October 8, 2007

11-721: Grammars and Lexicons

Lori Levin

(Examples from Kroeger)

Causative sentences (English, periphrastic and lexical)

• English causative – periphrastic– John read the book.– Mary made John read the book.

• English causative – lexical – John died.– Mary killed John.– The boat sank.– The enemy sank the boat.

Causative sentences (Malayalam, lexical and morphological)

The lexical causative indicates direct causation. The morphological causative indicates indirect causation.

Outline

• Morphological causatives – Intransitive verbs– Transitive verbs

• Which argument is the object?

– Ditranstive verbs

• Semantic types of causation– Different causative constructions used for different

meanings

• Morphological and periphrastic causatives– One clause or two?– One subject or two?

Morphological Causative construction,Intransitive verb (Malayalam)

Causative verbs

Play < agent > subj

Play-caus < causer causee > subj obj

Play-caus-pass < causer causee > obl subj

They are both agentsso we will call them causer and causee.

Causative construction, transitive verb (Swahili)

Swahili Causative

Cook < agent patient >

subj obj

Cook-caus < causer causee patient >

subj ???? ????

Which one is the OBJ?In (7) b, the object agreement marker “m” agrees with “girl, the causee.

The object agreement marker cannot agree with “door” as in (9).

Which one is the OBJ?

The causee becomes the subject of the passive.

Swahili Causative

Cook < agent patient >

subj obj

Cook-caus < causer causee patient >

subj obj obj2

Comparison between causative and “give”

Swahili Causative

give < agent recipient theme >

subj obj obj2

Cook-caus < causer causee patient >

subj obj obj2

Turkish Causative

Which one is the OBJ?

Turkish Causative

Open < agent theme >

subj obj

Open-caus < causer causee theme >

subj obj2/obl obj

Comparison to “give”

Turkish Causative

give < agent recipient theme >

subj obj2/obl obj

Open-caus < causer causee theme >

subj obj2/obl obj

Malayalam causative, transitive verb

Causee is oblique:

pinch < agent patient > subj obj

pinch-caus < causer causee patient > subj obl obj

Causative of ditransitive verb?

Causative of ditransitive verb

Give < agent recipient theme >

subj obl obj

Give-caus < causer causee recip theme >

subj obl dat obj

Semantic distinctions in causation

Direct and indirect causation

Coercion and permission

Manipulation and direction

Change in case marking indicates different type of causation.

Dative causee is manipulated. Instrumental causee is given direction to eat.

Case marking of causee

The dative causee has control. For example, she laughed because a movie director told her to. The accusative causee doesn’t have control. For example, Taroo told a joke and Hanako couldn’t help laughing.

One clause or two?

• Mary made John hit her.

• *Mary made John hit herself.

S

NP VP

Mary V S

made John hit her.

S

NP VP

Mary V NP VP

made John hit her.

Which tree is compatible with this rule and the two sentences above: A reflexive pronoun must have an antecedent in the same S.

Turkish reflexive pronouns: also must have an antecedent in the same S

Morphological causative and reflexive pronoun

One subject or two?

• Does the causee act like a subject?– You might think so because the noun phrase

with the same semantic role (agent) was the subject of the non-causative verb

Malayalam: causee is not a subjectIn Malayalam, only a subject can be an antecedent for a reflexive pronoun. The antecedent does not have to be in the same clause.

Chimwini: causee is a subject

Japanese: depends on the type of causative