Two Properties of the Intransitive Resultative Construction

Abstract

The report of research on English grammar argues that the intransitive resultative construction requires head-movement of the secondary predicate to the main predicate in order to assign the theta-role to the postverbal NP in LF. Then, this construction is taken as an instance in which theta-role assignment is derivational, supporting the findings of previous studies. This analysis then leads to the conclusion that D-structure and Sstructure, if they do exist, do not play any crucial role with respect to theta-role assignment and the Projection Principle can not be maintained as stated in a previous theory. What is required is that all theta-relations must be established by LF. (Contains 45 references.) (MSE) ******************************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ******************************************************************************** PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEN GRANTED BY Uoak_gie., \c, TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) TWO PROPERTIES OF THE INTRANSITIVE RESULTATIVE CONSTRUCTION Yoichi Miyamoto Ohio University Abstract: This paper argues that the intransitive resultative construction requires head-movement of the secondary predicate to the main predicate in order to assign the theta-role to the postverbal NP in LF. Then, this construction is taken as an instance in which thetarole assignment is derivational. This supports Bowers, 1993; Chomsky, 1993, 1995; Larson, 1988, among others. The analysis presented in this paper then leads to the conclusion that D-structure and S-structure, if they exist, do not play any crucial role with respect to theta-role assignment and the Projection Principle, cannot be maintained as stated in Chomsky, 1981. What is required is that all theta-relations must be established by LF. This paper argues that the intransitive resultative construction requires head-movement of the secondary predicate to the main predicate in order to assign the theta-role to the postverbal NP in LF. Then, this construction is taken as an instance in which thetarole assignment is derivational. This supports Bowers, 1993; Chomsky, 1993, 1995; Larson, 1988, among others. The analysis presented in this paper then leads to the conclusion that D-structure and S-structure, if they exist, do not play any crucial role with respect to theta-role assignment and the Projection Principle, cannot be maintained as stated in Chomsky, 1981. What is required is that all theta-relations must be established by LF.