Check Questionscontribute to the meaning of the construction they appear in, the contribution to
meaning made by light verbs is reduced, they can be used in combination with some
noun or verb. [Spec, VP] is associated with the theme argument, [Spec, vP] with the
agent or experiencer argument in a structure. Light verbs can take vPs or VPs as
complements.
Q4 There is evidence semantic in nature: the structure is interpreted as causative,
i.e. there is an agent ‘causer’ argument present that picks up the theta role assigned by
the abstract (empty) light verb head. In languages other than English there may
actually be found overt counterparts of this abstract causative verbal head, e.g. in
Hungarian there is one such morpheme, -ít.
Q5 In passives, a verb loses the ability to assign a theta role to its subject and the
ability to case-mark its object. Under the present analysis, a light verb is responsible
for theta-marking the subject and assigning case to the theme argument in the specifier
position of its thematic VP complement. If there is no light verb in the construction,
neither theta-marking of the subject, nor case-marking of the theme occur. Thus,
passivisation is seen as a process where the light verb responsible for theta-marking
and case-marking is removed and replaced by the passive morpheme. As a result the
theme argument of the thematic verb cannot receive case and moves out of the VP to a
position which is case-marked.
Q6 In order to be able to maintain the UTAH it is assumed that experiencer
transitives contain two light verb projections where both the v head positions contain
abstract (non-overt) bound morphemes that are capable of assigning the relevant theta
roles (agent and experiencer) to their specifier positions. As there are two light verb
projections, one is associated with the agent and the other with the experiencer, hence
there is no reason to assume that the two theta-roles compete for the same structural
position. In these cases the thematic verb moves to adjoin to the lower v head position
(whose specifier is associated with the experiencer role; subsequently, the resulting
complex (V + v) move together to adjoin to the higher light verb head (the v associated
with the agent role). There are examples of English constructions in which there are
light verb layers erected on top of each other. Furthermore, there are languages other
than English, where multiple light verbs are regularly overtly represented, e.g. Urdu.
Q7 Multiple complement constructions involve verbs which take three arguments.
In one type apart from the subject there is a theme and a locative (verbs of placement)
while in the other type apart from the subject there is a theme and a goal/beneficiary
double object constructions). In the text theta-marking light verbs are introduced,
hence accommodating three arguments into the structure is not a problem. The event
structure of these verbs can be broken down into three sub-events. With verbs of
placement, the agent (subject) is introduced in the specifier of the light verb position.
The theme is introduced in the specifier position of the thematic verb and the locative
in the complement position of the thematic verb. With double object constructions, the
goal is generated in the complement position of the thematic verb and the theme is in
the specifier position of the thematic verb. To be able to derive different word orders,
the goal moves into a specifier position between the specifier of the light verb and the
specifier of the thematic verb. As the event structure of the double object construction