Linguistic grammar homework.
Chapter 5
I. Semantics of Verbs
- A. Active and Stative verbs
- B. Other classifications of verbs
- C. Semantic roles
- D. Lexical and grammatical verbs
II. Verb Morphology
I Semantics of Verbs
A. Active vs Stative verbs
1. Active: involve changes over time (‘changes
of state)
Diagnostic: if a verb works with progressive aspect, this indicates it is active, not stative.
- Hit: I am hitting the ball.
- Play: Galen is playing a sonata.
I. Semantics of Verbs
A. Active versus Stative verbs
2. Stative: do not involve change over time
They do not occur with progressive aspect:
- The box contains chocolates.
- *The box is containing chocolates.
I. Semantics of Verbs
A. Active versus Stative verbs
2. Stative: do not involve change over time
- Kim resembles Sue.
- *Kim is resembling Sue.
I. Semantics of Verbs
A. Active versus Stative verbs
2. Stative: do not involve change over time
- Nobuko is a doctor.
- *Nobuko is being a doctor.
I. Semantics of Verbs
B. Other classifications:
I. Semantics of Verbs
B. Other classifications:
1. Motion verbs: verbs of change of position or change of location:
- Sue went to the store.
- The leaves fell to the ground.
- They moved the piano (to the hall).
I. Semantics of Verbs
B. Other classifications:
2. “Psych-verbs: verbs of psychological state:
“type A: to please, annoy, disgust
- That conversation pleased the guests.
- The discussion annoyed them.
“ type B”: to enjoy, like
- The audience enjoyed the concert.
I. Semantics of verbs
B. Other classifications:
3. Perception verbs: to see, hear, feel, taste, touch
-- They heard [the door close]
4. Causation: to make, let
-- Those cars make traveling easy.
-- Sue’s mom let us stay over.
5. Communication: say, state, mention, declare,
-- They said that he was innocent.
I. Semantics of Verbs
C. Semantic roles
I. Semantics of Verbs
Semantic roles
Verbs assign semantic roles to certain phrases that they occur with.
- The boys moved the piano to the hall.
- AGENT THEME GOAL
- The boys enjoyed the piano.
- EXPER. SOURCE/THEME
I. Semantics of Verbs
D. Lexical versus grammatical verbs.
- 1. Lexical verbs: have “dictionary” definitions (semantic content) and assign one or more semantic roles
- 2. Grammatical verbs: do not have “dictionary” definitions, and do not assign semantic roles.
I. Semantics of Verbs
D. Lexical versus grammatical verbs
- The detective destroyed the evidence
AGENT THEME
- The detective has destroyed the evidence.
I. Semantics of Verbs
D. Lexical versus grammatical verbs
- 3. The ‘Main’ verb in a sentence is the verb that assigns semantic roles; lexical verbs assign roles. Grammatical verbs do not.
I. Semantics of Verbs
Lexical versus grammatical verbs
- 4. Modals: provide information about “modality” of the event or state expressed by the main verb: volition, necessity, ability, permission, possibility…
I. Semantics of verbs: summary
I. Semantics of verbs: summary
A. Active and stative verbs differ in whether or not they express change over time;
I. Semantics of verbs: summary
A. Active and stative verbs differ in whether or not they express change over time;
B. Other classifications of verbs include:
motion verbs
psych-verbs
perception verbs
causation verbs
verbs of saying/asking, etc.
I. Semantics of verbs: summary
C. Semantic roles are roles assigned by verbs (and other categories).
D. Lexical versus grammatical verbs: only lexical verbs have semantic content and assign semantic roles to noun phrases.
II. Morphology of verbs
- A. Derivational
- B. Inflectional
- C. Affixation vs. Suppletion
II. Morphology of verbs
- A. Derivational Morphology: creates new verbs
- Examples:
- Adj. + -ize => V
Grammatical + ize; Institutional + ize
- Adj. + -ify => V
Clar + ify, beaut + ify
II. Morphology of verbs
- B. Inflectional Morphology
- 1. Person
- 2. Number
- 3. Tense
- 4. Aspect
II. Morphology of verbs
- B. Inflectional Morphology
- 1. Person: verbs can be inflected for PERSON of their subject
- Person distinctions:
- Speaker (1st person) “I saw the books.”
- Hearer (2nd person) “You saw the books.”
- Other (3rd person) “She/he saw the books.”
II. Morphology of verbs
- B. Inflectional Morphology
- 2. Number: verbs can be inflected for the number of their subject
- Examples:
- I like we like
- You like you (all) like
- He/she likes they like
II. Morphology of verbs
- B. Inflectional Morphology
- 2. Number: verbs can be inflected for the number of their subject
- Examples: Latin am- ‘love’
- I am – o
- You am – as
- s/he am- at
- we am- amus
- you pl am- atis
- they am- ant
II. Morphology of verbs
B. Inflectional Morphology
- 3. Tense: The grammatical expression of the time of an event relative to the time of utterance of the sentence.
- Examples:
- Mary sang at the wedding.
Past: event precedes the moment of speech.
- Mary likes sushi.
Present: event includes the moment of speech.
II. Morphology of verbs
- B. Inflectional Morphology
- 3. Tense: form
- regular: -ed raise/raised
- irregular: buy/bought
- catch/caught
- sing/sang
- grow/grew
- find/found
- suppletive: go/went
II. Morphology of verbs
B. Inflectional Morphology
- 4. Aspect: Completion or ‘ongoingness’ of an event relative to some point of reference
- Examples:
- Kim had lived in Seattle until August.
- (completion of event relative to August—past perfect)
- Kim has lived in Seattle.
- (completion of event relative to ‘now’.—present perfect)
II. Morphology of verbs
B. Inflectional Morphology
- 4. Aspect: Completion or ‘ongoingness’ of an event relative to some point of reference
- Examples:
- Kim is living in Seattle: (ongoing event at present time)
- Kim was living in Seattle (ongoing event at past time)
II. Morphology of verbs
C. Affixation versus Suppletion
1. Affixation can be a ‘regular’ form of inflection; (predictable)
Predictable forms are ‘overused’ by children still acquiring the language
“I sleeped” “I goed”
II. Morphology of verbs
C. Affixation versus Suppletion
Suppletion: the use of an unrelated form in the inflectional system.:
I am; he is; to be
Suppletion is often the result of centuries of changes in pronunciation.