Origins of Predicates

This book offers a new perspective on natural language predicates by analyzing data from the Plains Cree language. Contrary to traditional understanding, Cree verbal complexes are syntactic constructs composed of morphemes as syntactic objects that are subject to structurally defined constraints, such as c-command. Tomio Hirose illustrates this in his study of vP syntax, event semantics, morphology-syntax mappings, unaccusativity, noun incorporation, and valency-reducing phenomena. Hirose demonstrates that what is known about aspectual properties of well-studied languages is also true of the less-studied Cree language. His findings significantly advance the study of syntax and semantics in both natural language predicates and in the verbal complexes in polysynthetic languages. Synthesizing the latest in linguistic theory and an array of empirical evidence, this book will be accessible to theoretical linguists, Americanists and students of the Cree language.

Acknowledgments

ix

Abbreviations and Symbols

xiii

Chapter 1 Introduction

1.0 Introduction

3

(3)

1.1 Three Defining Properties of the Predicate

6

(3)

1.2 Plains Cree Roots Are Not Predicates

9

(3)

1.3 Proposal: Predicates Are Syntactic Constructs

12

(2)

1.4 An Implementation: vP Syntax

14

1.5 Two Essential Theoretical Assumptions

11

(12)

1.5.1 Bare Phrase Structure

11

(9)

1.5.2 Theta-Role Assignment as Feature-Checking

20

(3)

1.6 A Mini-Grammar of Plains Cree

23

1.6.1 Two Lexical Categories and Four Verb Types

23

(1)

1.6.2 Order: Independent vs. Conjunct

24

(1)

1.6.3 Direction: Direct vs. Inverse

25

(1)

1.6.4 Obviation: Proximate vs. Obviative

26

1.7 Methodology

21

(1)

1.8 Outline of the Thesis

21

(10)

Chapter 2 The Zero Eventuality Hypothesis

2.0 Introduction

31

(1)

2.1 Evidence for the ZEH

32

(10)

2.1.1 Paradigmatic Cases

33

(6)

2.1.2 Problematic Cases

39

(3)

2.2 Semantic and Syntactic Effects of t

42

(13)

2.2.1 The Role of t in Eventuality Composition

43

(8)

2.2.2 The Position of t

51

(4)

2.3 Why Other Eventuality Theories Are Inappropriate for Plains Cree

55

(19)

2.3.1 Lexical-Semantic Approaches

57

(1)

2.3.2 Event Structure Approaches

58

(3)

2.3.3 Syntactic Approaches

61

(1)

2.3.3.1 McClure 1995

61

(2)

2.3.3.2 Hale and Keyser 1993

63

(2)

2.3.3.3 Borer 1994

65

2.3.4 Facing a Case for Aspectual/Morphological Stacking

61

(11)

2.3.5 Summary

72

(2)

2.4 Dynamic Intransitives Are Structurally Transitive

74

(3)

2.5 Interim Conclusion

77

(1)

2.6 Eventualities Irrelevant to Eventuality Composition

78

(3)

2.6.1 Achievement

79

(2)

2.6.2 Semelfactive

81

(3)

2.6.3 Dynamic

84

Chapter 3 vP Structures and the Syntax of Affixation

3.0 Introduction

81

(7)

3.1 The Syntax of Affixation

88

(8)

3.1.1 Evidence for a Syntactic Treatment of Verbal Complexes

89

(1)

3.1.2 A Linearization Mechanism for vP-internal Morphemes

90

(6)

3.2 Three vP Structures and Plains Cree Predicates

96

(36)

3.2.1 Single-Layered vP: Static Unaccusatives

100

(1)

3.2.2 Double-Layered vP I: Transitives

101

(12)

3.2.2.1 Manner Specification

104

(3)

3.2.2.2 Object Agreement

107

(5)

3.2.2.3 Summary

112

(1)

3.2.3 Double-Layered vP H: Unergatives

113

(8)

3.2.3.1 Simple Unergatives

114

(2)

3.2.3.2 Unergatives of Movement

116

(4)

3.2.3.3 Summary

120

(1)

3.2.4 Double-Layered vP III: Dynamic Unaccusatives

121

(2)

3.2.5 Triple-Layered vP: Applicatives

123

(8)

3.2.6 Summary

131

(1)

3.3 The Demise of Morphological Templates

132

(5)

3.4 Conclusion

137

(2)

Chapter 4 vP Structures and Noun Incorporation Phenomena

4.0 Introduction

139

(3)

4.1 Incorporated Nouns and Medials

142

(3)

4.2 Noun Incorporation

145

(26)

4.2.1 Single-Layered vP: Static Unaccusatives

146

(2)

4.2.2 Double-Layered vP I: Transitives

148

(3)

4.2.3 Double-Layered vP II: Unergatives

151

(3)

4.2.4 Double-Layered vP III: Dynamic Unaccusatives

154

(2)

4.2.5 Triple-Layered vP: Applicatives

156

(6)

4.2.6 Interim Summary

162

(3)

4.2.7 Two Diagnostics of Syntactic Noun Incorporation

165

(6)

4.2.1.1 Coreference

167

(2)

4.2.7.2 Wh-Questions

169

(2)

4.3 Medial Incorporation

171

(9)

4.3.1 Three Functions of Medials

173

(2)

4.3.2 A Syntactic Account

175

(3)

4.3.3 Summary

178

(2)

4.4 A Note on Morpheme Linearization

180

(5)

4.5 Conclusion

185

(2)

Chapter 5 vP Structures and Operator-Binding Phenomena

5.0 Introduction

187

(3)

5.1 Generic Object Construction

190

(9)

5.1.1 Double-Layered vP I: Transitives

191

(1)

5.1.2 Double-Layered vP II: Unergatives

192

(2)

5.1.3 Double-Layered vP III: Dynamic Unaccusatives

194

(1)

5.1.4 Triple-Layered vP: Applicatives

195

(4)

5.1.5 Summary

199

(1)

5.2 Unspecified Subject Construction

199

(11)

5.2.1 An Analysis of USC: Déchaine and Reinholtz 1998

201

(2)

5.2.2 Evidence for Movement: "Copying to Object"

203

(2)

5.2.3 Indifference of USC to Verb Type

205

(5)

5.2.4 Summary

210

(1)

5.3 Conclusion

210

(5)

Chapter 6 Conclusion

6.0 Introduction

215

(1)

6.1 Origins of Predicates

215

(2)

6.2 Implications of OP: Further Issues and Remaining Questions

217

(16)

6.2.1 Combinations of the Three Features

218

(2)

6.2.2 Recursivity of the Predicate-Defining Properties

220

(1)

6.2.3 Category-Neutrality of the Root

220

(2)

6.2.4 Patterns of Realization and Conflation of Syntactic Objects

222

(3)

6.2.5 Ordering the Merger of Features/Syntactic Objects

225

(1)

6.2.6 Split of v1?

226

(1)

6.2.7 Beyond vP Structures: Capturing Two Direction-Related Generalizations

227

(6)

6.3 Conclusion

233

(2)

Chapter 7 Appendix: Deriving Dynamic Unaccusatives via Reflexivization

7.0 Introduction

235

(1)

7.1 -Payi as a Reflexive Suffix

236

(2)

7.2 An Implementation of Reflexivization

238

(8)

7.2.1 Raising over Binding

239

(3)

7.2.2 Internal vs. External Reflexivization

242

(4)

7.3 Conclusion: On (No) Causative-Inchoative Alternation

246

(5)

References

251

(6)

Index

257

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Origins of Predicates

Summary

Table of Contents

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