Hagit Borer
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199263929
- eISBN:
- 9780191718168
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199263929.003.0003
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics
This chapter discusses the projection of functional event structure, arguing specifically for an Event Phrase (EP) and for an Aspectual Quantity Phrase (Asp Q P). In the context of both of these ...
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This chapter discusses the projection of functional event structure, arguing specifically for an Event Phrase (EP) and for an Aspectual Quantity Phrase (Asp Q P). In the context of both of these nodes, argument role labels may emerge, those of originator and subject-of-quantity, respectively. In both cases, however, it is not the structure itself that assigns a role. Rather, the role is assigned as an entailment from the event structure. It is argued that the appearance of an obligatory argument, especially in the case of unaccusatives and telic transitives, does not arise from assignment relations, but from the need to assign range to aspectual structure, which must occur under well-defined syntactic conditions, specifically under specifier-head relations. As such, the existence of well-defined formal syntactic conditions on the emergence of a telic interpretation will provide a strong argument for the syntactic representation of event structure.Less
This chapter discusses the projection of functional event structure, arguing specifically for an Event Phrase (EP) and for an Aspectual Quantity Phrase (Asp Q P). In the context of both of these nodes, argument role labels may emerge, those of originator and subject-of-quantity, respectively. In both cases, however, it is not the structure itself that assigns a role. Rather, the role is assigned as an entailment from the event structure. It is argued that the appearance of an obligatory argument, especially in the case of unaccusatives and telic transitives, does not arise from assignment relations, but from the need to assign range to aspectual structure, which must occur under well-defined syntactic conditions, specifically under specifier-head relations. As such, the existence of well-defined formal syntactic conditions on the emergence of a telic interpretation will provide a strong argument for the syntactic representation of event structure.
Hagit Borer
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199263929
- eISBN:
- 9780191718168
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199263929.003.0002
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics
Argument structure is licensed by functional syntactic structure, and specifically, functional structure that is interpreted as event structure. This syntactic structure, in turn, affects aspects of ...
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Argument structure is licensed by functional syntactic structure, and specifically, functional structure that is interpreted as event structure. This syntactic structure, in turn, affects aspects of the basic meaning of its L-head, where by L-head we mean a (category-neutral) listeme, part of the conceptual array. The functional structure may further have the effect of ‘verbalizing’ the L-domain (if not already verbalized by categorial morphology), where by the L-domain we mean the maximal category the L-head projects. The L-head, or, more accurately, the listeme, in turn functions as a modifier of the structure, giving rise to appropriateness or oddity, as the case may be, and as already discussed extensively. To the extent that argument structure is altogether severed from the properties of the L-head that is to become the verb, we expect massive polysemy. This chapter turns to at least one well-known case of polysemy within the verbal domain. It illustrates this polysemy within the domain of verb structures, arguing not only that it occurs, but that its best characterization is through the projection of functional structure which is interpreted as event structure.Less
Argument structure is licensed by functional syntactic structure, and specifically, functional structure that is interpreted as event structure. This syntactic structure, in turn, affects aspects of the basic meaning of its L-head, where by L-head we mean a (category-neutral) listeme, part of the conceptual array. The functional structure may further have the effect of ‘verbalizing’ the L-domain (if not already verbalized by categorial morphology), where by the L-domain we mean the maximal category the L-head projects. The L-head, or, more accurately, the listeme, in turn functions as a modifier of the structure, giving rise to appropriateness or oddity, as the case may be, and as already discussed extensively. To the extent that argument structure is altogether severed from the properties of the L-head that is to become the verb, we expect massive polysemy. This chapter turns to at least one well-known case of polysemy within the verbal domain. It illustrates this polysemy within the domain of verb structures, arguing not only that it occurs, but that its best characterization is through the projection of functional structure which is interpreted as event structure.
Frank Krueger and Jordan Grafman
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195188370
- eISBN:
- 9780199870462
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195188370.003.0025
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience
Event sequence knowledge is necessary for learning, planning, and performing activities of daily living. Clinical observations suggest that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is crucial for goal-directed ...
