action or event...

Ludzie pragną czasami się rozstawać, żeby móc tęsknić, czekać i cieszyć się z powrotem.

– Causer: the NP which involves not deliberate
– Stimulus: something that is perceived or
or conscious actions.
causes an impression.
Descriptive grammar 13, year 2
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Descriptive grammar 13, year 2
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Thematic roles
Thematic roles
• In (13-14) NPs carry the same thematic
• (15) They gave me some advice. [Agent,
roles, but are differently arranged:
Recipient, Theme]
– like + the Experiencer subject + a Stimulus
– Recipient: a NP which is an entity that
receives something.
object.
– Theme: the entity which is moved by the
– please requires the same clause elements but action or event denoted by the predicate.
with opposite roles.
• (16) I’ll find you a good place. [Agent,
• The syntactic distribution of the roles
Beneficiary, Theme]
depends on the predicate.
– Beneficiary: the entity that benefits from the action or event denoted by the predicate.
Descriptive grammar 13, year 2
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Descriptive grammar 13, year 2
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3
Thematic roles
Thematic roles
• (17) The robber picked the lock with a
• (19) The portrait fell off the wall. [Theme, hairpin. [Agent, Patient, Instrument]
Source]
– Instrument: the medium by which the action
– Source: the location or entity from which
or event denoted by the predicate is carried
something moves.
out (usually a with-phrase).
• (20) Joan wrote a children’s book. [Agent,
• (18) I fell to the ground. [Theme, Goal]
Affected Theme]
– Goal: the location or entity toward which
– Affected Theme: the effect of the action, or something moves.
the NP which is influenced by the action.
Descriptive grammar 13, year 2
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Descriptive grammar 13, year 2
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NPs without thematic roles (non-
Other non-arguments
arguments)
• (21) It always rains in London.
• (25) Last summer, the dog greedily
• (22) There were six policemen on the bus.
devoured my steak.
– It and existential there do not refer to entities in the
– NPs which carry only circumstantial, non-
outside world, they are subject slot fillers.
participant information.
• Do not confuse them with the pronoun it and the
– In English: phrases or clauses that function as
locative there: they do refer to entities in the adjuncts are not arguments.
outside world:
– Not all grammatical functions are arguments
–
(23) I hate the number 13 bus, it is always packed.
but each argument realizes a grammatical
–
(24) I’ll put your coffee over there.
function.
Descriptive grammar 13, year 2
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Descriptive grammar 13, year 2
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The subjectivization
The thematic hierarchy
(subjectification) hierarchy
• If there are more one arguments in the
1. Agent, e.g. (26) The boy broke the vase.
sentence, which one is more likely to
(the most likely and frequent subject).
become the subject?
2. Instrument, e.g. (27) The stone broke the vase. (this NP can be subject only
• The subjectivization (subjectification)
when there is no Agent).
hierarchy helps to determine subject
3. Causer.
selection.
4. Theme, e.g. (28) The vase broke.
Descriptive grammar 13, year 2
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Descriptive grammar 13, year 2
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4
The thematic hierarchy and
The thematic hierarchy and
reflexivization
reflexivization
• (29) The worker washed himself. [Agent, Theme]
• (30) does not obey the subjectivization
• (30) *The worker was washed by himself.
hierarchy: two rules are violated.
– The antecedent of the reflexive pronoun: often the
– the Agent is himself and the Theme is the worker, subject, the reflexive: often the object.
which is against the rules of the thematic hierarchy: when selecting the subject, the Agent takes
– Passivization: the active subject NP (Agent) a priority over the Theme.
complement of the P by, but it retains its thematic role of the Agent in the passive equivalent.
– another rule governing reflexivization is violated: a reflexive pronoun cannot be higher in the
– The active object (Theme) the passive subject but thematic hierarchy than its antecedent.
retains its thematic role of the Theme in the passive equivalent.
Descriptive grammar 13, year 2
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Descriptive grammar 13, year 2
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The thematic hierarchy and
The thematic hierarchy and
reflexivization
reflexivization
• (31) The chairperson obviously liked
• In the active (31) the reflexive pronoun is the
Stimulus.
herself. [Experiencer, Stimulus]
• In the active (32): pleased is an adjective (it can
• (32) The chairperson was obviously
be modified by very) and the reflexive is the Stimulus.
pleased with herself. [Experiencer,
• (31-32) are well-formed: the reflexive is lower in Stimulus]
the thematic hierarchy than its antecedent.
• (33) *The chairperson was obviously
• In the passive (33) the reflexive is the Agent.
pleased by herself. [Experiencer, Agent]
• Thus the reflexive is higher in the thematic
hierarchy than its antecedent, which makes (33)
ungrammatical.
Descriptive grammar 13, year 2
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Descriptive grammar 13, year 2
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The causative vs. ergative
The causative vs. ergative
alteration
alteration
• “Causative” = certain classes of verbs and
• (34) (a) We closed the door noiselessly.
certain constructions which describe the action
(b) The door closed noiselessly.
necessary to cause another action to happen,
• (35) (a) He grew tomatoes in his garden.