scholarly journals On the syntax of anticausativisation and decausativisation in Japanese and Chinese

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 805-822
Author(s):  
Wenchao Li
Keyword(s):  
Word Form ◽  
Internal Argument ◽  
Intransitive Verb ◽  
Change Of State ◽  
Transitive Verbs ◽  
Compound Verbs ◽  
Intransitive Verbs ◽  
Verb Compounds

This paper is dedicated to a comparison of transitive/intransitive verb alternation in Japanese and Chinese. Discussions are focused upon three grammatical elements: monosyllabic verbs, compound verbs and constructions. The findings reveal that the two languages share similarities in two aspects: (i). transitive and intransitive verbs share the same word form; (ii) transitive and intransitive verbs can derive from the same adjective stems. Significant distinctions are also seen between the two: anticausativisation and decausativisation in Japanese are mainly facilitated in morphological level, e.g. anticausativisation is realised through the morpheme and decausativisation is conveyed by . The morpheme can be used with both intransitive and transitive verbs. Regarding Chinese, lexical and syntax have a curial role to play in transitive/intransitive verb alternation. Decausativisation appears the most favourable strategy of the alternation. Two ways of decausativisation is observed: schema of [action + resultative state]; verb compounds (V-V). Three types of V-Vs are possible for this strategy, i.e. Predicate-Complement V-V, Modifier-Head V-V and Coordinative V-V. Among them, predicate-complement V-V has the largest token of decausativisation. Moreover, constraints on Chinese anticausativisation and decausativisation are seen. When a resultative complment predicate an internal argument, the higher the agentivity that implies manner of action, the greater the unlikelihood of anticausativisation. In decausativisation, the internal argument that accepts the change of state is limited to the ‘possessive relationship.

scholarly journals Subjectivity in Japanese: A Corpus-Linguistic Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 202
Author(s):  
Wenchao Li
Keyword(s):  
Motion Verbs ◽  
Personal Pronoun ◽  
Linguistic Study ◽  
Intransitive Verb ◽  
Corpus Linguistic ◽  
Grammatical Categories ◽  
Change Of State ◽  
Transitive Verbs ◽  
Intransitive Verbs ◽  
Objective Meaning

This paper provides a corpus-linguistic study on subjectivity in Japanese, in an effort to arrive at how subjectivity, transitivity and grammaticalisation are related. 899 lexicons from nine grammatical categories (suffixes and prefixes, adjectives, particles, auxiliaries, nouns, adnominals, adverbs, and transitive/intransitive verb pairs) are examined. The findings reveal that Japanese is a subjective/objective-split language, and that subjectivity in affixes is facilitated by phonology: voiced/voiceless consonant alternation. The data also show that consonant-voiced prefixes and suffixes yield a subjective reading, while consonant-voiceless prefixes and suffixes render an objective meaning. Split subjectivity in adjectives is realised by morphology: しい-ending adjectives tend to be subjective, while い-ending adjectives are mostly objective. The differentiation of subjectivity in adjectives is further tied to the constraints on personal pronoun and verbalisation possibilities. Intriguingly, objective/subjective readings of しい-ending adjectives andい-ending adjectives are switchable. Furthermore, among transitive/intransitive verb pairs, intransitive verbs are likely to get grammaticalised, while transitive verbs are likely to be lexicalised and thus render a subjective reading. This is confirmed by change-of-state verbs and motion verbs. This paper therefore puts forward the hypothesis that the interrelationship of grammaticalisation and lexicalisation is orthogonal.

It’s a split, but is it unaccusativity?

2007 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 525-568
Author(s):  
Friederike Lüpke
Keyword(s):  
Intransitive Verb ◽  
Grammatical Relations ◽  
Single Argument ◽  
Transitive Verbs ◽  
Intransitive Verbs

Jalonke, a Mande language of Guinea, exhibits a formal split of intransitive verbs with respect to the possessive construction in which they appear. Whenever the single argument of a nominalized intransitive verb is linked to the possessor of the nominalized verb, an inalienable possessive construction is used with some verbs, and an alienable possessive construction with others. The inalienable possessive construction is also used for nominalized transitive verbs when possessed by their object participants, while the alienable possessive construction is used for transitive verbs possessed by their subject participants. Although synchronically not fully productive, this split points towards a diachronic explanation in terms of unaccusativity. It can be explained, however, without recurrence to different initial grammatical relations, but by relying on semantic differences only.