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Event sequence knowledge is necessary for learning, planning, and performing activities of daily living. Clinical observations suggest that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is crucial for goal-directed behavior such as carrying out plans, controlling a course of actions, or organizing everyday life routines. This chapter proposes a “representational” approach to PFC function, which assumes that the PFC (a) stores long-term memories of goal-oriented event sequence knowledge and (b) seeks to establish the format and categories according to which such information is stored. It argues that the human PFC stores a unique type of knowledge in the form of structured event complexes (SECs). SECs are representations composed of higher-order goal-oriented sequences of events that are involved in the planning and monitoring of complex behavior.Less
Event sequence knowledge is necessary for learning, planning, and performing activities of daily living. Clinical observations suggest that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is crucial for goal-directed behavior such as carrying out plans, controlling a course of actions, or organizing everyday life routines. This chapter proposes a “representational” approach to PFC function, which assumes that the PFC (a) stores long-term memories of goal-oriented event sequence knowledge and (b) seeks to establish the format and categories according to which such information is stored. It argues that the human PFC stores a unique type of knowledge in the form of structured event complexes (SECs). SECs are representations composed of higher-order goal-oriented sequences of events that are involved in the planning and monitoring of complex behavior.
Kylie Richardson
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199291960
- eISBN:
- 9780191710551
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199291960.003.0003
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter demonstrates that in the Slavic languages the accusative case arises on the internal argument of a ‘base’ verb whose event structure (lexical/semantic aspect) is compositional, whereas ...
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This chapter demonstrates that in the Slavic languages the accusative case arises on the internal argument of a ‘base’ verb whose event structure (lexical/semantic aspect) is compositional, whereas lexical case-marking occurs with atelic base verbs whose event structure is never compositional. A syntactic analysis is provided to account for this pattern.Less
This chapter demonstrates that in the Slavic languages the accusative case arises on the internal argument of a ‘base’ verb whose event structure (lexical/semantic aspect) is compositional, whereas lexical case-marking occurs with atelic base verbs whose event structure is never compositional. A syntactic analysis is provided to account for this pattern.
Hagit Borer
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199263929
- eISBN:
- 9780191718168
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199263929.003.0005
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics
This chapter presents an elaboration of the notion of quantity as proposed in this work both for nominals and for events. The notion will be argued to be the same one in both cases, differing in some ...
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This chapter presents an elaboration of the notion of quantity as proposed in this work both for nominals and for events. The notion will be argued to be the same one in both cases, differing in some important ways from, e.g., Krifka's notion of quantization. In that context, the chapter further argues for the syntactic rather than lexical representation of event argument roles, for the view of telicity as the ‘structuring’ of atelicity, and for the emergence of argument interpretation as an entailment from event structure rather than as a direct assignment relationship.Less
This chapter presents an elaboration of the notion of quantity as proposed in this work both for nominals and for events. The notion will be argued to be the same one in both cases, differing in some important ways from, e.g., Krifka's notion of quantization. In that context, the chapter further argues for the syntactic rather than lexical representation of event argument roles, for the view of telicity as the ‘structuring’ of atelicity, and for the emergence of argument interpretation as an entailment from event structure rather than as a direct assignment relationship.
Malka Rappaport Hovav, Edit Doron, and Ivy Sichel
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199544325
- eISBN:
- 9780191720536
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199544325.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics
This chapter introduces the volume by outlining the general themes explored and describing the structure of the book. The chapters all address aspects of the same basic research programme: ...
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This chapter introduces the volume by outlining the general themes explored and describing the structure of the book. The chapters all address aspects of the same basic research programme: determining the division of labour between the lexicon, (morpho)syntax, and compositional semantics in the encoding of what can broadly be construed as event structure, encompassing event participants and the temporal properties associated with the linguistic representation of events.Less
This chapter introduces the volume by outlining the general themes explored and describing the structure of the book. The chapters all address aspects of the same basic research programme: determining the division of labour between the lexicon, (morpho)syntax, and compositional semantics in the encoding of what can broadly be construed as event structure, encompassing event participants and the temporal properties associated with the linguistic representation of events.
Malka Rappaport Hovav, Edit Doron, and Ivy Sichel (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199544325
- eISBN:
- 9780191720536
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199544325.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Historical Linguistics
This book focuses on the linguistic representation of temporality in the verbal domain and its interaction with the syntax and semantics of verbs, arguments, and modifiers. Leading scholars explore ...
