Particles: On the Syntax of Verb-Particle, Triadic and Causative Constructions

by Marcel den Dikken

Overview

Particles are words that do not change their form through inflection and do not fit easily into the established system of parts of speech. Examples include the negative particle "not," the infinitival particle "to" (as in "to go"), and do and let in "do tell me" and "let's go." Particles investigates the constraints on the distribution and placement of verbal particles. A proper understanding of these constraints yields insight into the structure of various secondary predicative constructions. Starting out from a detailed analysis of complex particle constructions, den Dikken brings forth accounts of triadic constructions and Dative Shift, and the relationship between dative and transitive causative constructions--all of them built on the basic structural template proposed from complex particle constructions. Drawing on data from Norwegian, English, Dutch, German, West Flemish, and other languages, this book will interest a wide audience of students and specialists.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195358001
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	03/16/1995
Series:	Oxford Studies in Comparative Syntax
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Lexile:	1570L (what's this?)
File size:	2 MB

Table of Contents

	Preface	vii
	Contents	ix
1	Preliminaries	3
1.1	Introduction	3
1.2	Some theoretical assumptions	4
1.2.1	A modular theory	4
1.2.2	A conjunctive ECP	5
1.2.3	NP-traces and the ECP	8
1.2.4	Incorporation and the ECP	12
1.2.5	Incorporation, indexation and c-command	17
1.2.6	Uniformity of Theta Assignment	19
1.2.7	Modularity and syntactic word formation	22
1.2.8	Small clauses and subject-predicate relationships	24
1.2.9	Small clauses and abstract syntactic structure	27
1.3	Particles	29
1.4	Preview	34
2	The structure of particle constructions	35
2.1	Introduction	35
2.2	Complex particle constructions: Preliminaries	35
2.2.1	The clause-final constituent as a SC predicate	36
2.2.2	The particle as a SC head	38
2.2.3	Conclusion	43
2.3	The structure of English complex particle constructions	43
2.3.1	Introduction: The theoretical options	43
2.3.2	On Kayne's (1985) analysis of complex particle constructions	46
2.3.3	The alternative	54
2.3.3.1	The ergativity of the particle	54
2.3.3.2	The particle-placement differential	55
2.3.3.3	The ban on clause-final particle placement	61
2.3.3.4	Extraction of and from the predicate of SC2	61
2.3.3.5	Further support for the analysis: The Norwegian parallel	65
2.3.3.6	Conclusion	67
2.3.4	Another possibility?	67
2.3.5	An inventory of complex particle constructions	73
2.3.5.1	Nominal complex particle constructions	73
2.3.5.2	Adjectival complex particle constructions	74
2.3.5.3	Prepositional complex particle constructions	77
2.3.5.4	To-infinitival complex particle constructions	78
2.3.5.5	Verbal complex particle constructions	79
2.3.5.6	On particle recursion	80
2.3.6	On the non-lexical status of particles	81
2.4	Simplex particle constructions	86
2.4.1	Word-order alternation: The theoretical options	86
2.4.2	Against extraposition	87
2.4.3	On the locus of particle incorporation	88
2.4.4	On the ergativity of particles	92
2.4.4.1	Verb-particle idioms	92
2.4.4.2	An apparent problem	96
2.4.5	On pronouns and word order	100
2.4.6	Particle modification	106
2.5	Conclusion	110
3	Particles and the dative alternation	111
3.1	Introduction	111
3.2	Why Larson's analysis of Dative Shift fails: Evidence from triadic verb-particle constructions	112
3.3	The predicativity of the dative PP	119
3.4	Particle modification and Dative Shift	123
3.5	Particle reanalysis: A correlation	124
3.6	Why obligatory reanalysis?	125
3.7	An empty verb in triadic constructions	126
3.8	Decomposition of main verb have	129
3.9	The structure of triadic constructions and the analysis of Dative Shift	131
3.10	The motivation for movement	133
3.10.1	Case Theory	133
3.10.2	Licensing the empty preposition	134
3.11	Triadic constructions lacking a lexical particle	140
3.11.1	An empty verb and an empty particle	140
3.11.2	Word order in Dutch dative constructions	143
3.11.3	Word order in Chinese dative constructions	151
3.11.4	Interim conclusion and road map	155
3.12	Transformational Dative Shift and distribution	155
3.12.1	The role played by the (empty) preposition	156
3.12.2	Idioms and affectedness	158
3.13	Transformational Dative Shift and incorporation	160
3.13.1	Chinese Dative Shift	160
3.13.2	Triadic serial verbs and V-V compounds	161
3.13.3	Conclusion	165
3.14	The with construction	166
3.15	Particles revisited	170
3.15.1	On the cross-linguistic distribution of double object particle constructions	170
3.15.2	Particles in unexpected positions	173
3.15.3	On dative PPs with propositional subjects	177
3.16	Conclusion	179
4	Movement and structural ambiguity in double object constructions	181
4.1	Introduction	181
4.2	A'-extraction of the double object Goal: Evidence for an empty preposition	181
4.2.1	Restrictions on Goal movement: Introduction to the problem	181
4.2.2	Overt versus empty operator movement	184
4.2.3	Analysis	186
4.2.4	English topicalisation and relativisation	190
4.2.5	English long wh-extraction	191
4.2.6	English short wh-extraction	193
4.2.7	Heavy NP Shift	195
4.2.8	Summary	197
4.3	A'-extraction of the double object Theme: Structural ambiguity in double object constructions	197
4.3.1	The problem	197
4.3.2	Dative Shift and Theme extraction	199
4.3.3	Preliminaries: Structural ambiguity	201
4.3.4	Theme extraction: Analysis	202
4.3.5	Conclusion	206
4.4	Raising-to-subject and the double object Theme	207
4.5	Interactions of A'-movement and passivisation	209
4.5.1	A'-extraction of the English double object Theme	209
4.5.2	A'-extraction of the Kichaga double object Goal	213
4.5.3	Summary	215
4.6	German has no Dative Shift	216
4.6.1	Binding asymmetries	216
4.6.2	The binding facts of German	218
4.6.3	Analysis	220
4.6.4	Summary	224
4.7	Conclusion	225
5	Affixal particles in applicatives and causatives	227
5.1	Introduction	227
5.2	Homophony of applicative and causative affixes	229
5.2.1	The problem from a Dutch perspective	229
5.2.2	The problem from a Sanuma perspective	230
5.2.3	The problem from an Indonesian perspective	232
5.2.4	Synthesis	233
5.2.5	Interlude: Affixal particles in French	235
5.2.6	Two central questions for the analysis of causative constructions	237
5.3	The structure of transitive causatives	239
5.3.1	Two correlations between datives and causatives	239
5.3.1.1	The Case of Goals and causees	240
5.3.1.2	The Case of (embedded) direct objects	243
5.3.2	Structural assimilation	244
5.3.3	The structure	245
5.3.4	Decomposition of triadic verbs	248
5.3.5	Causatives, possession and affectedness	249
5.3.6	Ergativisation	251
5.3.7	Embedding under the causativised verb	253
5.3.7.1	The priority effect in French causatives	253
5.3.7.2	Causativised verbs with sentential complements	257
5.3.8	Transitive and intransitive causatives	263
5.3.9	Alternative analyses	265
5.4	Conclusion	267
6	Conclusions	269
	References	275