Basic valency orientation and the middle voice in Hittite

2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Luraghi
Keyword(s):  
Limited Extent ◽  
Original Function ◽  
Middle Voice ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
European Languages ◽  
Change Of State ◽  
Transitive Verbs ◽  
Intransitive Verbs ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Minor Pattern

This paper discusses basic valency orientation in Hittite, based on the typology proposed in Nichols et al. (2004). Verb pairs usually employed to test basic valency indicate the clearly transitivizing character of this language; a closer scrutiny of intransitive verbs further reveals the existence of a three-fold distinction featuring two intransitive verbs, a basic stative one (or an adjective), and an overtly marked intransitive change-of-state, in addition to a transitive counterpart overtly marked as causative. The high productivity of causative derivation is shown by the fact that morphologically marked causatives are not only derived from stative verbs, but also from telic intransitives and from transitive verbs. In the case of telic intransitive verbs, a minor pattern is also attested, whereby valency alternation is encoded through voice alternation, with intransitive forms inflected in the middle voice and transitive forms in the active. Since neither voice can be considered to be derived with respect to the other, verbs that display this behavior are indeterminate as to basic valency orientation. In spite of the limited extent to which voice indicates valency alternation, this finding becomes more significant when set into the framework of valency alternation in the early Indo-European languages, and sheds some light (or raises more questions) on the original function of the Hittite and of the Indo-European middle voice, a typologically puzzling category.

scholarly journals Transitivity Alternations in North Sámi

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marit Julien
Keyword(s):  
Syntactic Structure ◽  
The Other ◽  
Transitive Verb ◽  
Intransitive Verb ◽  
Common Base ◽  
Transitivity Alternations ◽  
Transitive Verbs ◽  
Intransitive Verbs

AbstractIn North Sámi, verbs that form transitivity alternation pairs are always distinguished morphologically. However, even if morphology is seen as a reflex of the syntax, the syntactic structure underlying transitive and intransitive verbs in North Sámi cannot be directly read off from the morphology. Since the verbalisers have vocalic phonological realisations with some roots but consonantal realisations with others, and since consonantal realisations give the verb an additional syllable, one can get the impression that in some transitivity alternation pairs the transitive verb is derived from the intransitive verb, whereas in other pairs it is the other way round, and that in still other pairs both verbs are derived from a common base. On closer inspection it nevertheless appears that while in some cases the transitive verb is actually formed from the intransitive verb by causativisation, in other cases the transitive verb differs from its intransitive counterpart only in involving a Voice head. In addition, the language has a type of intransitive verb that are marked anticausatives, meaning that they have an expletive Voice head. The main difference between these verbs and the corresponding transitive verbs is the properties of Voice.

scholarly journals Ergativity Case-Marking in Batak Toba Language

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-87
Author(s):  
Sisila Fitriany Damanik ◽  
Mulyadi Mulyadi
Keyword(s):  
Basic Construction ◽  
Intransitive Verb ◽  
Case Marking ◽  
Transitive Verbs ◽  
Intransitive Verbs

Batak Toba Language (BTL) is an accusative, ergative and split-S language. It is called accusative because BTL has an active diathesis basic construction. In the BTL, the active diathesis clause is morphologically marked on the verb (head marking) by adding the prefix /ma-/, /maN-/ or zero prefix (occurred in some verbs that can stand without affixes). BTL is categorized ergative, firstly, because in the basic S argument from the intransitive verbs in BTL can be semantically gets the most influence from the verb, and it is also applied as O of intransitive verbs. Secondly, By using treatment parameters S equal to O and different from A in nominal construction. BTL is also categorized as split-S language because the behavior is that the agent-like argument of intransitive verb (Sa) in transitive verbs can be nominalized with /par-/ affixes, while the patient-like arguments of other intransitive patients cannot be nominalized with /par-/ affixes

How are Lexical-Semantic Differences Represented in L2 Syntax? A Study of the Unaccusative/Unergative Distinction in L2 Chinese

1996 ◽  
Vol 55 ◽  
pp. 201-215
Author(s):  
Boping Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Subject Position ◽  
External Argument ◽  
Object Position ◽  
Internal Argument ◽  
Lexical Semantic ◽  
Change Of State ◽  
Single Argument ◽  
Unaccusative Verbs ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Intransitive Verbs

It has been proposed that intransitive verbs can be divided into two subgroups, unaccusative verbs, such as break and arrive, and unergative verbs, such as laugh and swim. The former type has an internal argument, but no external one, whereas the latter type has an external argument but no internal one. Unaccusative verbs are verbs of change of state or location, while unergative verbs are a set of agentive monadic verbs including verbs of manner of motion. In English, the internal argument of the unaccusative verb has to move to subject position to be Case-marked. In Chinese, however, the internal argument can remain in object position and get inherent partitive Case as long as it is an indefinite NP. External arguments of unergative verbs in both English and Chinese are in preverbal position whether they are definite or indefinite. The study reported in this paper was aimed at finding out whether the lexical-semantic distinction between the unaccusative verb and the unergative verb could be properly represented in English-speaking learners' L2 syntax of Chinese and whether the learner would only allow the single argument of the unaccusative verb but disallow that of the unergative verb to be in object position. The results indicate that the unaccusative/unergative distinction is acquired very late by English-speaking learners, and that the acquisition does not proceed in a linear fashion.

