CLASSES AND ALTERNATIONS

A group empezaron a estudiar regularidad en los verbos que podan acceder a diferenter funciones
sintnticas, si los verbos se podan clasificar conjuntos de grupos de verbos para demostras que el
comportamiento sintctico deriva de la semantica y que hay ms regularidad en la semntica, que
permita ese comportamiento sintctico. Hay tipos de verbos que permiten alternancia, que dicen
ms o menos lo mismo pero tiene un matiz distinto. Ellos agrupan los verbos y ven qu razones hay
para que permitan alternancia y dependiendo de la semntica permite una alternancia u otra. Tenan
en comn unos componentes de significado, permite o no permite que un verbo haga alternancia.

Hay muchas alternancia, nosotros solo vamos a ver unos ejemplos. The basic concepts.

Middle alternation it is predicted, the patient appears as subject. Not all verbs permit that the
theme appears as a subject although the agent do not appear. The verbs that permit middle
alternation is in the meaning of the verb, it lies on the semantice, the first verbs (break, rip) permit a
change on state that are not in the second group (Hit, bash, pat, stroke) it lacks this semantic
component so it can not allow middle alternation.

Mill pats Ralph *Ralph pats easily

Ideas developed by Levin and Hovav (alternations)

There are two very similar alternations Middle alternation and Causative/Inchoative alternations
(Both are ergative constuctions)

a) Janet broke de crystal / Crystal breaks easilly Middle: Suele tener algn modal o una
construccin adverbial

b) Janet broke the plate / The plate broke Causative, solo no nombramos al agente, focus on what
has happenes to the plate, a change in state. In this example the agent is more present although it is
not there, because something happened to the thing but we do not have the subject

Effectiveness & attempt

The conative alternation is exemplified by each of the second sentences in (27). Conative meaning
attempt this alternation conveys a reduced degree of effectiveness. Suggests that the zombies
directed the slashes at my face, but that their slashing didnt succeed in putting me out of action
completely.

It changes from NP to PP, the attempt changes.

a. The zombies slashed my face/The zombies slashed at my face.

b. They cut the root with the blade/They cut at the root with the blade.
c. They sawed the rafters that pinned my legs/They sawed at the rafters that pinned my legs.

Now consider the body-part possessor ascension alternation. Many verbs can appear in this
alternation. Some verbs do not permit this type of alternation *Janet broke Bill on the finger

(29) a. Terry touched Bills shoulder/Terry touched Bill on the shoulder.

b. James kicked Margos shin/James kicked Margo on the shin.
c. The door bashed Grahames elbow/The door bashed Grahame on the elbow.
Si descompones semanticamente ese verbo el contacto puede o no puede estar, mientras que para
hacer kick necesitas contacto

With some verbs, though, this alternation is impossible:

(30) a. Janet broke Bills finger/*Janet broke Bill on the finger.

b. Janet ripped Bills palm/*Janet ripped Bill on the palm.
c. Janet shattered Bills knee/*Janet shattered Bill on the knee.

Substance/Source alternation:

Heat radiates from the sum / The su radiates heat

Verbs of the substance emmision.

Understood reflexive object alternation:

Jill dresses herself / Jill dressed

Dative alternations
Bill sold a car to Tom / Bill sold Tom a car

Benefactive alternaton

Martha carved a toy for the baby / Matha carved the baby a toy
etc.

We can predict some alternations

Break verbs:
Cut verbs
Touch verbs
Hit verbs: bash, hit, kick

Middle Touch NO Hit NO Cut YES break YES

Conative NO YES YES NO
B-p-p ascension YES YES YES NO

Cmo explican que unos verbos permitan ciertas alternancias o no? Componentes que no existen en
algunos. Ellos decomponer semanticamente lo que significa el verbo.

Locative alternaton (EXAM)

Seth loaded hay onto the cart (Locative variant) no tiene por qu estar lleno
Seth loaded the cart with hay (With variant) lleno

With two different syntactic structures, two different alternations, locative alternation, que permiten
ciertos verbos, no dice exactamente lo mismo aunque lo parece

THE MEANING OF CONSTRUCTIONS no cae en el examen