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This book focuses on the linguistic representation of temporality in the verbal domain and its interaction with the syntax and semantics of verbs, arguments, and modifiers. Leading scholars explore the division of labour between syntax, compositional semantics, and lexical semantics in the encoding of event structure, encompassing event participants and the temporal properties associated with events. They examine the interface between event structure and the systems with which it interacts, including the interface between event structure and the syntactic realization of arguments and modifiers. Deploying a variety of frameworks and theoretical perspectives they consider central issues and questions in the field, among them whether argument‐structure is specified in the lexical entries of verbs or syntactically constructed so that syntactic position determines thematic status; whether the hierarchical structure evidenced in argument structure find parallels in sign language; should the relation between members of an alternation pair, such as the causative‐inchoative alternation, be understood lexically or derivationally; and the role of syntactic category in determining the configuration of argument structure.Less
This book focuses on the linguistic representation of temporality in the verbal domain and its interaction with the syntax and semantics of verbs, arguments, and modifiers. Leading scholars explore the division of labour between syntax, compositional semantics, and lexical semantics in the encoding of event structure, encompassing event participants and the temporal properties associated with events. They examine the interface between event structure and the systems with which it interacts, including the interface between event structure and the syntactic realization of arguments and modifiers. Deploying a variety of frameworks and theoretical perspectives they consider central issues and questions in the field, among them whether argument‐structure is specified in the lexical entries of verbs or syntactically constructed so that syntactic position determines thematic status; whether the hierarchical structure evidenced in argument structure find parallels in sign language; should the relation between members of an alternation pair, such as the causative‐inchoative alternation, be understood lexically or derivationally; and the role of syntactic category in determining the configuration of argument structure.
Nikolas Gisborne
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199577798
- eISBN:
- 9780191722417
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577798.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics, Syntax and Morphology
Perception verbs – such as look, see, taste, hear, feel, sound, listen, and observe – present unresolved problems for linguistic theories. This book examines the predictability of relations between ...
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Perception verbs – such as look, see, taste, hear, feel, sound, listen, and observe – present unresolved problems for linguistic theories. This book examines the predictability of relations between their semantics and syntactic behaviour, the different kinds of polysemy they exhibit, and the role of evidentiality in verbs like seem and appear. After an opening chapter explaining the nature of the issues, there is a concise introduction to Word Grammar. Chapter 3 considers the implications of the approach for a general theory of event structure, and looks at how Word Grammar can be applied to causation, argument linking, and the modelling of polysemy. Chapter 4 explores the polysemy of see; chapter 5 looks at relations between verbs of active perception like listen, and verbs of involuntary perception such as hear; chapter 6 explores the semantics of non‐finite predicative complementation; and chapter 7 discusses verbs of appearance. Chapter 8 presents some conclusions.Less
Perception verbs – such as look, see, taste, hear, feel, sound, listen, and observe – present unresolved problems for linguistic theories. This book examines the predictability of relations between their semantics and syntactic behaviour, the different kinds of polysemy they exhibit, and the role of evidentiality in verbs like seem and appear. After an opening chapter explaining the nature of the issues, there is a concise introduction to Word Grammar. Chapter 3 considers the implications of the approach for a general theory of event structure, and looks at how Word Grammar can be applied to causation, argument linking, and the modelling of polysemy. Chapter 4 explores the polysemy of see; chapter 5 looks at relations between verbs of active perception like listen, and verbs of involuntary perception such as hear; chapter 6 explores the semantics of non‐finite predicative complementation; and chapter 7 discusses verbs of appearance. Chapter 8 presents some conclusions.
Hagit Borer
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199263929
- eISBN:
- 9780191718168
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199263929.003.0006
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics
This chapter turns to cases where range assignment in event structure is marked morphologically, specifically through the Slavic perfective system. It argues that the perfective system is ...
