. Existential and presentational constructions
- Control and the evolution of possessive and existential constructions 461
- Existential constructions 477
- Variation and change in the presentational constructions of north-western Italo-Romance varieties 511
- Argument realization and existential pro-forms in early Italo-Romance 549
- Author index 567
- Language and topic index 573
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Argument structure in flux 1
-
Part I. Argument structure and encoding strategies
- Non-canonical subjects in clauses with noun predicates 15
- Differential agent marking in Hinuq 33
- Case variation and case alternation in Indo-European and beyond 53
- Constructional polysemy and argument realisation with the Irish GET verb 87
-
Part II. Argument structure and verb classes
- Latin preverbs and verb argument structure 119
- Experiencing linking 135
- Introduce 169
- On the relationship between lexical aspect, verbal meaning, and (lexical) argument structure 201
- Four Romanian verbs of occurring 231
-
Part III. Unexpressed arguments
- The pro cycle 257
- Argument promotion and SE-constructions in Brazilian Portuguese 285
- Unaccusativity and the diachrony of null and cognate objects in Greek 307
-
Part IV. Split intransitivity
- Split intransitivity in Irish and the syntax-semantics interface 345
- Semantic constraints on the Latin impersonal passive 373
- Auxiliary selection in German 405
- Tornar and volver 435
-
Part V. Existential and presentational constructions
- Control and the evolution of possessive and existential constructions 461
- Existential constructions 477
- Variation and change in the presentational constructions of north-western Italo-Romance varieties 511
- Argument realization and existential pro-forms in early Italo-Romance 549
- Author index 567
- Language and topic index 573
