Possessive Dative Research Articles

The Relevance of Unaccusativity to Possessive Datives

Abstract The possessive dative construction has been widely adopted as an unaccusativity diagnostic (Borer and Grodzinsky 1986). Gafter (2014) casts doubt on the relevance of unaccusativity to the acceptability of the construction. We ran a series of acceptability judgment experiments to investigate the validity of the possessive dative construction as an unaccusativity diagnostic, controlling for possible confounds such as animacy, definiteness, plausibility, lexical choice, type of possession and context salience. The experiments reveal that possessive datives are significantly more acceptable with unaccusative verbs than with unergatives, including reflexive and emission verbs. We conclude that unaccusatives, but not unergatives, are grammatical in the construction, and defend a structural account of the data.

Moyens d’expression de la possession inalienable dans les constructions verbales avec des noms de parties du corps (domaine français-roumain)

" Means of Expressing Inalienable Possession in Verb Structures with Body Part Nouns (French and Romanian). Departing from the verb structures with the possessive dative that express the inalienable possession between a noun that names body parts (Nbp) and its possessor in Romanian (Ro: I-a rupt gâtul. / Fr. Il lui a rompu le cou), we set out to establish a typology of verb structures consisting of two subclasses: (1) Verbs that place the possessor in the possessive dative and the Nbp in the accusative (direct object); (2) verbs that place the Nbp as an adverbial modifier and the possessor in the possessive dative, possessive accusative or genitive. The second objective of our study is to carry out a comparative-based analysis of the ways of expressing the inalienable possession in the verb structures of the two Romance languages, constructed with the lexeme Fr. cou, gorge / Ro gât, to highlight the similarities and differences in this relationship-type structures specific for the two Romance languages. For the analysis we resorted to an authentic corpus, complied from real-life examples sampled from journalistic texts (Corpus Leipzig, online newspapers), supplemented by electronic dictionaries (TLFi, CNTRL, Dex online). Given the richness of verb structures and the considerable number of differences between the two languages, we systematised our analysis in several stages: (1) identifying the verb structures built with the possessive dative; (2) establishing a verb structure typology according to the syntactic function assigned to the Nbp (subject, direct object, indirect object, adverbial modifier) and its possessor (possessive dative, possessive accusative, genitive); (3) highlighting the similarities and differences between the two languages in terms of the construction of the inalienable possession relationship between the Nbp and its possessor. Keywords: possessive dative, inalienable possession, noun denoting body parts, possessor, syntactic function "

Vranje speech through the prism of diglossia

The paper presents the results of diglossia research in the speech of Vranje. This is a survey conducted through the poll of two groups of representatives of the Vranje vernacular. Groups of final year high school students from Vranje and teachers teaching in the same schools were selected. In this way, social variables were monitored: origin, age, education and gender. Typical features of Vranje speech were selected from the language variables: consonant dz (dzindza), semi-vowel ? (dan?s), vocative in -e (strinke), enclitic pronouns (gu, gi, ne, ni, ve, vi), the analytical declination (s majku mi, s mene, na mene mi vika, davam na njega), present 3rd person plural in -v, present participle, masculine, singular in -??, future forms without infinitives (ce padnes, ce dodje), lexeme tatko. The above categories also include additional dialectic features marked by Vranje speech: verb forms in -n?-, possessive dative, object reduplication, express analyticism in declination, analyticism in conjugation. The aim of the research is to determine whether diglossive behavior is intrinsic to native Vranje speakers and how code switching occurs in certain speech situations. Speakers? attitudes toward dialect use were also examined. The conclusion is that male speakers of both ages and education levels are mostly interested in maintaining the dialect. The smallest number of speakers who are in the care of the dialect and use the dialect in everyday conversation is in the group of highly educated women. The majority of interviewed Vranjanians are aware of their ability to control speech, which means that they are prone to diglossive behavior. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data collected revealed that young male Vranjanian people are most attached to the dialect, and that women of higher education use dialectal elements in speech in the least. The dialectal lines that are most amenable to adaptation could be presented in the order of susceptibility levels: consonant dz, semi-vowel ?, vocative in -e, present 3rd person plural in -v, -?? form, enclitic gu, enclitic gi, enclitics ne, ni, ve, vi, lexis, the analytical declination, infinitives. Such an analysis of the selection of dialect features in order to adapt to the standard also points to the possible internal development of the dialect itself. This would mean that the most subtle lines would gradually disappear from the dialectal structure. It is uncertain whether they will be completely lost and when such changes will occur.

