Between Finnic and Indo-European
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Liina Lindström
Abstract
In the Estonian experiencer-object construction the experiencer bears typical object marking, and the stimulus is marked as a subject. Unlike most other Finnic languages, in Estonian the stimulus is an obligatory part of this construction. In this, the Estonian experiencer-object construction is more similar to surrounding Indo-European languages. The process through which the stimulus has become an obligatory part of the construction in Estonian has entailed some changes concerning the subject properties of the experiencer argument. Comparing Estonian data to data from other Finnic languages as well as Latvian and Russian, we observe that the experiencer argument in Estonian has fewer subject properties in this construction than in other Finnic languages, but more than in Latvian. Thus we conclude that Estonian has lost some of its Finnic inheritance, due to contact with Indo-European. Some properties of the construction connected to the agentivity or non-agentivity of the stimulus are also investigated in this paper: the use of the construction in impersonals and passives, restrictions on the use of imperatives, and variation in word order.
Abstract
In the Estonian experiencer-object construction the experiencer bears typical object marking, and the stimulus is marked as a subject. Unlike most other Finnic languages, in Estonian the stimulus is an obligatory part of this construction. In this, the Estonian experiencer-object construction is more similar to surrounding Indo-European languages. The process through which the stimulus has become an obligatory part of the construction in Estonian has entailed some changes concerning the subject properties of the experiencer argument. Comparing Estonian data to data from other Finnic languages as well as Latvian and Russian, we observe that the experiencer argument in Estonian has fewer subject properties in this construction than in other Finnic languages, but more than in Latvian. Thus we conclude that Estonian has lost some of its Finnic inheritance, due to contact with Indo-European. Some properties of the construction connected to the agentivity or non-agentivity of the stimulus are also investigated in this paper: the use of the construction in impersonals and passives, restrictions on the use of imperatives, and variation in word order.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- Introduction ix
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Part I. Rise of non-canonical subjects or subject-like obliques
- Non selected dative arguments in Spanish anticausative constructions 3
- The rise of animacy-based differential subject marking in Dutch 35
- The rise of oblique subjects in Russian 55
- Non-canonical subject marking 73
- The rise of non-canonical subjects and semantic alignments in Hindi 91
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Part II. Historical changes in constructions with non-canonical subjects or subject-like obliques
- Experiencers and psychological noun predicates 121
- Between Finnic and Indo-European 139
- On the historical expansion of non-canonically marked ‘subjects’ in Spanish 163
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Part III. From non-canonical subjects or subject-like obliques to canonical subjects
- Subjects in Scandinavian 187
- The me pudet construction in the history of Latin 203
- Diachrony of experiencer subject marking 231
- Obliqueness, quasi-subjects and transitivity in Baltic and Slavonic 257
- Rise of canonical subjecthood 283
-
Synthesis
- The diachronic typology of non-canonical subjects and subject-like obliques 313
- Language index 361
- Subject index 363
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- List of contributors vii
- Introduction ix
-
Part I. Rise of non-canonical subjects or subject-like obliques
- Non selected dative arguments in Spanish anticausative constructions 3
- The rise of animacy-based differential subject marking in Dutch 35
- The rise of oblique subjects in Russian 55
- Non-canonical subject marking 73
- The rise of non-canonical subjects and semantic alignments in Hindi 91
-
Part II. Historical changes in constructions with non-canonical subjects or subject-like obliques
- Experiencers and psychological noun predicates 121
- Between Finnic and Indo-European 139
- On the historical expansion of non-canonically marked ‘subjects’ in Spanish 163
-
Part III. From non-canonical subjects or subject-like obliques to canonical subjects
- Subjects in Scandinavian 187
- The me pudet construction in the history of Latin 203
- Diachrony of experiencer subject marking 231
- Obliqueness, quasi-subjects and transitivity in Baltic and Slavonic 257
- Rise of canonical subjecthood 283
-
Synthesis
- The diachronic typology of non-canonical subjects and subject-like obliques 313
- Language index 361
- Subject index 363