Transitivity and Intransitivity in English and Arabic: A Comparative Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Yasir Bdaiwi Jasim Al-Shujairi ◽  
Ahlam Muhammed ◽  
Yazan Shaker Okla Almahammed
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Transitive Verbs ◽  
Main Verb ◽  
Intransitive Verbs

<p>English and Arabic are two major languages which have many differences and similarities in grammar. One of the issues which is of great importance in the two languages is transitivity and intransitivity.  Therefore, this study compares and contrasts transitivity and intransitivity in English and Arabic. This study reports the results of the analysis of transitivity and intransitivity in the two respective languages. The current study is a qualitative one; in nature, a descriptive study. The findings showed that English and Arabic are similar in having transitive and intransitive verbs, and in having verbs which can go transitive or intransitive according to context. By contrast Arabic is different from English in its ability to change intransitive verbs into transitive ones by applying inflections on the main verb. Additionally, Arabic is different from English in the fact that some Arabic transitive verbs can take up to three objects.</p>

scholarly journals Functions of valency operators in Kamas

2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-206
Author(s):  
Gerson Klumpp
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Early 20Th Century ◽  
Transitive Verbs ◽  
Intransitive Verbs ◽  
State Of Affairs ◽  
The One ◽  
Order Increase

AbstractThis article provides an account of the functional range of Kamas valency operators. Kamas is an extinct South Siberian language of the Samoyed branch of Uralic, which was in close contact with Turkic for many centuries. In the early 20th century, Kamas had two valency operators: (i) -Tə derived transitive from intransitive verbs as well as causative from transitive verbs; and (ii) -Ō derived intransitive from transitive verbs; in addition the intransitivizer, probably departing from pairs like edə- ‘hang up (tr.)’ > ed-ȫ- ‘hang (itr.)’, had acquired the function of specifying imperfective state-of-affairs, e.g. iʔbə- ‘lie down, lie’ > iʔb-ȫ- ‘lie’. The two markers may occur in combination in the order “increase-decrease” (-T-Ō), but not vice versa. While on the one hand the valency operators may be understood as verb derivation morphemes proper, i.e. verbs derived with the suffixes -Tə- and -Ō- are considered new lexical entries, their functional range also covers combinations with participles otherwise unspecified for voice. The valency decreaser -Ō occurs with participles of transitive verbs in order to specify P-orientation. The valency increaser -Tə has a variety of causative readings, among them causative-reflexive, causative-permissive, and causative-instrumental, and it also qualifies as a marker of control and/or characterizing activity. The discussion in this article is focused mainly on classificational issues.

scholarly journals AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONTENT WORDS USED IN A SCHOOL TEXTBOOK, TEAM UP ENGLISH 3, USED FOR GRADE 9 STUDENTS

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 140-153
Author(s):  
Sukontip Pijarnsarid ◽  
Prommintra Kongkaew
Keyword(s):  
School Textbook ◽  
Compound Nouns ◽  
Transitive Verbs ◽  
Intransitive Verbs

The purpose of this study were to study the content words used in a school textbook, Team Up in English 3, used for Grade 9 students and to study the frequency of content words used in a school textbook, Team Up in English 3, used for Grade 9 students. The study found that nouns is used with the highest frequency (79), followed by verb (58), adjective (46), and adverb (24).With the nouns analyzed, it was found that the Modifiers + N used with the highest frequency (92.40%), the compound nouns were ranked in second (7.59 %). Considering the verbs used in the text, it was found that transitive verbs were most commonly used (77.58%), followed by intransitive verbs (12.06%), linking verbs (10.34%). As regards the adjectives used in the text, there were 46 adjectives in total, 30 adjectives were used as attributive (65.21 %) and 16 adjectives were used as predicative (34.78%). As for the adverbs, it was found that adverbs of times were used with the highest frequency (37.5 % ), followed by the adverbs of purpose and degree (33.33%) , the adverbs of  frequency (12.5 %) , the adverbs of place  ( 8.33% ) and the adverbs of manner ( 8.33 % ).

scholarly journals Reflexive derivations in Thulung

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aimée Lahaussois
Keyword(s):  
Verb Morphology ◽  
Limited Distribution ◽  
History Of ◽  
Transitive Verbs ◽  
Intransitive Verbs

Thulung Rai, an endangered Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Eastern Nepal, presents two derivational suffixes associated with reflexivization: -si and -s. The first, -si, is quite productive, found in complete paradigms, and derives reflexives, reciprocals, antipassives and anticausatives from transitive verbs (and occasionally from intransitive verbs). The second marker, -s, is more difficult to analyze: it has a limited distribution in verb paradigms, only appearing with 1pi and 3sg forms, and appears in a number of different contexts: it is found with the same types of derivations as -si but also — in some cases obligatorily, in others optionally — with verbs that do not have reflexive (or related) functions. It is even found with some transitive verbs. In this presentation, I will propose an analysis of the phenomena above based on elicited and narrative data I have collected in the field. The -s in fact has multiple, albeit related, origins: it is a phonological reduction of -si in certain circumstances, while in others it appears to be an older reflexivizing suffix which has been integrated, to different degrees, into verb morphology. With transitives, it appears to be a trace reflecting the complex derivational history of verbs which are derived from intransitives.

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