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This chapter turns to cases where range assignment in event structure is marked morphologically, specifically through the Slavic perfective system. It argues that the perfective system is fundamentally the marking of aktionsart (although this does not hold for the imperfective system), and that just as within languages such as English or Hebrew, quantity marking of the argument translates into quantity marking of an aspectual head. Thus, in Slavic languages, quantity marking on the head (i.e., a quantity head feature) translates into quantity marking on the argument. One of the most important predictions of the system presented here is that in well-defined structural environments, telicity could exist without an ‘internal’ argument.Less
This chapter turns to cases where range assignment in event structure is marked morphologically, specifically through the Slavic perfective system. It argues that the perfective system is fundamentally the marking of aktionsart (although this does not hold for the imperfective system), and that just as within languages such as English or Hebrew, quantity marking of the argument translates into quantity marking of an aspectual head. Thus, in Slavic languages, quantity marking on the head (i.e., a quantity head feature) translates into quantity marking on the argument. One of the most important predictions of the system presented here is that in well-defined structural environments, telicity could exist without an ‘internal’ argument.
Hagit Borer
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199263929
- eISBN:
- 9780191718168
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199263929.003.0007
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics
This chapter argues that there is telicity without Verkuyl's generalization in Slavic, which lends support to the specifier-head agreement mechanism suggested as an account for Verkuyl's ...
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This chapter argues that there is telicity without Verkuyl's generalization in Slavic, which lends support to the specifier-head agreement mechanism suggested as an account for Verkuyl's generalization. It also constitutes strong support for the syntactic representation of telicity and event structure proposed here.Less
This chapter argues that there is telicity without Verkuyl's generalization in Slavic, which lends support to the specifier-head agreement mechanism suggested as an account for Verkuyl's generalization. It also constitutes strong support for the syntactic representation of telicity and event structure proposed here.
William Croft
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199248582
- eISBN:
- 9780191740657
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199248582.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
“Verbs: aspect and causal structure” presents a model of event structure for the analysis of aspectual constructions and argument structure constructions in English and other languages. The central ...
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“Verbs: aspect and causal structure” presents a model of event structure for the analysis of aspectual constructions and argument structure constructions in English and other languages. The central proposal is that the aspectual and causal structure of events should be clearly distinguished in their semantic representation, since each dimension makes a distinct contribution to the structure of grammatical constructions. In addition, aspect - the unfolding of events over time - must itself be analyzed in two dimensions, namely time and the qualitative states that an event enters or maintains over time. This geometric model of aspectual representation allows for a fine-grained and systematic analysis of aspectual types and their grammatical manifestation. The third dimension of event structure is the causal chain, the central semantic factor in argument realization. The aspectual and causal structures are integrated into a single model in which each participant in an event is represented by its own subevent, describing what that participant does (or has happen to it) as the event unfolds. The integrated event structure model is then used to analyze the types of events that are typically expressed in single verb constructions, with comparisons to selected complex predicate constructions such as resultative, depictive, converb and serial verb constructions.Less
“Verbs: aspect and causal structure” presents a model of event structure for the analysis of aspectual constructions and argument structure constructions in English and other languages. The central proposal is that the aspectual and causal structure of events should be clearly distinguished in their semantic representation, since each dimension makes a distinct contribution to the structure of grammatical constructions. In addition, aspect - the unfolding of events over time - must itself be analyzed in two dimensions, namely time and the qualitative states that an event enters or maintains over time. This geometric model of aspectual representation allows for a fine-grained and systematic analysis of aspectual types and their grammatical manifestation. The third dimension of event structure is the causal chain, the central semantic factor in argument realization. The aspectual and causal structures are integrated into a single model in which each participant in an event is represented by its own subevent, describing what that participant does (or has happen to it) as the event unfolds. The integrated event structure model is then used to analyze the types of events that are typically expressed in single verb constructions, with comparisons to selected complex predicate constructions such as resultative, depictive, converb and serial verb constructions.
William Croft
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199248582
- eISBN:
- 9780191740657
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199248582.003.0005
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
Chapter 5, “Toward a force-dynamic theory of argument realization”, provides a critical survey of theories of the role of event structure in argument realization, concluding with the causal chain ...
