On agent nominalizations and why they are not like event nominalizations
We consider agent-denoting nominalizations like the finder of the wallet , contrasting them with the better-studied action/event-denoting nominalizations. We show that in English, Sakha, and Mapudungun, agent-denoting nominalizations can have none of the verbal/clausal features that event-denoting n...
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crjohnshopkinsun:10.1353/lan.0.0144 2024-06-23T07:56:28+00:00 On agent nominalizations and why they are not like event nominalizations Baker, Mark C. Vinokurova, Nadya 2009 http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/lan.0.0144 en eng Project MUSE Language volume 85, issue 3, page 517-556 ISSN 1535-0665 journal-article 2009 crjohnshopkinsun https://doi.org/10.1353/lan.0.0144 2024-05-30T08:19:37Z We consider agent-denoting nominalizations like the finder of the wallet , contrasting them with the better-studied action/event-denoting nominalizations. We show that in English, Sakha, and Mapudungun, agent-denoting nominalizations can have none of the verbal/clausal features that event-denoting nominalizations often have: they cannot contain adverbs, voice markers, aspect, or negation. The one apparent exception to this generalization is that (only) Sakha allows accusative-case objects in agentive nominalizations, but we show that this is due to Sakha's special rule of accusative case assignment, not to a difference in the structure. We explain these restrictions by saying that agentive nominalizers have a semantics like that of a Voice head (Kratzer 1996). Given this, the natural order of semantic composition implies that agentive nominalizers, like Voice, must combine directly with a bare VP. We conclude by presenting the results of a seventy-eight-language survey, confirming that human languages in general avoid clause-like syntax inside agentive nominalizations, although it is permitted in reduced relative clauses, which may look superficially similar. Article in Journal/Newspaper Sakha Johns Hopkins University Press Sakha Language 85 3 517 556 |
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Open Polar |
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Johns Hopkins University Press |
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crjohnshopkinsun |
language |
English |
description |
We consider agent-denoting nominalizations like the finder of the wallet , contrasting them with the better-studied action/event-denoting nominalizations. We show that in English, Sakha, and Mapudungun, agent-denoting nominalizations can have none of the verbal/clausal features that event-denoting nominalizations often have: they cannot contain adverbs, voice markers, aspect, or negation. The one apparent exception to this generalization is that (only) Sakha allows accusative-case objects in agentive nominalizations, but we show that this is due to Sakha's special rule of accusative case assignment, not to a difference in the structure. We explain these restrictions by saying that agentive nominalizers have a semantics like that of a Voice head (Kratzer 1996). Given this, the natural order of semantic composition implies that agentive nominalizers, like Voice, must combine directly with a bare VP. We conclude by presenting the results of a seventy-eight-language survey, confirming that human languages in general avoid clause-like syntax inside agentive nominalizations, although it is permitted in reduced relative clauses, which may look superficially similar. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Baker, Mark C. Vinokurova, Nadya |
spellingShingle |
Baker, Mark C. Vinokurova, Nadya On agent nominalizations and why they are not like event nominalizations |
author_facet |
Baker, Mark C. Vinokurova, Nadya |
author_sort |
Baker, Mark C. |
title |
On agent nominalizations and why they are not like event nominalizations |
title_short |
On agent nominalizations and why they are not like event nominalizations |
title_full |
On agent nominalizations and why they are not like event nominalizations |
title_fullStr |
On agent nominalizations and why they are not like event nominalizations |
title_full_unstemmed |
On agent nominalizations and why they are not like event nominalizations |
title_sort |
on agent nominalizations and why they are not like event nominalizations |
publisher |
Project MUSE |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/lan.0.0144 |
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Sakha |
geographic_facet |
Sakha |
genre |
Sakha |
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Sakha |
op_source |
Language volume 85, issue 3, page 517-556 ISSN 1535-0665 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1353/lan.0.0144 |
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Language |
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85 |
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3 |
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517 |
op_container_end_page |
556 |
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1802649575416135680 |