Dativul posesiv românesc și problemele achiziției sale la studenții din Serbia. Un studiu preliminar

Starting from a comparative perspective on Romanian and Serbian grammar, this paper deals with the acquisition and use of the Romanian possessive dative by students with L1 Serbian, who study Romanian as a foreign language. Various structural and functional differences between Romanian and Serbian account for the difficulties incurred by students when it comes to correctly producing the dative external possessive in Romanian. We propose a preliminary experimental study meant to analyze the degree and role of transfer in the acquisition of the structure, as well as the developmental differences between beginner, intermediate, advanced and heritage students.

The diminishing role of inalienability in the Hebrew possessive dative

AbstractHebrew has two constructions that are used to convey possessive relations: ordinary possession (OP) and possessive dative (PD). PD is most often used when the possessor is perceived as

The Distribution of the Hebrew Possessive Dative Construction: Guided by Unaccusativity or Prominence?

This article challenges the empirical generalization that the possessed element in the Hebrew possessive dative (PD) construction cannot be an external argument ( Borer and Grodzinsky 1986 ), a generalization that has been leveraged in the use of the PD construction as an unaccusativity diagnostic. An acceptability judgment experiment shows that the PD construction is dispreferred when the possessor is less prominent than the possessee on the animacy or definiteness scale; however, it shows no effect of unaccusativity, raising serious doubts regarding the construction’s validity as an unaccusativity diagnostic.

Unaccusatives and unergatives: Evidence from Croatian

Abstract We argue that the unaccusativity phenomenon occurs in Croatian, as in many other languages. We demonstrate that unaccusative predicates not only have to meet specific (morpho)syntactic diagnostic criteria, but also that semantic criteria are involved. We show that it is possible to characterize Croatian intransitive verbs as unaccusatives using the following diagnostics: 1. past participle derivation by suffixation of -l; 2. participial adjective formation; 3. -ač (-er) nominals; 4. prefixation by the preverbs po-, do- and u-; 5. the perfective aspect; 6. resultative constructions; and 7. the possessive dative. In order to demonstrate a number of relevant semantic diagnostics, three classes of verbs are isolated, defined in terms of their lexical semantic representation and their morphosyntactic configuration: verbs of change of state, verbs of appearance and verbs of inherently directed motion

Parallels between cross-linguistic and language-internal variation in Hebrew possessive constructions

Grammatical constraints in one language often surface as statistical tendencies in another, suggesting that cross-linguistic comparative studies can play a central role in the study of language-internal “free” variation. This paper applies this approach to the case of the variation between two Hebrew constructions: possessive dative (PD) and ordinary possession. While both constructions convey a possessive meaning, PD additionally highlights the fact that the possessor was affected by an event involving his or her possessed object. To elucidate the concept of affectedness, we turn to European languages that have encoded in their grammar various concrete reflexes of this notion, such as the animacy of the possessor (animate possessors are more often perceived as affected). We show that these concrete reflexes, while not grammatically encoded in Hebrew, have a statistical effect in that language as well. This makes it possible to predict the choice of construction in any given context using these objective proxies of affectedness. Furthermore, we argue that certain categorical restrictions on PD, previously attributed to formal syntactic factors, are best captured as consequences of the semantic affectedness condition. Our results illustrate the continuum between categorical constraints and statistical tendencies, both across languages and within a single language.

The Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian Adnominal Possessive Dative at the Syntax-Pragmatics Interface

In Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian, the adnominal possessive dative (APD) construction is used alongside the nominal adjectival construction to express possession. APD usage is double-edged – i.e., there are both issues of sociolinguistics/perceptual dialectology involved as well as more formal syntactic- pragmatic ones. My respondents consistently labeled APD usage as “archaic,” “old-fashioned,” “characteristic of the uneducated,” or “country-talk”. However, judging by very similar acceptance levels of APDs in particular contexts in all dialects, it appears that semantic role of the possessor and the level of contextual effects and processing load involved in interpreting possessive constructions weigh heavily on their acceptance. Therefore, I offer a model that attempts to capture APD usage in terms of a set of hierarchical relationships between the “possessor” and the “possessed”.

Possessive Dative Revisited: Another View of External Possession in Spanish

Abstract. This paper deals with the question of which factors constrain the merging of possessive dative in Spanish. In particular, I will check to what extent the most important explanations of the construction, such as the affectedness condition as well as the structural approaches of this phenomenon, account for the employment of possessive dative in contemporary Spanish. My aim in this paper will be to demonstrate that the merging of possessive dative is related to several factors, among which the saliency of the possessor and its resemblance with semantic controllers seem to play an important role.

