Let’s Get a Look at ‘GET Light Verb Constructions'

Abstract

The current study explores a construction [get a post-verbal-argument] (e.g., get a look at/ride/shower) and attempts to show that this construction can be considered as one of the light verb constructions (LVC): Its form, meaning, and some syntactic behaviors exhibit the characteristics of typical LVCs. The get LVC has similar semantic properties with take/have LVCs, but the get LVC involves more passiveness than the other LVCs: The agent wants to perform the designated activity, but he/she can do it only when someone else or some situation allows. Moreover, at least with some limited number of post verbal arguments (e.g., look at/ride/shower), the frequency of the get LVCs shown in COCA and COHA is increasing, and it recently has exceeded the frequency of the have LVCs. This study can address emergence of the get LVC as a new LVC. (Incheon National University)