Causer and causee as two higher-ranked thematic roles

Abstract On the basis of the argument realization of Mandarin resultative verb compounds, this paper argues that the Proto-Agent properties as well as the Proto-Patient properties proposed by Dowty (1991) are not equal in status. Specifically, the Proto-Agent property corresponding to the Causer and the Proto-Patient property corresponding to the Causee are two higher-ranked properties. In a non-prototype approach to thematic roles, this means that the Causer and the Causee are two higher-ranked thematic roles that are immediately relevant to the argument realization of monotransitive causative predicates. The paper shows that, compared with Dowty’s equal-weight approach, the alternative approach recognizing the Causer and the Causee as two higher-ranked properties or roles can give a simpler, more effective, and more straightforward account of the argument realization associated with monotransitive causative predicates, including lexical causatives, morphological causatives, and resultatives. This study has implications for research in the argument realization of causatives involving three (or more) arguments as well. Meanwhile, it has implications for any theory utilizing thematic hierarchy because (i) none of the thematic hierarchies proposed in the literature includes both the Causer and the Causee and (ii) a complete theory of thematic roles needs to take these two higher-ranked roles into consideration.

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Thematic Asymmetries Do Matter! A Corpus Study of German Word Order

Journal of Germanic Linguistics ◽

10.1017/s147054271400021x ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 45-104 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Elisabeth Verhoeven

Keyword(s):

Word Order ◽

Information Structure ◽

Thematic Roles ◽

Corpus Study ◽

Verb Classes ◽

German Word ◽

Case Marking ◽

Argument Realization ◽

The Impact ◽

Large Corpus

This article addresses the question of whether the influence of thematic roles (in particular, experiencers and patients) on word order is an epiphenomenal effect of other factors (such as information structure and animacy). For this purpose, I have investigated argument realization with different verb classes, including canonical verbs and either agentive or nonagentive experiencer-object verbs with varying case marking (dative or accusative), in a large corpus of written German. The obtained results indicate that the experiencer-first effect is at least to some extent triggered by other factors, in particular animacy. However, after subtracting the effect resulting from these factors, the impact of the thematic properties remains, and therefore it is necessary to explain the whole range of data.*

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A neural network application to assess magma diversity in the Etendeka igneous province, Namibia

South African Journal of Geology ◽

10.25131/sajg.124.0034 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

T.M. Owen-Smith ◽

R.B. Trumbull ◽

K. Bauer ◽

J.K. Keiding ◽

T.M. Will

Keyword(s):

Neural Network ◽

Equal Weight ◽

Element Abundances ◽

The Neural Network ◽

Igneous Provinces ◽

Alternative Approach ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Difference ◽

Input Variables ◽

Intrusive Suite

Abstract The geochemical discrimination of different magma types in Large Igneous Provinces is conventionally based on a few, pre-selected variables that are regarded to have petrological meaning. An alternative approach explored in this study is to apply the neural network technique of self-organising maps (SOM) to identify inherent groupings in data without knowledge or assumptions (unsupervised learning). The dataset used in this study comprises whole-rock analyses from extrusive (lava) and intrusive (dykes, sills) mafic suites in the Etendeka province, Namibia, taken from published sources and augmented by 103 new chemical analyses of dykes. Six SOM-classified groups are identified, which are unevenly distributed among the extrusive and the intrusive rock suites. The lava samples are dominated by just three of the six SOM groups (95% of all samples) and one group is absent entirely, whereas all six groups are present in the intrusive suite and five of them each comprise more than 5% of the samples. The geographic distribution of SOM-grouped dykes is heterogeneous and groups that are under-represented in the lava suite occur preferentially in a region of the pre-Etendeka basement where few lavas are preserved. Thus, the difference in magma diversity between intrusive and extrusive suites may be partly an artefact of erosion, which implies that a proper assessment of magma diversity in this and other LIPs must include the intrusive components. The correspondence of our SOM groupings with magma types in the Etendeka province that were established from petrologically defined variables is reasonably good for most trace-element abundances and ratios. However, some of the SOM groups have a wide range of initial Sr–Nd isotope ratios and a poor correspondence with the established magma types. We conclude that the SOM approach is useful for sorting out large and complex geochemical datasets but the method gives all input variables equal weight, which may be problematic if they have different responses to processes in the system under study (e.g., partial melting, fractional crystallisation, degassing, alteration). It is no substitute for expert petrological knowledge in discriminating genetically distinct magma types in an application like the present one.

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θ-structures of Mandarin Resultative Verb Compounds

Linguistik Online ◽

10.13092/lo.50.318 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 50 (6) ◽

Author(s):

Fengqi Li

Keyword(s):

Thematic Roles ◽

Main Structure ◽

Embedded Structure ◽

Verb Compounds

Mandarin Resultative Verb Compounds, different from any simplex words, have complicated θ-structures, since both the verb (Vcaus) and its complement (Cres) have the capacity of assigning their own thematic roles. The thematic roles assigned by Vcaus form the θ-structure's main structure, and those assigned by Cres form the embedded structure. Sometimes an entity plays a role in the main structure, and at the same time plays a role in the embedded structure. If the two roles are identical, they are "coindexed"; if they are different, they form a composite role. RVC's θ-structure is further compounded when ambiguity occurs and when causation is taken into consideration. The ambiguity of RVCs can be attributed to the different combination of thematic roles. As for causation, the two causative roles, causer and cause, can be assigned to thematic roles according to certain constraints.

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Effects of compression during formation on the microstructure of composite hydroxylapatite/plaster implants for bone reconstruction

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100105813 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 750-751

Author(s):

J. Hanker ◽

K. Cowden ◽

R. Noecker ◽

P. Yates ◽

N. Georgiade ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cosmetic Surgery ◽

Glass Plate ◽

Surgical Reconstruction ◽

Equal Weight ◽

Sintered Ceramic ◽

Setting Times ◽

Excess Water ◽

Mixture Prior ◽

Mechanical Strengths ◽

Calcium Sulfate Hemihydrate

Composites of plaster of Paris (PP) and hydroxylapatite (HA) particles are being applied for the surgical reconstruction of craniofacial bone defects and for cosmetic surgery. Two types of HA particles are being employed, the dense sintered ceramic (DHA) and the porous, coralline hydroxylapatite (PHA) particles. Excess water is expressed out of the moistened HA/PP mixture prior to implantation and setting by pressing it in a non-tapered syringe against a glass plate. This results in implants with faster setting times and greater mechanical strengths. It was therefore of interest to compare samples of the compressed versus noncompressed mixtures to see whether or not any changes in their microstructure after setting could be related to these different properties.USG Medical Grade Calcium Sulfate Hemihydrate (which has the lowest mortar consistency of any known plaster) was mixed with an equal weight of Interpore 200 particles (a commercial form of PHA). After moistening with a minimum amount of water, disc-shaped noncompressed samples were made by filling small holes (0.339 in. diameter x 0.053 in. deep) in polypropylene molds with a microspatula.

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