Middle Voice: A Comparative Study in the Syntax-Semantics Interface of German (Linguistik Aktuell Linguistics Today, LA 50)

353 Pages·2002·3.37 MB·English

by  Markus Steinbach

<ATSKSWVIUIDUEOZTIBYDOTEFLJWFHTECESHHCOOIEN"ETTRRMFI"DG1Oi"""d5SLH4"d0i"nT"l>"eg"u"Vi2s2oti0ikc"e:AkAtuceollm/LpinagrautiisvteicsstTudoydayin,Vthoelumsyenta5x0-"semanticsinterfaceofGerman"
MiddleVoice
Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today
Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today (LA) provides a platform for original
monograph studies into synchronic and diachronic linguistics. Studies in LA
confrontempiricalandtheoreticalproblemsasthesearecurrentlydiscussedin
syntax,semantics,morphology,phonology,andsystematicpragmaticswiththe
aim to establish robust empirical generalizations within a universalistic
perspective.
SeriesEditor
WernerAbraham
UniversityofVienna,Austria
AdvisoryEditorialBoard
GuglielmoCinque(UniversityofVenice)
GüntherGrewendorf(J.W.Goethe-University,Frankfurt)
LilianeHaegeman(UniversityofLille,France)
HubertHaider(UniversityofSalzburg)
ChristerPlatzack(UniversityofLund)
IanRoberts(CambridgeUniversity)
KenSafir(RutgersUniversity,NewBrunswickNJ)
LisadeMenaTravis(McGillUniversity)
StenVikner(UniversityofAarhus)
C.Jan-WouterZwart(UniversityofGroningen)
Volume50
MiddleVoice:Acomparativestudyinthesyntax-semanticsinterface
ofGermanbyMarkusSteinbach
Middle Voice
A comparative study in the
syntax-semantics interface of German
Markus Steinbach
JohannesGutenberg-UniversitätMainz
JohnBenjaminsPublishingCompany
Amsterdam / Philadelphia
TM ThepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsofAmerican
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LibraryMaterials,ansiz39.48-1984.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
MarkusSteinbach
Middle Voice : A comparative study in the syntax-semantics interface of German /
MarkusSteinbach.
p. cm.(LinguistikAktuell/LinguisticsToday,issn0166–0829;v.50)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindexes.
1. German language––Voice. 2. German language––Verb. 3. German
Language––Syntax. 4. German language–– Semantics. 5. Grammar, Comparative and
general––Middlevoice.I.Title.II.Linguistikaktuell;Bd.50.
PF3285 S74 2002
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isbn9027227713(Eur.)/1588111946(US)(Hb;alk.paper)
©2002–JohnBenjaminsB.V.
Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyform,byprint,photoprint,microfilm,orany
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Table of contents
Acknowledgments ix
Listofabbreviations xi
Chapter1
Introduction
Chapter2
Middleconstructionsandmiddlevoice
2.1 ThemiddleconstructioninGerman 22
2.1.1 Verbsinthemiddleconstruction 22
2.1.2 Thesubjectofmiddleconstructions 28
2.1.3 Thereflexivepronoun 34
2.1.4 Adverbs,genericity,andtheimplicitargument 35
2.2 Anticausativesandinherentreflexives 42
2.3 Theinterpretationofweakreflexivepronouns
inIndo-Europeanlanguages 46
2.4 ThemiddlevoicemarkerinGerman 52
2.5 Conclusion 59
Chapter3
Lexicalandsyntacticapproachestomiddleformation
3.1 Syntactictheories 75
3.1.1 EnglishandDutch 76
3.1.2 Italian 86
3.1.3 German 91
3.1.4 Summary 96
3.2 Lexicaltheories 97
3.2.1 Rulebasedaccounts 97
3.2.2 Themiddletemplateanalysis 108
3.2.3 Summary 114
3.3 Conclusion 115
 Tableofcontents
Chapter4
Thesyntaxoftransitivereflexivesentences
4.1 Similaritiesbetweenargumentandnon-argumentreflexives 130
4.2 Focus,coordination,andfronting:Explainingthedifference 139
4.2.1 Coordination 143
4.2.2 Focus 150
4.2.2.1 Theoreticalbackground 150
4.2.2.2 Narrowfocus 152
4.2.2.3 Focusparticles 153
4.2.2.4 Contrastivenegationandsubstitution 154
4.2.2.5 Questioning 155
4.2.2.6 Adnominalfocusparticle 156
4.2.3 Fronting 162
4.2.3.1 Unmarkedwordorder 162
4.2.3.2 FocusinCP,Spec 164
4.2.3.3 TopicinCP,Spec 164
4.3 Conclusion 167
Chapter5
TheinterpretationofreflexivepronounsinGerman
5.1 Logophoricorexemptanaphors 179
5.2 SyntacticandsemanticpredicatesandA-chains 183
5.3 Weakandstrongreflexivepronounsandthe[±R]-distinction 188
5.4 O-commandando-bindinginGerman 195
5.5 Theinterpretationofaccusativereflexivepronouns 204
5.6 Weakandstrongreflexivepronounsrevisited 212
5.7 Conclusion 214
Chapter6
Suppressedargumentsanddativeobjects
6.1 Thedifferencebetweenmiddleconstructions,anticausatives,
andunaccusatives 229
6.1.1 Argumentsaturationandargumentreduction 230
6.1.2 Anticausativesandunaccusatives 233
6.2 DativeobjectsinGerman 236
6.2.1 Morphologicaldifferencesbetweenstructural
andobliquecase 239
6.2.1.1 Markedandunmarkedcaseforms 240
6.2.1.2 UninflectableindefiniteNPs 240
Tableofcontents 
6.2.1.3 Sententialcomplements 241
6.2.1.4 Freerelatives 242
6.2.1.5 Nominalization 244
6.2.1.6 Idioms 245
6.2.1.7 Reflexivepronouns 246
6.2.1.8 Inherentreflexiveverbs 246
6.2.2 Syntacticdifferencesbetweenstructuralandobliquecase 247
6.2.2.1 Wordorder 247
6.2.2.2 Binding 249
6.2.2.3 Middleconstructions 250
6.2.2.4 Tough-movement 250
6.2.2.5 Passiveand‘D.c.I.’ 251
6.2.2.6 Freedativesandmultipledatives 252
6.2.2.7 Extraction 254
6.2.2.8 Coherentinfinitives 254
6.2.2.9 Topicdrop 255
6.2.2.10 Sentenceprocessing 256
6.2.3 Thesyntaxofdativeobjects 256
6.3 Conclusion 260
Chapter7
Middleconstructionsrevisited
7.1 Middleconstructionsandgenericity 267
7.2 Adverbialmodificationinmiddleconstructions 277
7.3 Adjunctmiddles 285
Chapter8
Conclusion
References 309
Subjectindex 327

