A Study of the Syntax-Semantics Interface: Unaccusativity

摘要 这个项目调查的现象，属于 标为“不可解释性”。 这些现象涉及到不及物动词 主语表现句法和语义特征的动词 对象 的句法和语义特征 有人提出了不可逆性，但两者都不完全是 成功的原因是不同的“不一致”现象出现， 找出不及物动词的不同子类。 的 研究人员提出了一种混合的方法： 语法上表示但语义上确定。 模型 语法的采用，承认几个不同的层次， 词汇和句法表示，每一个都有一个定义良好的 功能 调查人员确定了 该模型预测的不确定性，并评估这些 对各种不确定现象的预测。 他们研究语法语义接口，因为它涉及到 通过对不及物运动动词的研究， 同时也探索了语言间的差异 通过对英语和英语的对比研究， 意大利人 他们解决了这项工作的影响，选择 单层次和多层次的句法理论之间的区别， 在词汇语义学的竞争方法之间， 表示. 这项工作应有助于发展 一个解释性的理论。

ABSTRACT This project investigates phenomena that fall under the label "unaccusativity". These phenomena involve intransitive verbs whose subjects display syntactic and semantic properties of objects. Both syntactic and semantic characterizations of unaccusativity have been proposed, but neither is entirely successful because different "unaccusative" phenomena appear to pick out different subclasses of intransitive verbs. The investigators propose a mixed approach: unaccusativity is syntactically represented but semantically determined. A model of grammar is adopted that recognizes several distinct levels of lexical and syntactic representation, each with a well-defined function. The investigators determine the patterns of unaccusativity predicted by this model and evaluate these predictions with respect to a variety of unaccusative phenomena. They investigate the syntax-semantics interface as it relates to unaccusativity through a study of intransitive verbs of motion, and also explore cross-linguistic variation in the manifestation of unaccusativity through a contrastive study of English and Italian. They address the implications of this work for choosing between monostratal and multistratal theories of syntax, as well as between competing approaches to lexical semantic representation. This work should contribute to the development of an explanatory theory of unaccusativity.