Abstract
This paper analyses the split intransitivity by introducing data from Japanese and Mongolian. The finding reveals that Japanese split intransitivity links to postposition selection, i.e. unergative motion verbs describe processes with a durative motion event and thus are likely to yield directional postpositions or a route with an endpoint. Unaccusative verbs, on the other hand, indicate a punctual motion event and therefore often occur with locative postpositions. Intransitives further split in lexicalisation, i.e. Japanese unergative verbs tend to convey the MANNER of motion while unaccusative verbs appear to favour the PATH of motion. Mongolian seems to render the path in the main verb, leaving manner to be encoded in an optional constituent, i.e. a converbal construction. The combination of converbal construction is restricted to [non-scale change morphemes + totally closed-scale change morphemes] and [non-scale change morphemes + lower closed-scale morphemes]. Essentially, unergative verbs can be non-scale change morpheme or totally open-scale morpheme, contributing to the manner of motion. Unaccusative verbs can be totally closed-scale, or upper closed-scale, or lower closed-scale morpheme, denoting the path of motion.
Highlights
Split intransitivity refers to a phenomenon that different intransitive verbs in certain language may display different linguistic behaviours
Controlled process Controlled process come, arrive, leave, fall . . . rise, become, decay, die, be born, happen . . . stay, remain, last, survive, persist . . . be, belong, sit, seem, be useful, depend on . . . tremble, catch on, skid, cough, rumble, rain . . . swim, run, walk . . . work, play, talk. Another pathway comes from lexical semanticians who contend that different verbs have different meanings, which in turn results in various lexical semantic representations as well as argument structure realisation
Taroo NOM park DAT walk PAST ‘Taroo walked to the park.’. It seems that unaccusative verbs can well form a motion with all the postpositions in Japanese, i.e. e, e-to, and ni, as in (20): The split further links the selection of postpositions (PPs)
Summary
Split intransitivity refers to a phenomenon that different intransitive verbs in certain language may display different linguistic behaviours. An unaccusative verb has a syntactic external argument that is not the semantic agent. Another pathway comes from lexical semanticians who contend that different verbs have different meanings, which in turn results in various lexical semantic representations as well as argument structure realisation. (4) Universal set-inclusion hierarchy (a) Inherent volitionality (b) State (c) Directed change (d) Telicity (e) Inhomogeneity (f) Inherent displacement There is another line of research that bears significance to the study of lexicalisation, arguing in favour of constructional factors. The intransitivisation affix ‘-ar-’ suppresses the causer in semantic structure, without projection to the syntactical structure Through this manipulation, transitive verbs come to have an intransitive function. Split intransitivity in Japanese further extends to motion construction It occurs that unergative verbs and unaccusative verbs show a very different preference:. Turning to Mongolian, unaccusative and unergatives verbs are illustrated in (8) and (9): (8) Mongolian unaccusative verbs хагарах ‘breakintr.’ тасарах ‘cutintr.’ эвдэрэх ‘breakintr.’
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