Summary Details
| Query: |
The Syntax of Transitive Adjectives
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| Author: | Fernando Martinho | |
| Submitter Email: | click here to access email | |
| Linguistic LingField(s): |
Syntax
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| Summary: |
Regarding query: http://www.linguistlist.org/issues/16/16-77.html#1
Dear Linguists First of all, my apologies for the unusual delay of this sum. Last January, I posted a query about transitive adjectives (TA), asking for feed-back in terms of data and references. And, as expected, I received many contributions on TA. Here is a sum of them, in no particular order. Ora Matushansky, which works on adjectives as well, sent some references: -Bennis, H. (2000). Adjectives and Argument Structure. In: P. Coopmans, M. Everaert and J. Grimshaw, eds., Lexical Specification and Insertion. Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 197. Amsterdam/Philadephia: John Bernjamins, pp. 27-69. -Bennis, H. (2004). Adjectives and Psych Verbs. In: A. Alexiadou, E. Anagnostopoulou and M. Everaert, eds., The Unaccusativity Puzzle: Explorations of the Syntax-Lexicon Interface. Oxford Studies in Theoretical Linguistics 5. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 84-114. -van Riemsdijk, H. (2001). A Far from Simple Matter: Syntactic Reflexes of Syntax-Pragmatics Misalignments. In: R. M. Harnish and I. Kenesei, eds., Semantics, Pragmatics and Discourse. Perspectives and Connections. A Festschrift for Ferenc Kiefer. Amsterdam: John Benjamins She also pointed a ''third option for adjectival complements'': the extraposition of the argument (a different problem from yours, a more interesting question than this). There's some discussion (on comparative complement extraposition) in: -Bhatt, R. and R. Pancheva (2004). Late Merge of Degree Clauses. Linguistic Inquiry 35/1, pp. 1-45. In -Matushansky, O. (2002). Movement of Degree/Degree of Movement. Ph.D. thesis, MIT. Cambridge MA: MITWPL. she argues that ''most postnominal transitive adjectives with complements are reduced relatives'' Ora also points out that ''Russian allows prenominal adjectives with complements'' (positioned to the right of the adjectival head): gordaja svoimi dostizhenijami devushka proud-Fsg self-PossAdj-pl-Instr achievements-Instr young_woman -------------- Werner Abraham informs that he has ''dealt extensively with adjectival goverment in German and Dutch'' in his grammar, chapter 4, pp. 241-280: -Deutsche Syntax im Sprachenvergleich. Grundlegung einer typologischen Syntax des Deutschen. 2., überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage. Stauffenburg: Tübingen 2005. 690 Seiten. [Studien zur deutschen Grammatik 41]. --------------- Theo Venneman sent me the following pertinent German data: der mir liebe Freund der mir besonders liebe Freund Der Freund ist mir lieb. *Der Freund ist lieb mir. Der Freund ist mir besonders lieb. *Der Freund ist lieb mir besonders. (Etc.) der Herrn Müller liebe Freund Der Freund ist Herrn Müller lieb. *Der Freund ist lieb Herrn Müller. (Etc.) ------ In another mesage, Theo sent some other interesting cases: Dieser Freund, mir besonders lieb, hat mich verraten. 'This friend especially dear to me has betrayed me.' Dieser Freund, Herrn Müller besonders lieb, hat ihn verraten. 'This friend especially dear to Mr. Miller has betrayed him.' Object extraposition: Dieser Freund, besonders lieb diesem Herrn Müller, hat ihn verraten. 'This friend especially dear to this Mr. Miller has betrayed him.' -------------- Pierre Larrivee sent a note to say that ''Denis Bouchard has a book just out (or soon to be) on adjectives, with Chicago UP.'' -------------- Bruce Despain pointed that adjectival complement order seems ''correlated'' to German verbal complement syntax in subordinate clauses: ''You neglected to say anything about the possible relationship between the inverted order (of object and verb) required in subordinate clauses and the inverted order seen in the complementation of adjectives in attributive position. I suspect that these phenomena may well be correlated. Sorry I can't cite references, but I seem to remember it somewhere from my German linguistics studies in the 1970's. Perhaps it was presented as hypothetical. (Manfred Bierwisch comes to mind.) I think the inverted order of TA compl. in attr. pos. is alive and well in German. What I meant by ''correlated'' is to the effect that since German has the verb to the right of the object in dependent clauses, so it prefers the adjective