The Structure of Stative Verbs (Linguistik Aktuell Linguistics Today)

237 Pages·2009·1.31 MB·English

by  Antonia Rothmayr

The Structure of Stative Verbs
Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today (LA)
Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today (LA) provides a platform for original monograph
studies into synchronic and diachronic linguistics. Studies in LA confront empirical
and theoretical problems as these are currently discussed in syntax, semantics,
morphology, phonology, and systematic pragmatics with the aim to establish robust
empirical generalizations within a universalistic perspective.
General Editors
Werner Abraham Elly van Gelderen
University of Vienna / Rijksuniversiteit Arizona State University
Groningen
Advisory Editorial Board
Cedric Boeckx Christer Platzack
ICREA/Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona University of Lund
Guglielmo Cinque Ian Roberts
University of Venice Cambridge University
Günther Grewendorf Lisa deMena Travis
J.W. Goethe-University, Frankfurt McGill University
Liliane Haegeman Sten Vikner
University of Lille, France University of Aarhus
Hubert Haider C. Jan-Wouter Zwart
University of Salzburg University of Groningen
Terje Lohndal
University of Maryland
Volume 143
The Structure of Stative Verbs
by Antonia Rothmayr
The Structure of Stative Verbs
Antonia Rothmayr
University of Vienna
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Amsterdam / Philadelphia
TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
8
American National Standard for Information Sciences – Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1984.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Rothmayr, Antonia.
  The structure of stative verbs / Antonia Rothmayr.
p. cm. (Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today, issn 0166-0829 ; v. 143)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1.  Grammar, Comparative and general--Stative verb.  I. Title.
P281.R673 2009
415'.6--dc22 2009007785
isbn 978 90 272 5526 6 (hb; alk. paper)
isbn 978 90 272 8946 9 (eb)
© 2009 – John Benjamins B.V.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, or any
other means, without written permission from the publisher.
John Benjamins Publishing Co. · P.O. Box 36224 · 1020 me Amsterdam · The Netherlands
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Für Mama
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Wenn sie zwei Zeiten ist, kann sie gleichzeitig sein.
Heidi Heide
(in: Podium 127/128 April 2003, 56)