Acknowledgments
Manyfriendsandlinguistsinspired andsupportedmy linguistic studies over
thelastyearsandhelpedmetoscrutinizelinguisticcertaintiesandtolookmore
carefully into the interaction between morphology, syntax, semantics, and
pragmatics. I would like to thank not only for discussion, valuable informa-
tion,andtheirpatienceAnatoliStrigin,AndréMeinunger,ArtemisAlexiadou,
Assinja Demjjanow, Daniel Büring, Damir C´avar, Ellen Brandner, Emanuela
deLuca,GerhardJäger,GüntherGrewendorf,HeikeZinsmeister,IlseZimmer-
mann, Ingrid Kaufmann, Jaklin Kornfilt, Jan-Wouter Zwart, Joachim Sabel,
Joan Maling, Jörg Meibauer, Josef Bayer, Kai-Uwe Alter, Manfred Bierwisch,
MargaReis,MarieChristine Erb,MarcusKracht,PaulLaw,ReinhartBlutner,
Renate Musan, Roland Pfau, Sten Vikner, Tine Mooshammer, Ursula Klein-
henz,WernerAbraham,Wolfgang Sternefeldandmycolleaguesandstudents
and the secretarial staff and visitors at the Arbeitsgruppe Strukturelle Gram-
matik, Berlin, the Sonderforschungsbereich 340, Tübingen, and the German
DepartmentattheUniversityofMainz.
I would also like to thank Werner Abraham for his encouragement and
hisinvaluablecommentsonthe manuscript,KeesVaesfromJohnBenjamins
for his friendly and professional way of leading me through the production
process, and Juliane Möck, Andrea Woodburn, Jim Heller, Ruth Seibert, and
TineErbfortheirhelpwithproof-reading.
Hans-MartinGärtnerandRalfVogelaretwofriendsthathavetobemen-
tioned separately. Very special thanks for their permanent cooperation (not
onlyinlinguistics)andtheirfriendship.
Mostofall,IthankJulianeMöck.
I am greatly indebted to the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Arbeitsgruppe
StrukturelleGrammatik,who supportedmyscientificstudiesgenerouslyand
(moreimportantly)veryunbureaucratically.
LastbutnotleastIwanttothankmyparentsRenateandSiegfriedStein-
bach andmysisterElke(ICH VERSPRECH: JETZTICHDGSLERNFLEISSIG).
ThisbookisdedicatedtoClara.