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Chapter 5, “Toward a force-dynamic theory of argument realization”, provides a critical survey of theories of the role of event structure in argument realization, concluding with the causal chain (force dynamic) model. Many prior theories have proposed a number of syntactic or semantic constructs in addition to causal-aspectual event structure in order to account for a wide range of argument realization patterns. These additional constructs can be replaced by using two properties of event structure: the causal transmission of force between participants, and the profiling of part of the causal chain (leaving the remainder as part of the causal semantic frame of the event). The chapter concludes by introducing the integration of the two geometric dimensions of the aspectual representation from chapters 2-4 and the causal chain. This is achieved by assigning each participant in the event its own aspectual subevent; the subevents are causally related to one another in the causal chain.Less
Chapter 5, “Toward a force-dynamic theory of argument realization”, provides a critical survey of theories of the role of event structure in argument realization, concluding with the causal chain (force dynamic) model. Many prior theories have proposed a number of syntactic or semantic constructs in addition to causal-aspectual event structure in order to account for a wide range of argument realization patterns. These additional constructs can be replaced by using two properties of event structure: the causal transmission of force between participants, and the profiling of part of the causal chain (leaving the remainder as part of the causal semantic frame of the event). The chapter concludes by introducing the integration of the two geometric dimensions of the aspectual representation from chapters 2-4 and the causal chain. This is achieved by assigning each participant in the event its own aspectual subevent; the subevents are causally related to one another in the causal chain.
William Croft
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199248582
- eISBN:
- 9780191740657
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199248582.003.0010
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
Chapter 10, “Envoi”, summarizes the book (NB: this is only a little over one page long!)
Chapter 10, “Envoi”, summarizes the book (NB: this is only a little over one page long!)
Nikolas Gisborne
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199577798
- eISBN:
- 9780191722417
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577798.003.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics, Syntax and Morphology
This chapter introduces the book as a whole. It presents the data set, and explores some of the issues that need to be addressed in a study of these verbs as well as indicating some general concerns ...
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This chapter introduces the book as a whole. It presents the data set, and explores some of the issues that need to be addressed in a study of these verbs as well as indicating some general concerns in the study of event structure. It is observed that there are three main classes of perception verb — listen‐class verbs; hear‐class verbs; and sound‐class verbs — and there is some exploration of how different perception verbs fit into these categories, and what the core features of the categories are. This chapter locates the study in the relevant literature, and explains the features of Word Grammar, which is the organizing framework for the analysis in this book. It ends with a section describing what is coming up in the rest of the book.Less
This chapter introduces the book as a whole. It presents the data set, and explores some of the issues that need to be addressed in a study of these verbs as well as indicating some general concerns in the study of event structure. It is observed that there are three main classes of perception verb — listen‐class verbs; hear‐class verbs; and sound‐class verbs — and there is some exploration of how different perception verbs fit into these categories, and what the core features of the categories are. This chapter locates the study in the relevant literature, and explains the features of Word Grammar, which is the organizing framework for the analysis in this book. It ends with a section describing what is coming up in the rest of the book.
CARLOTA S. SMITH
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199280445
- eISBN:
- 9780191712845
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199280445.003.0009
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology
Event structure in Navajo presents a challenge to generative linguistic analysis. The Navajo verb word has a complex structure with an abstract stem and prefixes that appear in fixed positions. The ...
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Event structure in Navajo presents a challenge to generative linguistic analysis. The Navajo verb word has a complex structure with an abstract stem and prefixes that appear in fixed positions. The positions are traditionally represented by a template. This chapter determines how information about event structure is conveyed in the Navajo verb, and considers how best to represent such structure in a linguistic account. It discusses two different approaches: that of semantically-based syntax, and the surface-structure interpretation of Discourse Representation Theory. It is argued that the latter is preferable on grounds of simplicity and adequacy.Less
Event structure in Navajo presents a challenge to generative linguistic analysis. The Navajo verb word has a complex structure with an abstract stem and prefixes that appear in fixed positions. The positions are traditionally represented by a template. This chapter determines how information about event structure is conveyed in the Navajo verb, and considers how best to represent such structure in a linguistic account. It discusses two different approaches: that of semantically-based syntax, and the surface-structure interpretation of Discourse Representation Theory. It is argued that the latter is preferable on grounds of simplicity and adequacy.
