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3 This is the valency representation of the sentence He wanted to open the can: He wanted (to) open the can. Note that the ”subject” arrow of the infinitive is represented, although syntactically it can be considered unrealized.
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USEA Valency Analysis
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This is the (simplified) valency representation of the sentence He opened the can:
He open<ed> the can.
In the following we shall disregard the definite article and the tense morpheme.
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This is the valency representation of the sentence He wanted to open the can:
He wanted (to) open the can.
Note that the ”subject” arrow of the infinitive is represented, although syntactically it can
be considered unrealized.
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Now let us begin analysing a typical sentence with the verb use:
He used a knife to open the can.
He used (a) knife to open the can.
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He used (a) knife to open the can.
The rest of the analysis can be carried out in two ways. According to the first
solution, use and to are both two-place predicates.
I.e., to ≈ ’intend’
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He used (a) knife (to) open the can.
According to the second analysis, to is not a predicate, and use has three valency
positions:
I.e., the intention is implied, but not expressed overtly.
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Now let us look at a close paraphrase:
He opened the can with a knife.
There are different ways of handling the phrase with a knife.
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According to the classical analysis, INSTRUMENT is a deep case. This
gives us the following representation:
He opened the can (with a) knife.
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If we prefer to let open have only two valency positions we can turn with into a
predicate.
Still, we have to choose between two solutions: with can be either a two-place
or a three-place predicate.
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To understand this, let us compare the paraphrases He used a knife to open the can and He opened the can with a knife.
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He used (a) knife to open the can.
He opened the can with (a) knife.
Solution with semantic to:
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As we see, there is no element in He opened the can with a knife that can match the predicate to in He used a
knife to open the can.
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He used (a) knife (to) open the can.
He opened the can with (a) knife.
Solution with syntactic to:
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This solution gives us total isomorphism between the paraphrases.
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Of course, in some contexts to must be analysed as semantic, even when occurring
with use.
To open the can, use a knife.
Cf. the pretty close paraphrase: If you want to open the can, use a knife.
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Not realized third valency position:
John opened the can. He used (a) knife.
In order to retrieve the third position, we have to cross the sentence border (full stop).
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the <us>er (of) the instrument
Predicate incorporated:
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The only (<us>er of) this instrument (is) John.
Only John uses this instrument.
Syntactic nomen agentis:
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Implicit use:
«use» tool
«use» instrument
«use» means
«use» machine
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First valency position not realized:
«use» means (of) production
sewing «use» machine
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«use» <wash>er
Incorporated predicate and implicit predicate.
«use» <bor>er
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John opened the can.
His «use» (tool was a) knife.
Syntactic tool:
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Now a cross-linguistic comparison.
«use» <dish><wash>er
«use» <disk>maskin
<posudo><moech>naja mashina
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Note also that Sw. disk (verbal morpheme) corresponds to Eng. wash,
not to dish!
In Russian, we do not need an implicit verb «use»; the adjective itself can be the carrier
of such a meaning.
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Another cross-linguistic comparison: milking machine vs Sw. mjölkmaskin*.
*Less common, but also possible: mjölkningsmaskin.
«use» <milk>ing machine
«use» <<mjölkmaskin
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Still another cross-linguistic comparison: screwdriver vs Sw. mejsel.
«use» <screw><driv>er
«use» mejsel2 «skruv» «skruva»
mejsel1 = chisel
mejsel2 = screwdriver
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He (was) «use» <knif>ed (by a) bandit.
He was knifed by a bandit.
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«use» knife «cut»
«use» <saw>
Knife vs saw.
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The End
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