Argument Structure in Hindi

On the basis of a rich and extensive body of data involving case marking, agreement, noun incorporation, complex predicates, anaphora and control in Hindi, this book explores the regularities in the expression of the arguments of predicates, with a view to understanding the nature of their relation with meanings and grammatical functions. The theoretical questions that drive the investigations are: a)What are the dimensions/levels of structure in the organization of the syntax and semantics of a predicate? (b) What are the properties of and the relations holding between the elements of structure within each? (c) What is the nature of the mapping across dimensions?

This book argues for a conception of linguistic organization involving the factorization of syntactically relevant information into at least four parallel dimensions of structure: semantic structure, argument structure, grammatical function structure, and grammatical category structure. The author argues that these dimensions are co-present, being simultaneously accessible for the statement of regularities. Different principles of grammar may either reinforce one another, or conflict with one another. The observed facts of language then turn out to be the result of interaction among the reinforcing and conflicting principles.

Tara Mohanan is professor of linguistics at the National University of Singapore.

Preface: May 1990
Abbreviations

1 Introduction

1.1 The Organization of Lexical Information
1.2 The Specification of Predictable Information
1.3 Co-presence of Information
1.4 An Outline of the Work

2 An Introduction to Hindi Syntax

2.1 Nominals
2.2 Verbals
2.3 Word Order

3 The Conceptual Framework

3.1 The Organization
3.2 Semantic Structure

3.2.1 Two Aspects of Meaning
3.2.2 Are Elements of SEM STR Visible to Syntax?

3.3 Argument Structure

3.3.1 Two Aspects of Meaning
3.3.2 Are Elements of SEM STR Visible to Syntax?
3.3.3 The Hierarchy of Arguments
3.3.4 The Mapping Between STEM STR and ARG STR
3.3.5 The Notion Logical Subject
3.3.6 The Notion Logical Object
3.3.7 Summary

3.4 Grammatical Funciton Structure

3.4.1 The Internal Organization of GF STR
3.4.2 The Mapping Between ARG STR and GF STR

3.5 Grammatical Category Structure
3.6 Co-presence of the Levels of Structure
3.7 Summary

4 The Case System

4.1 The Case Marking System
4.2 Case Features: Their Syntactic and Semantic Substance
4.3 The Syntax of Direct Case in Hindi

4.3.1 ERGATIVE and NOMINATIVE on the Subject
4.3.2 GENETIVE on the Subject
4.3.3 ACCUSATIVE and NOMINATIVE on the Object

4.4 Case Preservation: Direct and Indirect Case

4.4.1 Preservation of DATIVE
4.4.2 ACCUSATIVE Preserving Dialects
4.4.3 Objects of the “Unaccusative Transitives”

5 Verb Agreement and Word Order

5.1 Verb Agreements: The Simple Facts
5.2 Agreement and an Incorporation Construction

5.2.1 The Incorporation Construction: Syntactic Properties
5.2.2 An Analysis: A Noun+Verb Lexical Compound
5.2.3 Phonological and Morphological Evidence
5.2.4 Agreement with the Incorporated Object

5.3 Concluding Remarks

6 Grammatical Subjecthood

6.1 Semantic and Coding Properties of Subjects
6.2 Behavioral Properties of Subjects

6.2.1 The Reflexive apnaa
6.2.2 Subject Obviation
6.2.3 Participial Control Clauses
6.2.4 Gapping in Coordinate Constructions
6.2.5 A Summary of the Diagnostics

6.3 Grammatical Subjecthood
6.4 Cocnlcuding

7 Indirect Case on Subjects

7.1 Dative Subjects

7.1.1 Dative Logical Subjects
7.1.2 Their Grammatical Subjecthood

7.2 Instrumental Subject

7.2.1 The Instrumental Construction
7.2.2 Their Grammatical Subjecthood

7.3 Locative Subjects

7.3.1 Case and Spatial Relations
7.3.2 Semantic Fields
7.3.3 The Extensions of Case to Non-Spatial Relations
7.3.4 Case Features, Case Markings, and Case Meanings
7.3.5 Locative Logical Subject as Grammatical Subject

7.4 Genitive Subjects

7.4.1 Genitive Logical Subjects
7.4.2 Their Grammatical Subjecthood

7.5 Accusatives Logical Subject

7.5.1 The Accusative Logical Subject Construction
7.5.2 A Subjectless Construction
7.5.3 A Formal Representation
7.5.4 Implications

7.6 Theoretical Consequences

8 Complex Predicates

8.1 Introduction
8.2 The Category Structure of Complex Predicates

8.2.1 The Nominal as Part of the Verbal Constituent
8.2.2 A Complex Predicate as a Phrasal Category
8.2.3 The Nominal Host as a Lexical Category
8.2.4 Gapping in Coordinate Constructions
8.2.5 Summary

8.3 Predicatehood in Complex Predicates

8.3.1 The Nominal Host as an Independent Predicate
8.3.2 The Complex Predicate as a Single Predicate
8.3.3 Putting the Pieces Together

8.4 The Argumenthood of the Nominal Host

8.4.1 Verb Agreement
8.4.2 Passivization
8.4.3 Absence of Agreement: an apparent anomaly

8.5 Summary: Structural Mismatches
8.6 The Notion of “Lexical”

9 Conclusion

9.1 Levels of Structure

9.1.1 Semantic Structure
9.1.2 Argument Structure
9.1.3 Grammatical Function Structure
9.1.4 Grammatical Category Structure
9.1.5 What is ‘Lexical’?
9.1.6 The Concept of Conflict Resolution

9.2 Co-presence of the Levels

References
Index

8/1/94

ISBN (Paperback): 1881526437 (9781881526438)
ISBN (Cloth): 1881526445 (9781881526445)

Argument Structure in Hindi

Contents