to the right of its object in the attributive position. The attribute position may be viewed as derivative of the predicate position, just as the dependent clause is derivative of an independent clause.'' Bruce illustrates this correlation with some examples: ''Ich liebe dich.'' >>I love thee. ''Er sagte dass ich dich liebe.'' >>He said that I love thee. poetic:>>He said that I thee love. ''Die Mutter ist stolz auf ihre Kind.'' >>Its mother is proud of her child. ''Ich treffte die auf ihr Kind stolze Mutter.'' >>I met the mother who was proud of her child. Then he precises his correlation hypothesis: ''My feeling is that since the language requires the reversal in one structure, the reversal in the other structure is parallel. Perhaps this is a case where the two dependent structures are at the same removal by ''derivation'' from the parallel independent structures. When the language does not allow reversal, perhaps the general rule is that it will not even allow complementation of adjectives as attributes.'' ------------ Stefan Dienst sent these precious German TA examples: (1a) Die Frau ist eifersüchtig auf ihr-e Tochter. the woman is jealous on her-AKK.f daughter The woman is jealous of her daughter. (1b) Die Frau ist auf ihr-e Tochter eifersüchtig. the woman is on her-AKK.f daughter jealous The woman is jealous of her daughter. (1c) die auf ihr-e Tochter eifersüchtig-e Frau the on her-AKK.f daughter jealous-NOM.f woman the woman who jealous of her daugher (1d) *die eifersüchtig-e auf ihr-e Tochter Frau the.f jealous-NOM.f on her-ACC.f daughter woman (2a) Die Frau ist bekannt mit dem Bürgermeister. the.NOM.f woman is acquainted with the.DAT.m mayor The woman is acquainted with the mayor. (2b) Die Frau ist mit dem Bürgermeister bekannt. the.NOM.f woman is with the.DAT.m mayor acquainted The woman is acquainted with the mayor. (2c) die mit dem Bürgermeister bekannte Frau the.NOM.f with the.DAT.m mayor acquainted woman the woman who is acquainted with the mayor (2d) *die bekannte mit dem Bürgermeister Frau the.NOM.f acquainted with the.DAT.m mayor woman (3a) *Die Frau ist bekannt dem Bürgermeister. the.NOM.f woman is known the.DAT.m mayor (3b) Die Frau ist dem Bürgermeister bekannt. the.NOM.F woman is the.DAT.m mayor known The woman is known to the mayor. (3c) die dem Bürgermeister bekannte Frau the.NOM.f the.DAT.m mayor known woman the woman who is known to the mayor (3d) *die bekannte dem Bürgermeister Frau the.NOM.f known the.DAT.m mayor woman (4a) *Die Frau ist überdrüssig des Klatsch-es the.NOM.f woman is tired the.GEN.m gossip-GEN.m (4b) Die Frau ist des Klatsch-es überdrüssig. the.NOM.f woman is the.GEN.m gossip-GEN.m tired The woman is tired of the gossip. (überdrüssig = enfastiado) (4c) *Die Frau ist überdrüssig des Klatsch-es. the.NOM.f woman is tired the.GEN.m gossip-GEN.m (4d) Die Frau ist des Klatsch-es überdrüssig. the.NOM.f woman is the.GEN.m gossip-GEN.m tired The woman is tired of the gossip. (5a) Die Frau ist zuversichtlich, dass er komm-t. the.NOM.f woman is confident that he come-s The woman is confident that he will come. (5b) *Die Frau ist dass er komm-t zuversichtlich. the.NOM.f woman is that he come-s confident (5c) *die dass er komm-t zuversichtlich-e Frau the.NOM.f that he come-s confident-NOM.f woman (5d) *die zuversichtlich-e dass er komm-t Frau the.NOM.f confident-NOM.f that he come-s woman (5e) die zuversichtlich-e Frau the.NOM.f confident-NOM.f woman the confident woman (5f) die Frau, die zuversichtlich ist, dass er komm-t the.NOM.f woman who.NOM.f confident is that he come-s the woman(,) who is confident that he will come -------------------- Finally, Hans Bennis also contacted me, pointing me to the website of the Meertens Instituut, with an article published in the volume 'The unaccusativity Puzzle', edited by Alexiadou, Anagnostopoulou & Everaert (2004, Oxford University Press). He actually sent me a hard copy of the text :) ------------------ To everyone who contacted me, my grateful thanks. All these notes are relevant to my investigation. The suggested relation to unaccusativity, for example, is a new, wide opened perspective to my work, which I'll try to explore intensively. I also thank those who kindly kept in touch with me and sent extra comments and material. What would I do without you all? Fernando Martinho University of Aveiro |
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| LL Issue: | 16.1227 | |
| Date Posted: | 18-Apr-2005 | |
| Original Query: | Read original query | |
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