Expressing Possession in Spanish: The Use of Possessive Datives and Possessive Adjectives in Twentieth-Century Spanish-Language Drama

The present investigation comprises a statistical analysis of the use in Spanish of the possessive dative versus the use of possessive adjectives, with nouns that have the grammatical role of subject, direct object, or copula predicate. The corpus analysed here consists of dialogue taken from four Spanish-language plays dating from the second half of the twentieth century. The results of the analysis provide statistically significant support for the claim that there is a relationship in Spanish between the choice of possessor encoding and the noun class of the possessum and the class of verb. The dative encoding reflects the affected state of the possessor, casting the possessor as a participant in the event. These results follow from Hopper and Thompson's (1980) Transitivity Hypothesis and from the conceptual proximity that obtains between possessor and possessum (Maldonado 2002).

On the So-Called "Possessive Dative": Comparison with Possessive Adjective, Genitive, U+Genitive, and Benefactive Dative in Russian

On the So-Called "Possessive Dative": Comparison with Possessive Adjective, Genitive, U+Genitive, and Benefactive Dative in Russian

External vs. Internal Possessor Structures and Inalienability in Russian

This study deals with the choice between two external possessor structures in Russian: the possessive dative and the U + genitive PP. Is shows that this choice is primarily related to the thematic role of the possessor adjunct, which can vary with the same verb: the possessive dative presents it as a goal or as an experiencer, while the U-construction views it as a source or a location. Two general conclusions can be drawn from this study: - Russian views the possessive relation through its relationship with space. - Russian external possessor structures reflect two different delimitations of inalienable possession, one restricted to animate referents for the dative and one extended to a wide range of possessive relations including inanimate referents for the U-construction.

The expressivity of grammar: Grammatical devices expressing emotion across time By Axel Hübler (review)

198 LANGUAGE, VOLUME 76, NUMBER 1 (2000) plete structural understanding of the language since it soon becomes apparent that Nateni has a very complicated system of tonal alternations and verb-stem allomorphy underlying the expression of tense, aspect , and modality. N states, however, that the original focus of this project was primarily to provide a description ofthe verbal morphology and verb phrase syntax, so it is not surprising that phonology receives only brief mention. The following chapter is a thorough description of the verbal structure and verb phrase syntax with many examples (14-105). This chapter includes a number of tables and schematic diagrams which help to visually orient the reader to the complexities of the morphophonemic and tonal aspects ofthe language. Though it is unclear whether the examples in this section are from texts or elicitation , they are nonetheless very useful in demonstrating the functional explanations for the categories described. This chapter on the verb represents the aspect ofNateni most thoroughly analyzed by N. The following sections on nomináis (106-26) and clauselevel syntax (127-87) are somewhat smaller though still quite informative. The final section (189-244) contains 10 texts and a dialogue which provide a very useful introduction to the language as it functions in a discourse context. Morpheme-by-morpheme glossing and translation are provided throughout. N's account of Nateni is a concise description of the syntax of a language from a not-so-well-documented subbranch of the Niger-Congo family. As such it is a welcome addition to the linguistic knowledge ofthese languages. [Jonathan Banks, University of California, Santa Barbara.] The expressivity of grammar: Grammatical devices expressing emotion across time. By Axel Hübler. (Topics in English , 25.) Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 1998. Pp. vii, 253. Here, HUbler studies six grammatical devices which communicate expressivity, specifically, the speaker's attachment to the proposition and/or the receiver. H argues that traditional linguistics has failed to provide an adequate framework for understanding the expressive function of language implicit in such structures as the ge?-passive and the periphrastic do. Following an introductory chapter, the author proceeds to devote one chapter each to the possessive dative, ethic dative, expanded form (progressive ), present perfect, periphrastic do, and getpassive . The conclusion places H's findings in a histoncal perspective. H's overview affirms expressivity as one of the key charactenstics of human communication. He draws on theories from numerous fields, beginning with Charles Bally's division of expressivity into mode vécu (e.g. Damn it) and mode pur (e.g. / am getting mad). The mode vécu, in which the emotion is lived or relived at the moment of utterance, becomes a focus ofthe work. Another key conceptfrom this chapter is Harald Weinrich's distinction between Besprechen (discussing) and Erzählen (storytelling); the former generates an adoptive attachment to the proposition (based on the speaker's needs) while the latterresults in an adaptive attachment (empathy with what or whom the speaker is addressing). Finally, the devices studied are all indexed, or 'meaningrich ' . Since an alternative is clearly available to the speaker, H argues that the use of the 'heavier' form marks an attachment to the proposition. Each device is studied in a similar fashion. H first defines the problem, then reviews past and current theory and points out limitations. He outlines his methodology and employs examples from representative works, ranging from Beowulf to Studs Terkel's Working. Among the expressive devices analyzed is the possessive dative (as studied in Beowulf), where the attachment is toward the person to which the dative refers. Similarly, the use ofthe expanded form allows for both an attachment to the proposition and preaching (discussing) in the midst ofnarrating (e.g. Bede's Ecclesiastical history). Furthermore, H asserts that the present perfect reflects an adoptive attachment (related to speaker needs), especially in statements containing 'now' adverbials. Similar arguments are developed for the ethic dative, the periphrastic do, and the gei-passive (the last being common in present -day English). H concludes by showing how the various devices studied have fared over time, noting periods of peak usage and decline. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that many of the devices have resurfaced...

