Advances in Role and Reference Grammar

(singke) #1

284 JULIA A. JOLLY


(24) a. John broke the vase.
b. [do' (John)] CAUSE [BECOME broken' (vase)]
Prepositions of the three sub-classes are assumed to mark arguments of
the verb. Verbs which have unequal semantic and syntactic valences have
LSs which can be expanded — that is, specified in more detail — thereby
increasing the syntactic valence. For example, the LS of a break sentence
such as (24) can be expanded by elaborating the activity to the left of the
main accomplishment structure CAUSE to include: CAUSE [BECOME
be-at' (x,y)], where y = theme and χ = locative, as in sentences (25) and
(26).
(25) a. John broke the vase with a rock.
b. [[do' (John)] CAUSE [BECOME be-at' (vase, rock)]]
CAUSE [BECOME broken' (vase)]^5
(26) a. John broke the vase against the wall.
b. [[do' (John)] CAUSE [BECOME be-at' (wall, vase)]]
CAUSE [BECOME broken' (vase)]
The semantic valence of the verb is the total number of arguments specified
by a full elaboration of the accomplishment verb structure, as in (25) and
(26). The semantic valence of break is three: in (25), John-effector, vase
=patient and rock—effector-theme; in (26), John—effector, vase=patient
and wall=locative. Thus, with and against, in these contexts, are class 1(c)
prepositions.
Maximal expansion of accomplishment verb structures on both sides of
CAUSE occurs with a set of verbs which Gawron (1986) discusses as three-
place verbs. These transformation verbs — transform, transmute, carve
(into) — have before and after arguments which Gawron treats as iterative
co-predicators. The present analysis of expanded accomplishment struc­
tures explicitly specifies these arguments as part of the verbal structure, as
shown in the LS for (27).
(27) a. Adam broke the hammer into pieces.
b. [do' (Adam)] CAUSE [[BECOME broken' (hammer)] &
[BECOME exist' (pieces)]]^6
Both hammer and pieces must be considered arguments of the verb inas­
much as they are specified by predicates, broken' and exist', in LS. Adding
a locative argument to this structure (Adam broke the hammer into pieces
against the concrete) would presume a CAUSE [BECOME be-at' (con-

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