An areal and cross-linguistic study of benefactive and malefactive constructions
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Paula Radetzky
Abstract
In this study, we compare languages of Europe with those in Asia, establishing a two-part typology of strategies that these languages use to express notions of benefactivity and malefactivity. Languages in Europe have a generalized and semantically underspecified affectedness construction as the most unmarked construction in their repertoire; this can be used in both benefactive and malefactive situations. On the other hand, in the vast majority of the languages of South Asia, mainland Southeast Asia, and East Asia, benefactive constructions are separate from malefactive constructions, and each one is semantically robust and restricted in its applicability to either fortunate or unfortunate situations. An important question to raise is the interrelatedness between this areal distribution and each area’s societal values and cultural practice.
Abstract
In this study, we compare languages of Europe with those in Asia, establishing a two-part typology of strategies that these languages use to express notions of benefactivity and malefactivity. Languages in Europe have a generalized and semantically underspecified affectedness construction as the most unmarked construction in their repertoire; this can be used in both benefactive and malefactive situations. On the other hand, in the vast majority of the languages of South Asia, mainland Southeast Asia, and East Asia, benefactive constructions are separate from malefactive constructions, and each one is semantically robust and restricted in its applicability to either fortunate or unfortunate situations. An important question to raise is the interrelatedness between this areal distribution and each area’s societal values and cultural practice.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- List of contributors ix
- Introduction 1
- Benefactive applicative periphrases 29
- Cross-linguistic categorization of benefactives by event structure 71
- An areal and cross-linguistic study of benefactive and malefactive constructions 97
- The role of benefactives and related notions in the typology of purpose clauses 121
- Benefactive and malefactive uses of Salish applicatives 147
- Beneficiaries and recipients in Toba (Guaycurú) 185
- Benefactive and malefactive applicativization in Mapudungun 203
- The benefactive semantic potential of ‘caused reception’ constructions 219
- Beneficiary coding in Finnish 245
- Benefactives in Laz 271
- Benefactive and malefactive verb extensions in the Koalib very system 295
- Benefactives and malefactives in Gumer (Gurage) 317
- A “reflexive benefactive” in Chamba-Daka (Adamawa branch, Niger-Congo family) 331
- Beneficiary and other roles of the dative in Tashelhiyt 351
- Benefactive strategies in Thai 377
- Korean benefactive particles and their meanings 393
- Malefactivity in Japanese 419
- Index 437
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- List of contributors ix
- Introduction 1
- Benefactive applicative periphrases 29
- Cross-linguistic categorization of benefactives by event structure 71
- An areal and cross-linguistic study of benefactive and malefactive constructions 97
- The role of benefactives and related notions in the typology of purpose clauses 121
- Benefactive and malefactive uses of Salish applicatives 147
- Beneficiaries and recipients in Toba (Guaycurú) 185
- Benefactive and malefactive applicativization in Mapudungun 203
- The benefactive semantic potential of ‘caused reception’ constructions 219
- Beneficiary coding in Finnish 245
- Benefactives in Laz 271
- Benefactive and malefactive verb extensions in the Koalib very system 295
- Benefactives and malefactives in Gumer (Gurage) 317
- A “reflexive benefactive” in Chamba-Daka (Adamawa branch, Niger-Congo family) 331
- Beneficiary and other roles of the dative in Tashelhiyt 351
- Benefactive strategies in Thai 377
- Korean benefactive particles and their meanings 393
- Malefactivity in Japanese 419
- Index 437
