TRANSTI

TION A

ND

TRANSFE

R PREDIC

ATES

C R E A T E D A N D P R E S E N T E D B Y

S I T I M U N A W A T I

6 B

TRANSTITION

Transition predicates are verbs which express the going

or coming from one place to another, respectively the

source and the goal.

TRANSITION

Example:

1. The bus goes from Greenville to Stratford.

Argument1 Predicate Argument2 Argument3

theme action sourcegoal

The sentence above tells us the movement of an inanimate object from one place (the source) to

another place (the goal)

TRANSITION

2. Carlo came to this country from Italy.

Argument1 Predicate Argument2 Argument3

actor action goal source

The sentence above tells us the movement of an animate object from one place (the source) to another

place (the goal)

TRANSITION

The Source

From

To The Goal

TRANSITION

To is used to express the notion that the goal is simply a location.

Example:1. The bus goes from

Greenville to Stratford.2. Carlo came to this

country from Italy.

Into is used to express the notion that the goal is an area which contains.

Example:1. He emerged from the

dark cellar into the bright sunlight.

2. He plunged from the bright sunlight into the dark cellar.

TRANSITION

A sentence may express a path (a place or area between

the Source and Goal).

Example:

1. The bus goes from Greenville to Stratford by way of Compton.

theme source goalpath

2. The boat drifted over the water from one place to another. theme path source

goal

TRANSITION

The path is indicated by a form that may follow one of several prepositions: via, by way of, through, across or over.

The theme or actor NP is subject of the sentence.

To generalize, sentences with transition verbs have this argument structure:

Transition verb

theme or actor source goal path

TRANSITION

The bus goes from Greenville to Stratford by way of Compton.

Greenville

(source)Time 0

Compton

(path)

Stratford(goal)

Time +

TRANSITION

Pay attention to the sentences

below!

1. The road goes from Greenville to Stratford by way of Compton.

2. The driveway extends from the street to the garage.

3. Curtains hung almost from the ceiling to the floor.

TRANSITION

In those sentences, from and to introduce source and goal, respectively, but the road, driveway and curtaints, do not move from one to the other, and so there is no Time Zero or Time Plus.

The time frame for a predicate like extend, as in sentence 15 is:

extend

Time

Theme at Source and Goal

TRANSITION

What about this sentence?

Harrison returned to his hometown from the big city.

TRANSITION

In this sentence three times are implied:

At Time Minus, which is earlier than Time Zero,

Harrison was in his hometown, at Time Zero he was in

the big city, and at Time Plus he was again in his

hometown.

returnTime –Theme at goal

Time 0Theme

at source

Time +Theme at goal

TRANSITION

Common Transition Predicates

Unmarked: move

Focus on Goal: get [general] come [goal is where speaker or addressee is or will be] go [goal is away from speaker]

Focus on Manner: creep [animate subject; slow movement over a surface] rotate [wheel or globe; turns on an axis] gallop [subject is a horse or on a horse, moving at the fastest gait]

TRANSITION

Focus on Path: drift [effortless movement in moving water] float [seemingly effortless movement in water or air] fall [source is higher than goal; involuntary movement]

Focus on Cause or Purpose: escape [source is undesirable place] emigrate [as above; source-oriented] immigrate [as above; goal-oriented]

TRANSFER

Transfer verbs are the causative equivalent of the transition verbs

1. Fenwick drives the bus from Greenville to Stratford. (Fenwick causes the bus to go....)

2. Jane rowed the boat from one side of the river to the other. (Jane caused the boat to move.....)

TRANSFER

study the following sentences Fenwick drives a bus from Greenville to Stratford by

way of Compton.

Agent theme source goal path

The king banished the rebels from his realm ( to another land ).

Agent affected source goal

The verb drive is a predicate of transition, and this sentence has a causative meaning corresponding to Sentence 1: Fenwick causes the bus to go from Greenville, etc., and of course he moves with the bus.

Sentence two has the same role as sentence 1 but the king does not move with the rebels.

Thus two verbs can be distinguish. “drive” can cause agent move while “banish” cannot

Transfer includes:

Putting and removingEx:1. Squirrels are stashing nuts in that oak tree.2. Thieves stole some money from the cash box.

and giving and taking away.1. Ronnie gave Rosie some flowers.2. The accident deprived Alex of his livelihood.

Communicating something to someone through language is also aform of transfer:1. Mother told the children a story.2. Agnes is writing her mother a letter.

