Cognitive and Functional Perspectives on Dynamic Tendencies in Languages
Tartu : 29 May - 1 June 2008
Theme session on semantic roles and argument marking
Role ReversalReflexives and the change from agent to patient
Kees de Schepper Nijmegen University
Indo-European SE
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 2
Pre-historic
languages
Historiclanguages
Modernlanguages
Proto-Indo-
European
*se-
Old Norse
sik -sk Icelandic sig -st Danish sig -s German sich
OldChurchSlavonic
sebe se
Russian sebja -sja Polish siebie sięSerbo-
Croatian sebe se
Latin sē Italian sè si
Spanish si se French soi se
Overview
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 3
SE’s semantic map
Initial modifications
From Agent to Patient
Reciprocals and semantic roles
Conclusions
SE’s semantic map
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 4
Haspelmath 1993
Semantic map for reflexives and related functions
full reflexive
natural reciprocal
de-objective
anti-causative
pas-sive
potentialpassive
grooming/body motion
SE’s functions
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 5
Full Reflexive (Dutch)
Jan haat zich-zelfJohn hates SE-self‘John hates himself’
natural reciprocal
de-objective
anti-causative
potentialpassive
grooming/body motion
full reflexive
pas-sive
full reflexive
natural reciprocal
de-objective
anti-causative
potentialpassive
SE’s functions
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 6
grooming/
Grooming (Polish; Tabakowska 2003)
Basia myje się w łazience Basia washes SE in bathroom ‘Basia washes in the bathroom’
body motionpas-sive
full reflexive
natural reciprocal
de-objective
anti-causative
potentialpassive
SE’s functions
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 7
Body Motion (German)
Max setzt sich Max sits SE‘Max sits down’
grooming/body motiongrooming/ pas-
sive
SE’s functions
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 8
Reciprocal (Icelandic; Gast & Haas 2007)
Þeir hittu-st i gærthey met-SE in yesterday ‘They met yesterday’
full reflexive
de-objective
anti-causative
potentialpassive
grooming/body motion
natural reciprocal
pas-sive
SE’s functions
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 9
Anticausative (French)
Le vase s' est briséthe vase SE is broken‘The vase broke’
full reflexive
natural reciprocal
de-objective
potentialpassive
grooming/body motion
anti-causative
pas-sive
SE’s functions
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 10
Deobjective (Russian; Haspelmath 2003)
Sobaka kusaet-sjadog bites-SE‘The dog bites’
full reflexive
natural reciprocal
anti-causative
potentialpassive
grooming/body motion
de-objective
pas-sive
SE’s functions
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 11
Potential Passive (Serbo-Croatian; Marelj 2004)
Ovaj članak se lako čitathis article SE easily reads‘This article reads easily’
full reflexive
natural reciprocal
de-objective
anti-causative
grooming/body motion
pas-sive
potentialpassive
SE’s functions
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 12
Passive (Italian; Dobrovie-Sorin 2006)
Gli spaghetti si sono già compratithe spaghettis SE are already bought‘The spaghetti has already been bought’
full reflexive
natural reciprocal
de-objective
anti-causative
potentialpassive
grooming/body motion
pas-sive
Overview
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 13
SE’s semantic map
Initial modifications
From Agent to Patient
Reciprocals and semantic roles
Conclusions
Initial modifications
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 14
The orginal map (Haspelmath 1993)
full reflexive
grooming/body motion
natural reciprocal
de-objective
anti-causative
potentialpassive
pas-sive
Removing deobjective
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 15
full reflexive
grooming/body motion
natural reciprocal
anti-causative
potentialpassive
“On the whole, this type seems to be rather marginal.”
Haspelmath 1987
pas-sive
de-objective
Direction of development
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 16
Made explicit
full reflexive
grooming/body motion
natural reciprocal
anti-causative
potentialpassive
pas-sive
Grooming & Body Motion
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 17
Grooming & Body Motion → Natural Reflexive
full reflexive
naturalreflexive
natural reciprocal
anti-causative
potentialpassive
pas-sive
grooming/body motion
Position of Potential Passive
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 18
full reflexive
naturalreflexive
natural reciprocal
anti-causative
potentialpassive
pas-sive
Potential Passive (Icelandic; Geniušienė 1987)
Bók-in sel-st velbook-the sell-SE well‘The book sells well’
Position of Potential Passive
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 19
“Being a native speaker of Modern Icelandic, I looked very closely into the semantics of the st forms in that language […] and couldn't find any "Middle" meaning […] even remotely systematically expressed in the language.”
Kjartan Ottosson (p.c.)
Position of Potential Passive
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 20
“Geniusiene's example (with seljast vel) does not strictly speaking illustrate this meaning, as it refers to a realised situation, it is not generic and does not refer to "sellability". […]”
Kjartan Ottosson (p.c.)