Table of contents
Acknowledgements xiii
List of tables xv
chapter 1
Introduction 1
chapter 2
Theoretical considerations 3
2.1 Background I: Event semantics and argument structure 3
2.1.1 Aspectual classes 3
2.1.2 The Davidsonian view 4
2.1.3 The Neo-Davidsonian view 5
2.1.4 The Post-Davidsonian view 5
2.1.5 Kimian and Davidsonian statives 6
2.2 Background II: Semantic form 8
2.3 The stative verb in argument structure theory 1 0
2.3.1 Projectionist views 1 1
2.3.1.1 Hale and Keyser: Argument structure 1 1
2.3.1.2 Levin and Rappaport: Structure and constant participants 1 4
2.3.2 Constructionist views 1 6
2.3.2.1 Marantz: distributed morphology 1 6
2.3.2.2 Kratzer I: Stage-level and individual-level predicates 1 6
2.3.2.3 Extension by Hallman 1 9
2.3.2.4 Kratzer II: Severing the external argument 2 1
2.3.2.5 Harley: Different types of v 2 2
2.3.2.6 Borer: Exoskeletal approach 2 3
2.3.2.7 Ramchand: A Post-Davidsonian view 2 5
2.3.3 Conclusion 2 7
2.4 A semantic definition: Stative verb 2 8
2.4.1 The ontology of Kimian and Davidsonian states 2 8
2.4.2 A filter that groups together D- and K-states 2 9
2.4.3 Syntactic tests 3 0
2.4.4 Infinitival complements of perception verbs 3 1
 The Structure of Stative Verbs
2.4.5.1 Manner adverbials 3 1
2.4.5 Tests based on adverbial modification 3 1
2.4.5.2 Locative modifiers 3 2
2.4.5.3 Degree readings of ein bisschen 3 3
2.4.6 Summary 3 4
2.5 Other kinds of stative expressions 3 5
2.5.1 Generic expressions 3 5
2.5.2 Perfect as a stativizer 3 6
2.5.3 Adjectival passive 3 6
chapter 3
Stative/eventive ambiguities 3 7
3.1 Introduction 3 7
3.2 Ambiguity due to instrumental alternation 3 7
3.2.1 Introduction 3 7
3.2.2 Tests for a Kimian stative reading 4 0
3.2.2.1 Manner adverbials 4 0
3.2.2.2 Event-related locative modifiers 4 2
3.2.2.3 Degree readings 4 2
3.3.3 Stative causation? 4 3
3.2.3.1 Counterfactual analysis of causation 4 3
3.2.3.2 Causation and event structure: A note on Kaufmann
and Wunderlich 4 4
3.2.4 The structure of stative verbs of causation 4 7
3.2.4.1 The stative reading 4 7
3.2.4.2 Stative/eventive ambiguities 4 8
3.2.5 Conclusion 5 1
3.3 Object-experiencer verbs assigning accusative 5 2
3.3.1 Introduction 5 2
3.3.2 Object-experiencer verbs in previous work 5 2
3.3.2.1 A note on terminology 5 3
3.3.2.2 Stative and eventive object-experiencer verbs in Italian 5 3
3.3.2.3 Stative and eventive object-experiencer verbs in Spanish 5 6
3.3.2.4 Stative and eventive object-experiencer verbs in Finnish 5 6
3.3.2.5 Previous accounts of object-experiencer verbs 5 8
3.3.3 Tests for a Kimian stative reading 6 0
3.3.3.1 Manner adverbials 6 0
3.3.3.2 Locative modifiers 6 2
3.3.3.3 Degree readings 6 2
3.3.4 Properties particular to this verb class 6 3
3.3.4.1 Temporal modification 6 3
Table of contents 
3.3.4.2 Modifiers that express the start of the target state 6 3
3.3.4.3 Modification of domains 6 4
3.3.5. The structure of object-experiencer verbs 6 5
3.3.5.1 The lexical-semantic structure 6 5
3.3.5.2 The syntactic structure 6 5
3.3.6 Conclusion 6 8
3.4 The threaten-class 6 8
3.4.1 Introduction 6 8
3.4.2 Tests for a Kimian stative reading 7 3
3.4.2.1 Manner adverbials 7 3
3.4.2.2 Locative modifiers 7 4
3.4.2.3 Degree readings 7 4
3.4.2.4 Summary 7 5
3.4.3 The modal component of threaten 7 5
3.4.3.1 The DO/MOD alternation 7 5
3.4.3.2 The modality of drohen 7 6
3.4.4 The structure of threaten-type verbs 7 7
3.4.4.1 The lexical-semantic structure 7 7
3.4.4.2 The syntactic structure 7 8
3.4.5 Conclusion 8 0
3.5 Dispositional verbs 8 0
3.5.1 Introduction 8 0
3.5.2 Stative/eventive ambiguities noted in previous work 8 0
3.5.3 Tests for a Kimian stative reading 8 2
3.5.3.1 Manner adverbials 8 2
3.5.3.2 Locative modifiers 8 4
3.5.3.3 Degree readings 8 7
3.5.4 Properties particular to this verb class 8 8
3.5.4.1 Temporal modification 8 9
3.5.4.2 Modifiers that express the start of the target state 9 1
3.5.4.3 Modification of domains 9 3
3.5.4.4 Evaluation 9 4
3.5.4.5 Semantic properties of dispositional verbs 9 4
3.5.5 The structure of dispositional verbs 9 5
3.5.5.1 Dative assignment 9 5
3.5.5.2 Lexical-semantic structure 9 7
3.5.5.3 Summary: Helfen-verbs 100
3.6. Perception verbs 100
3.6.1 Evidence for a Kimian stative reading 102
3.6.1.1 Manner adverbials 102
3.6.1.2 Locative modifiers 103
3.6.1.3 Degree readings 103