Hagit Borer
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199263929
- eISBN:
- 9780191718168
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199263929.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Semantics and Pragmatics
This is the second volume of three in the Structuring Sense series. This three-volume book sets out to demonstrate that the explanation of linguistic competence should be shifted from lexical entry ...
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This is the second volume of three in the Structuring Sense series. This three-volume book sets out to demonstrate that the explanation of linguistic competence should be shifted from lexical entry to syntactic structure, from memory of words to manipulation of rules. Its reformulation of how grammar and lexicon interact has important implications for linguistic, philosophical, and psychological theories about the human mind and language. The book departs from both language specific constructional approaches and lexicalist approaches to argue that universal hierarchical structures determine interpretation, and that language variation emerges from the morphological and phonological properties of inflectional material. This volume applies this radical approach to event structure. Integrating research results in syntax, semantics, and morphology, the author shows that argument structure is based on the syntactic realization of semantic event units. The topics this volume addresses include the structure of internal arguments and of telic and atelic interpretations, accusative and partitive case, perfective and imperfective marking, the unaccusative-unergative distinction, existential interpretation and post-verbal subjects, and resultative constructions. The languages discussed include English, Catalan, Finnish, Hebrew, Czech, Polish, Russian, and Spanish.Less
This is the second volume of three in the Structuring Sense series. This three-volume book sets out to demonstrate that the explanation of linguistic competence should be shifted from lexical entry to syntactic structure, from memory of words to manipulation of rules. Its reformulation of how grammar and lexicon interact has important implications for linguistic, philosophical, and psychological theories about the human mind and language. The book departs from both language specific constructional approaches and lexicalist approaches to argue that universal hierarchical structures determine interpretation, and that language variation emerges from the morphological and phonological properties of inflectional material. This volume applies this radical approach to event structure. Integrating research results in syntax, semantics, and morphology, the author shows that argument structure is based on the syntactic realization of semantic event units. The topics this volume addresses include the structure of internal arguments and of telic and atelic interpretations, accusative and partitive case, perfective and imperfective marking, the unaccusative-unergative distinction, existential interpretation and post-verbal subjects, and resultative constructions. The languages discussed include English, Catalan, Finnish, Hebrew, Czech, Polish, Russian, and Spanish.
William Croft
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199248582
- eISBN:
- 9780191740657
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199248582.003.0008
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
Chapter 8, “Complex predicate constructions and the semantics of simple verbs”, compares the semantic possibilities of certain complex predicate constructions in order to gain a better understanding ...
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Chapter 8, “Complex predicate constructions and the semantics of simple verbs”, compares the semantic possibilities of certain complex predicate constructions in order to gain a better understanding of the semantics of simple verbal constructions. Resultative constructions (those combining a main predicate with a result expression) fall into two categories, which are best characterized in terms of the contrast between directed change and undirected change. The range of semantic relations between subevents found in depictive constructions, serial verb constructions and converb constructions also suggest that by contrast, the semantics of simple verb constructions are more constrained in a number of semantic dimensions. Simple verbs appear to denote maximally individuated events.Less
Chapter 8, “Complex predicate constructions and the semantics of simple verbs”, compares the semantic possibilities of certain complex predicate constructions in order to gain a better understanding of the semantics of simple verbal constructions. Resultative constructions (those combining a main predicate with a result expression) fall into two categories, which are best characterized in terms of the contrast between directed change and undirected change. The range of semantic relations between subevents found in depictive constructions, serial verb constructions and converb constructions also suggest that by contrast, the semantics of simple verb constructions are more constrained in a number of semantic dimensions. Simple verbs appear to denote maximally individuated events.
William Croft
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199248582
- eISBN:
- 9780191740657
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199248582.003.0009
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
Chapter 9, “Verb meaning and argument structure constructions”, addresses the question of the relationship between the meaning of a verb and the meaning of the argument structure construction(s) it ...
