The Constraints on the Selection of Arguments in Nominalization

• Main Authors: Li-chia Huang, 黃莉嘉
• Other Authors: Jung-hsing Chang
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2007
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/03765480526807970273

碩士 === 國立中正大學 === 語言所 === 95 === There are two issues in the thesis: (1) what kind of noun phrase can be the prenominal possessor in the derived nominal, (2) what will be the preposition in English derived nominal and what will be the coverb in Mandarin derived nominal. The languages discussed here include English and Mandarin. There are two arguments of the one-object transitive verb. These two arguments'' syntactic roles are respectively subject (NP1) and object (NP2). When the one-object transitive verb is nominalized, NP1 or NP2 can be the possessor of the derived nominal. Whether the NP is the end-point participant in the event decides whether the NP can be the possessor of the derived nominal.If the NP is the end-point participant in the event, it can be the possessor of the derived nominal. On the contrary, if the NP is not the end-point participant in the event, it cannot be the possessor of the derived nominal. When the sentence consisting of the one-object transitive verb is nominalized into a derived nominal, in English the types of the parental verbs decide what will be the preposition in the derived nominal and in Mandarin the context and the occurrence of the event decide what will be the coverb in the derived nominal. In English when the parental verb is the emotional state, the preposition will be of/for; when the parental verb is the emotional accomplishment, the prepostion will be at/with; when the parental verb is the accomplishment which refers to action rather than emotions, the prepostion is of or by. In Mandarin, when the parental verb refers to the event which happened and the event is not equal to another event which is already mentioned before in the context, the coverb will be "dui"; when the parental verb refers to the event which does not happen yet and the event is not equal to another event which is already mentioned before in the context, the coverb will be "zai...fanmian"; when the parental verb refers to the event which is equal to another event which is already mentioned before in the context, the coverb will be "zai...shang". key words: possessor, end-point participant, preposition, coverb.