Andrej Malchukov

Case Pattern Splits, Verb Types and Construction Competition

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on verb splits in case-marking patterns and proposes a set of constraints that account for the cross-linguistic variation in case patterns for different verb classes. The transitive prototype is defined in terms of the role properties of its core arguments as well as the properties of the verb. While a canonical transitive construction should conform to a certain semantic transitive prototype, no such prototype is available for an intransitive construction. While perception verbs are treated as agentive, emotion verbs are, for the most part, either patientive or “variable.” Cognition verbs fall in between these two classes because some of them belong to the agentive class while others belong to the “variable” class. Variation in case-marking patterns is viewed as resulting from a different ranking of potentially conflicting and violable constraints. Thus, in the case of canonically transitive constructions, all these constraints are satisfied. Another factor that can influence case marking is polysemy. Notably, polysemous items often share the same case pattern even if their different meanings represent different verb types.

Constraining nominalization: function-form competition

Abstract The present article deals with constraints on transcategorial processes such as nominalization. In particular, it addresses the issue whether one can predict the order in which verbal categories are lost and nominal categories are acquired in nominalization. It is argued that the disruption/acquisition of categories in transcategorial processes is determined by functionally based hierarchies of nominal and verbal categories, as suggested in the functional-typological literature. The hierarchy constraints in turn are shown to arise from the interaction of FuncFaith constraints forcing decategorization/recategorization and LexFaith hedging these processes. Structural factors such as morpheme order and category cumulation can also interfere with the hierarchy constraints. These structural factors can be derived from conditions on output-output correspondences (OOCs) between the morphological structure of nominalizations with that of finite verbs, on the one hand, and nonderived nouns, on the other. Thus the outcome of nominalization processes is determined by an interaction of the function-based hierarchy constraints and OOC-related structural constraints.

Semantic markedness in gender opposition, blocking and fossilization

Abstract The semantics of natural gender in animate nouns is modeled in the framework of bidirectional Optimality Theory (OT). This allows for the interaction of lexical, conceptual and contextual constraints and for a straightforward treatment of the effect of blocking in this domain. Two versions of bidirectional OT are discussed and related to each other in terms of Blutner’s (2007) notion of fossilization.

Scales and Hierarchies: A Cross-Disciplinary Perspective

TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS is a series of books that open new perspectives in our understanding of language. The series publishes state-of-the-art work on core areas of linguistics across theoretical frameworks, as well as studies that provide new insights by approaching language from an interdisciplinary perspective. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS considers itself a forum for cutting-edge research based on solid empirical data on language in its various manifestations, including sign languages. It regards linguistic variation in its synchronic and diachronic dimensions as well as in its social contexts as important sources of insight for a better understanding of the design of linguistic systems and the ecology and evolution of language. TRENDS IN LINGUISTICS publishes monographs and outstanding dissertations as well as edited volumes, which provide the opportunity to address controversial topics from different empirical and theoretical viewpoints. High quality standards are ensured through anonymous reviewing.

Ditransitive constructions in Ket

Fig. 1 Position classes in Modern Ket P8 P7 P6 P5 P4 P3 P2 P1 P0 P-1 subject or thematic valence reducing affix incorporate infinitive as semantic peak or incorporated noun, adj, or adverb root subject or object thematic consonant (most are semantically opaque) tense/ mood /a/, /s/ or 3 person animate subject or object inanim. subject or object; or thematic valence change affix tense/ mood/ aspect consonant /n/, /l/ subject or object or thematic valence reducing affix base 1. verb root as semantic peak or 2. aspect/voice auxiliary) anim. subject plural (in many verbs that use P8 for subject)