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Chapter 9, “Verb meaning and argument structure constructions”, addresses the question of the relationship between the meaning of a verb and the meaning of the argument structure construction(s) it occurs in. Verbs never occur outside of an argument structure construction, and an argument structure construction never occurs without a verb. Moreover, a verb occurs in multiple argument structure constructions. These facts make it difficult to identify the semantic contributions of verb and construction. A verb’s meaning involves a force-dynamic potential which allows it to occur in multiple argument structure constructions; a verb occurring in a particular argument structure construction represents a specific force-dynamic construal of that event. The semantic contributions of verb and construction overlap in complex ways and may be analyzed differently across speakers and over time. Fine-grained analyses of the distribution of verbs across various constructions supports a usage-based, exemplar model of verb + construction meaning.Less
Chapter 9, “Verb meaning and argument structure constructions”, addresses the question of the relationship between the meaning of a verb and the meaning of the argument structure construction(s) it occurs in. Verbs never occur outside of an argument structure construction, and an argument structure construction never occurs without a verb. Moreover, a verb occurs in multiple argument structure constructions. These facts make it difficult to identify the semantic contributions of verb and construction. A verb’s meaning involves a force-dynamic potential which allows it to occur in multiple argument structure constructions; a verb occurring in a particular argument structure construction represents a specific force-dynamic construal of that event. The semantic contributions of verb and construction overlap in complex ways and may be analyzed differently across speakers and over time. Fine-grained analyses of the distribution of verbs across various constructions supports a usage-based, exemplar model of verb + construction meaning.
Robert Truswell
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- May 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199577774
- eISBN:
- 9780191725319
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577774.003.0008
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Syntax and Morphology, Semantics and Pragmatics
A locality condition stated in terms of events raises questions concerning modularity. Why can a syntactic condition be constrained by semantic factors. Attempts to syntacticize the Single Event ...
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A locality condition stated in terms of events raises questions concerning modularity. Why can a syntactic condition be constrained by semantic factors. Attempts to syntacticize the Single Event Grouping Condition by mapping aspects of event structure into syntax are rejected. Instead, the semantic influence on syntactic operations is related to evidence that semantic factors locally influence incremental syntactic processing. We end with a brief sketch of an implementation in Gibson's Dependency Locality Theory. This theory measures locality in terms of discourse referents, and so penalizes the proliferation of discourse referents such as events. Although only an outline is provided, this approach has instant empirical benefits, and promises to provide a principled explanation for the apparent nonmodularity of the Single Event Grouping Condition.Less
A locality condition stated in terms of events raises questions concerning modularity. Why can a syntactic condition be constrained by semantic factors. Attempts to syntacticize the Single Event Grouping Condition by mapping aspects of event structure into syntax are rejected. Instead, the semantic influence on syntactic operations is related to evidence that semantic factors locally influence incremental syntactic processing. We end with a brief sketch of an implementation in Gibson's Dependency Locality Theory. This theory measures locality in terms of discourse referents, and so penalizes the proliferation of discourse referents such as events. Although only an outline is provided, this approach has instant empirical benefits, and promises to provide a principled explanation for the apparent nonmodularity of the Single Event Grouping Condition.
Jordan Grafman
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195177619
- eISBN:
- 9780199864683
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195177619.003.0011
- Subject:
- Neuroscience, Sensory and Motor Systems, Behavioral Neuroscience
This chapter shows that key higher-level cognitive functions known as the executive functions are strongly associated with the human prefrontal cortex (HPFC). It argues that an important way to ...
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This chapter shows that key higher-level cognitive functions known as the executive functions are strongly associated with the human prefrontal cortex (HPFC). It argues that an important way to understand the functions of the HPFC is to adapt the representational model that has been the predominant approach to understanding the neuropsychological aspects of, for example, language processing and object recognition. The representational approach developed is based on the structured event complex framework. This framework claims that there are multiple subcomponents of higher-level knowledge that are stored throughout the HPFC as distinctive domains of memory. The chapter also argues that there are topographical distinctions in where these different aspects of knowledge are stored in the HPFC.Less
This chapter shows that key higher-level cognitive functions known as the executive functions are strongly associated with the human prefrontal cortex (HPFC). It argues that an important way to understand the functions of the HPFC is to adapt the representational model that has been the predominant approach to understanding the neuropsychological aspects of, for example, language processing and object recognition. The representational approach developed is based on the structured event complex framework. This framework claims that there are multiple subcomponents of higher-level knowledge that are stored throughout the HPFC as distinctive domains of memory. The chapter also argues that there are topographical distinctions in where these different aspects of knowledge are stored in the HPFC.