These are shown from the timescales below:

drive

banish

Time 0Agent and theme at source

Time +Agent and

theme at goal

Time 0Theme at

source

Time +Theme at goal

Verb expressing acts that change location of both agent and theme are the following:

Unmarked: move

Focus on maner:drive [object=vehicle and subject=driver; or object=animal(s) and subject is behind the animal(s)]convey [unmarked]haul [transfer in vehicle suggested]drag [subject moves object over a surface, object is inert]

Focus on goal:bring [goal is location of speaker, not necessarily at time of speaking]Take [goal is not location of speaker]

Focus on aspect:restore [object was previously at goal]

Verbs expressing acts that change location of theme are as

following:Focus on goal:push [object is moved away from original position of agent]pull [object is moved toward agent]

Focus on source:Expel [agent=person of authority in source]Evict [as above; source is dwelling, affected is a tenant]

Focus on path:throw [object moves through air]lift [vertical movement upward]Raise [vertical movement upward or into upright position]drop [vertical movement down; may be involuntary]lower [as above; voluntary]

Study the following sentence

1. We spread a red carpet from the sidewalk to the door.2. The court restored the property to its lawful owner (from

one who was not the lawful owner).

Explanation 1. In sentence 1 To spread something is to cause it to be

simultaneously at Place X and Place Y, the Source and the Goal.

2. In sentence 2 To restore something is to cause it to be in the same place or possession at Time Plus as it was at Time Minus and as it was not at Time Zero.

restore

Time –Theme at

goal

Time 0Theme at

source

Time +Theme at

goal

With certain verbs the expression of the goal is all-important and the source is not important or is not specified.

Examples:

1. The guard admitted us to the museum.

2. Nectar attracts bees to flowers.

3. The judge sentenced the convicted man to jail.

With some verbs—give, award and bequeath are examples—from is missing because the source appears as subject.

Examples:

1. The team gave a present to Harry [gave Harry a present].

2. Our school awarded the trophy to Millie [awarded Millie the trophy].

3. Mrs. Carson bequeathed her fortune to her servants.

The argument structure, illustrated here for give:

Give

Agent=source theme goal

Here is a group of verbs that occur as predicates in sentences with this structure:

Give [most common, least marked]

award [the object is a prize]

bequeath [the source is typically, but not necessarily, deceased; cf. inherit, below]

bestow [the source is a person of higher social position than the goal]

Contribute [the source is one of several donors]

Donate [the transfer is considered a worthy action]

entrust [the change is temporary]

Grant [the source is a person of authority]

hand [the act is physical, the object is relatively small]

lend [the change is temporary; cf. borrow, below]

Lose [the change results from competition between source and goal]

Sell [money is involved in the act; cf. buy, below]

Submit [the goal is a person of authority; cf. grant, above]

1. Harry received a present from the team.2. Millie accepted the trophy from our

school.3. Mrs Carson’s servants will inherit a

fortune from her.

Read the sentence

bellow

These verbs are the converse of those in 25–7; here the word to is missing because the subject names the goal: Harry, Millie and Mrs Carson’s servants. Both the verbs in 25–7 and those in 28–30 are transfer verbs.

The argument structure of verbs such as those in 28–30 is illustrated here with receive:

receive

goal theme sorce

Time frame: Time 0, theme at source; Time +, theme at goal. Goal NP is subject, theme NP is object of the verb and the source NP is introduced by from.

Typical verbs that fit here are:

get [least marked]

take [the action may be legitimate or not; that is, take can be equivalent to accept or to steal]

Accept [the action is legitimate]

acquire [the circumstances of the action are vague]

borrow [the change is temporary; cf. lend]

Collect [the object is plural or non-countable, or the act is habitual in other words, the act is distributed]

inherit [the source is typically, but not necessarily, deceased]

obtain [the action is the result of effort by the goal]

Receive [the act results from the kindness or generosity of the source]

steal [illegal act]

I also have a

sentence for you.

Check it out!

1. This gift is for you from your fellow team members.

for

theme source goal

If there is no verb—only forms of be—for introduces the goal. Inother words, the preposition for acts as a sort of transfer predicate.

A few predicates such as march and walk, occur with meanings of transition (1 and 3 ) and meanings of transfer (2 and 4).

1. The platoon marched to the parade-ground.

2. The sergeant marched the platoon to the parade ground.

3. Laura walked home.

4. Fred walked Laura home.

The argument sstructure are as follows:

Sentence 1 and 2

March, Walk

actor goal

platoon parade – ground

laura home

Sentence 2 and 4

march, walk

agent actor goal

sergeant platoon parade-ground

fred laura home

Some transfer predicates undergo interesting changes in the way the accompanying arguments are presented. Compare load and pack in the following.

1) We loaded lumber on(to) the truck.

2) We loaded the truck with lumber.

3) I packed some notes in(to) my briefcase.

4) I packed my briefcase with some notes.

Sentences 34a and 35a tell of putting something in a place; that ‘something’ is affected by the action.

actor action affected place

1 We load lumber truck

2 I pack notes briefcase

Sentence 2 and 4 seem to express the affecting of a place, and the objects in question are the means of affecting.

actor action affected means

2 We load truck lumber

4 I pack briefcase notes