Argument Realization

by Beth Levin, Malka Rappaport Hovav

Overview

The relationship between verbs and their arguments is a widely debated topic in linguistics. This comprehensive survey provides an overview of this important research area, exploring theories of how a verb's semantics can determine the morphosyntactic realization of its arguments. Assuming a close connection between verb meaning and syntactic structure, the analysis constructs a bridge between lexical-semantic and syntactic research. Synthesizing work results from a range of linguistic subdisciplines and a variety of theoretical frameworks, it will be invaluable to research in syntax, semantics, and related fields.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521663311
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	06/20/2005
Series:	Research Surveys in Linguistics
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.67(d)

About the Author

Beth Levin is William H. Bonsall Professor in the Humanities at the Department of Linguistics, Stanford University.

Malka Rappaport Hovav is Professor in the Department of English, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. Challenges for theories of argument realization; 2. Semantic role lists; 3. Current approaches to lexical semantic representation; 4. Three conceptualizations of events; 5. The mapping from lexical semantics to syntax; 6. Thematic hierarchies in argument realization; 7. Multiple argument realization; 8. Postscript.