potentialpassive
pas-sive
Position of Potential Passive
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 21
full reflexive
naturalreflexive
natural reciprocal
anti-causative
pas-sive
potentialpassivefacilitative
(Faltz 1985)
Arbitrary SE
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 22
a.Passive (Spanish; Juarros Daussà 2001)
Se necesita-n buena-s idea-sSE need-3PL good-PL idea-PL‘Good ideas are needed’
b.Arbitrary
Se necesita buena-s idea-s SE needs(3SG) good-PL idea-PL‘One needs good ideas’
Arbitrary SE
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 23
a.Passive
Se necesita una buena ideaSE need(3SG) a good idea‘A good idea is needed’
b.Arbitrary
Se necesita una buena idea SE need(3SG) a good idea‘One needs a good idea’
(Naro 1976)
passive
Arbitrary SE
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 24
full reflexive
naturalreflexive
natural reciprocal
anti-causative
facilitative arbitrary
Overview
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 25
SE’s semantic map
Initial modifications
From Agent to Patient
Reciprocals and semantic roles
Conclusions
passive
Fitting in semantic roles
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 26
full reflexive
naturalreflexive
natural reciprocal
anti-causative
facilitative arbitrary
Fitting in semantic roles
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 27
Two candidates: Noun and SE
Questions: 1. SE – semantic role or not
2. Agent or Patient?
Possibilities: NounSE
1. AgentPatient
2. Patient Agent3. Agent -
4. Patient -
Role reversal
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 28
full reflexive
naturalreflexive
anti-causative
AgentPatien
t
Agent Patient
passive
Noun
SE
Patient and Natural Reflexive
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 29
a.Full Reflexive
Johann betrog sich / PeterJohn cheated SE Pete) ‘John deceived himself / Pete’
b.Natural Reflexive
Johann beeilte sich / *PeterJohn rushed SE Pete ‘John rushed’
Role reversal
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 30
full reflexive
naturalreflexive
anti-causative
AgentPatien
t
Agent Patient
passive
arbitrary
Patient
Agent
Noun
SE
Overview
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 31
SE’s semantic map
Initial modifications
From Agent to Patient
Reciprocals and semantic roles
Conclusions
Position of Reciprocal
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 32
full reflexive
naturalreflexive
anti-causative
AgentPatien
t
Agent Patient
passive
arbitrary
Patient
Agent
Noun
SEfacilitative
natural reciprocal
Natural reciprocals
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 33
Old Norse; Holmes and Hincliffe 1994
kramas ‘hug’; kyssas ‘kiss’mötas ‘meet’ samlas ‘gather’slåss ‘fight’ tampas ‘tussle’skiljas ‘part’ retas ‘tease’ brottas ‘wrestle’ enas ‘unite’ förlikas ‘be reconciled’ kivas ‘squabble’
German reciprocals
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 34
sich schlagen ‘to fight’ (German; Dimitriadis 2004)
a. Continuous Reciprocal
Johann und Maria schlugen sich John and Mary hit SE ‘John and Mary fought’
b.Discountinous Reciprocal
Johann schlug sich mit Maria John hit SE with Mary ‘John fought with Mary’
German reciprocals
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 35
sich vergöttern ‘to idolize each other’
a. Continuous Reciprocal
Johann und Maria vergöttern sich John and Mary idolize SE ‘John and Mary idolize each other’
b.Discountinous Reciprocal
*Johann vergöttert sich mit Maria John idolize SE with Mary
Three stages
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 36
full reflexive
naturalreflexive
natural reciprocal
full reciprocal
full reflexive
naturalreflexive
natural reciprocal
full reflexive
naturalreflexive
natural reciprocal
full reciprocal
Old Norse
GermanPolish
Position of Reciprocal
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 37
anti-causative
facilitative
full reflexive
naturalreflexive
natural reciprocal
full reciprocal
passive
arbitrary
Overview
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 38
SE’s semantic map
Initial modifications
From Agent to Patient
Reciprocals and semantic roles
Conclusions
Conclusions
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 39
Semantic roles important for SE
Change from Agent to Patient
Two types of reciprocal
anti-causative
facilitative
full reflexive
naturalreflexive
natural reciprocal
full reciprocal
passive
arbitrary
Thank you
anti-causative
facilitative
full reflexive
naturalreflexive
natural reciprocal
full reciprocal
passive
arbitrary
Bergeton, Uffe. (2004). The independence of binding and intensification. PhD diss., University of Southern California.
Dobrovie-Sorin, Carmen. (2006). “The SE-Anaphor and its Role in Argument Realization” in: Martin Everaert & Henk van Riemsdijk (eds.) The Blackwell Companion to Syntax, 118–179. Oxford: Blackwell.
Faltz, Leonard 1985 Reflexivization: a study in universal syntax. London, New York: Garland.
Gast, Volker & Florian Haas. forthcoming. “On reciprocal and reflexive uses of anaphors in German and other European languages” in: Ekkehard König & Volker Gast (eds.) Reciprocals and reflexives: cross-linguistic and theoretical explorations. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Juarros Daussà, Eva. 2001. The syntactic operator "se" in Spanish. Ms., UMass.
Marelj, M. 2004. Middles and Argument Structure Across Languages. PhD diss., LOT, Utrecht.
Naro, Anthony 1976. “The Genesis of the Reflexive Impersonal in Portuguese: A study in syntactic change as a surface phenomenon”. Language 52: 779-811.
Tabakowska, E. 2003. “Those notorious Polish reflexive pronouns: a plea for middle voice.” Glossos 4.
Position of Potential Passive
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 42
Syntactic argument structure of SE-predicates
Possibilities:
Subject SE1. Transitive AgentPatient2. Unergative Agent -
3. Unaccusative Patient -(cf. Steinbach 2004; de Allencar & Kelling 2005; Reinhart & Siloni 2005; Rooryck & Vanden Wyngaerd 2008)
Position of Potential Passive
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 43
full reflexive
naturalreflexive
anti-causative
Steinbach 2004; de Allencar & Kelling 2005
Trans. Trans. Trans.
Position of Potential Passive
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 44
full reflexive
naturalreflexive
anti-causative
Reinhart & Siloni 2005
Unerg. Unerg. Unacc.
Position of Potential Passive
de Schepper :: Role Reversal CFPDTL :: 29 May 08 Slide 45
full reflexive
naturalreflexive
anti-causative
Rooryck & Vanden Wyngaerd 2008
Unacc. Unacc. Unacc.