Possessor raising and the structure of VP

This paper investigates the Possessive Dative Construction (PDC) in Hebrew and Romance, and centers on the puzzling nature of the Possessor Dative (PD) — a semantic argument of the possessee which behaves like a syntactic argument of the verb. A variety of structural tests indicate that the possessee contains an empty category bound by the possessor, as previous researchers have concluded (Guéron, 1985; Borer and Grodzinsky, 1986); however, contrary to what the standard ‘thematic’ analysis of PDC maintains, it is argued that this is a genuine movement dependency. A case-driven possessor-raising account is developed, which explains the possessor-possessee co-occurrence restriction, and the interaction of PDC with extraction and control phenomena. The claim that PD raises to a specifier position projected by the verb further derives a significant cross-linguistic generalization — namely, that PDC is incompatible with non-agentive dyadic verbs. This generalization supersedes the ‘theme-affectedness’ condition, which is shown to be empirically false. The syntax of PDC proves a useful tool to probe into the structure of VP across various verb classes.

Romance Languages and Modern Linguistic Theory: Papers from the 20th Linguistic Symposium on Romance Languages (LSRL XX), Ottawa, 10-14 April 1990

1. Foreword 2. Creole Interference in Venezuelan Spanish: The absence of ser/estar (by Alvarez, Alexandra) 3. Linguistic Correlations between Subjects of One-argument Verbs and Subjects of More-than-one-argument Verbs in Spoken Spanish (by Bentivoglio, Paola) 4. Psych Constructions and Linking to Conceptual Structures (by Bouchard, Denis) 5. Semantics of Control, Tense Sequencing, and Disjoint Reference (by Clements, J. Clancy) 6. Morphological Evolution in Molese, a Southeast Italian Dialect: Simplification or decay? (by Cox, Terry B.) 7. On the Semantics of Subjunctive Complements (by Farkas, Donka F.) 8. On Reference in Copular Contexts (by Heggie, Lorie) 9. On the Economy of Romance Nonlexical Datives (by Herschensohn, Julia) 10. The Spanish Possessive Dative Construction: theta-role assignment and proper government (by Kempchinsky, Paula) 11. Three Problems in Italian Inflectional Morphology (by Klausenburger, Jurgen) 12. The Evolution of Complements of French Causative and Perception Verbs (by Martineau, France) 13. Antipassive Constructions in Spanish (by Masullo, Pascual Jose) 14. Reflexification in Palenquero (by Porras, Jorge E.) 15. On Clitic Case Alternations in French Causatives (by Reed, Lisa A.) 16. On the Distinction between Raising and Control (by Rooryck, Johan) 17. The Subject of Psych-Verbs and Case Theory (by Saltarelli, Mario) 18. On Suppletion and French Liaison (by Tranel, Bernard) 19. Subjects in Spanish Causative Constructions (by Trevino, Esthela) 20. On the Status of (Verbal) Traces in French: The case of stylistic inversion (by Valois, Daniel) 21. Subjects in Old Spanish: Conflicts between typology, syntax and dynamics (by Wanner, Dieter) 22. Sur les articles le/les generiques ou l'enigme du cosmonaute (by Wilmet, Marc) 23. Tense, V-Movement, and Wh-in-situ (by Zagona, Karen) 24. Index of Authors 25. Index of Subjects & Terms 26. Index of Languages & Language Families