[...] “This work is guided by the assumption that the behaviour of verb, particularly
with respect to the expression and interpretation of its arguments, is to a large
extent determined by its meaning.” (Levin 1993)
[Levin tries to develop a system which enables the speaker to determine the
behaviour of a verb by its meaning]
Levin points out that a native speaker is able to make subtle judgements about
the syntactic behaviour of a verb. She hypothesises that it is the meaning of the
verb which enables the speaker to make such judgements about a verb’s
syntactic behaviour. //In particular, the ability of a verb to exist in certain
syntactic frames or constructions (see examples below) is sensitive to certain
components of meaning. The book aims to establish the relevant components of
meaning, and thereby classify the English verbs into classes of shared behaviour
and meaning.
Levin (1993:.. following ... 1987) uses the verb “gally” - a nearly obsolete
whaling term little-known to native speakers - to illustrate this relationship
between a verb’s meaning and its syntactic behaviour. [...]
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 The structure of the book
1.2 The syntactic behaviour of a verb and its meaning
2 Diathesis Alternations
2.1 Transitivity-altering Alternations
2.2 Alternations Not Involving a Change in the Transitivity of the Verb
2.2.1 With/Against Alternation (Levin 1993:67)
2.3 Oblique Subject Alternations
2.4 Obligatory Passive
2.5 Summary: Alternations
3 Verb Classes
4 Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
The primary objective of this work is to explore how the meaning of English verbs determines their syntactic behavior and to categorize verbs into classes based on shared properties and participating alternations. The study investigates how native speakers utilize subtle semantic knowledge to predict the syntactic possibilities of verbs, even those that are unfamiliar.
- Analysis of diathesis alternations and their role in defining verb classes.
- Examination of transitivity-altering and non-transitivity-altering mechanisms.
- The relationship between verb meaning and syntactic construction constraints.
- Classification of English verbs based on shared behavioral patterns.
- Evaluation of the predictive power of semantic components in grammar.
Excerpt from the Book
1.2 The syntactic behaviour of a verb and its meaning
“This work is guided by the assumption that the behaviour of verb, particularly with respect to the expression and interpretation of its arguments, is to a large extent determined by its meaning.” (Levin 1993)
[Levin tries to develop a system which enables the speaker to determine the behaviour of a verb by its meaning]
Levin points out that a native speaker is able to make subtle judgements about the syntactic behaviour of a verb. She hypothesises that it is the meaning of the verb which enables the speaker to make such judgements about a verb’s syntactic behaviour. //In particular, the ability of a verb to exist in certain syntactic frames or constructions (see examples below) is sensitive to certain components of meaning. The book aims to establish the relevant components of meaning, and thereby classify the English verbs into classes of shared behaviour and meaning.
Levin (1993:.. following ... 1987) uses the verb “gally” - a nearly obsolete whaling term little-known to native speakers - to illustrate this relationship between a verb’s meaning and its syntactic behaviour.
Chapter Summaries
1 Introduction: This chapter introduces the structure of the work and posits that a verb's syntactic behavior is fundamentally governed by its inherent meaning.
2 Diathesis Alternations: This section identifies various patterns of argument expression, distinguishing between those that alter transitivity and those that do not.
3 Verb Classes: This chapter explains how verbs are categorized into specific groups—such as Verbs of Putting or Impact—based on the alternations they undergo.
4 Conclusion: The concluding section reflects on the subtle linguistic intuition of native speakers and summarizes the necessity of studying the relationship between verb meaning and syntax.
Keywords
Diathesis alternations, English verb classes, syntactic behaviour, semantics, transitivity, argument structure, middle construction, change-of-state verbs, lexicon, grammar, linguistic competence, verb meaning, syntactic frames, morphological forms, semantic coherence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this study?
The work investigates the relationship between the meaning of a verb and its syntactic behavior, aiming to establish how semantic components dictate the grammatical frames in which a verb can appear.
What are the central themes discussed in the book?
The primary themes include diathesis alternations, the classification of verbs into semantic groups, and the observation of how speakers use their linguistic intuition to judge the syntactic acceptability of verbs.
What is the primary objective or research question?
The study aims to demonstrate that verb classes can be systematically deduced by observing the range of alternations in which the verbs participate, thereby confirming that syntactic properties are associated with specific semantic types.
Which scientific method is employed in the analysis?
The work utilizes a descriptive linguistic approach, analyzing verb behavior through the lens of diathesis alternations and providing comparative examples of usage to define semantic boundaries.
What aspects are covered in the main section of the book?
The main sections provide detailed breakdowns of transitivity-altering alternations, such as causative/inchoative structures, as well as alternations that do not affect transitivity, illustrated with various verb categories.
Which keywords characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as diathesis alternations, verb classes, syntactic behaviour, argument structure, and semantic components.
How is the concept of a 'middle construction' explained in the text?
The text explains the middle construction as a syntactic frame where the subject of an intransitive sentence corresponds to the object of a transitive one, serving as a diagnostic tool to distinguish between semantically defined verb classes.
What is the significance of the verb 'gally' mentioned in the text?
The verb 'gally' is used as an illustrative case study of an obscure term to demonstrate that even when a speaker is unfamiliar with a word's specific definition, they can infer syntactic rules based on their underlying semantic understanding of similar verb types.
- Quote paper
- Katrin Shams-Eddien (Author), 2002, Beth Levin's English Verbs Classes and Alternations, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/11101
