英语动词DIE的非宾格属性

On the unaccusativity of the English verb die

非作格动词带一个外论元,无直接内论元,而非宾格动词带一个直接内论元,无外论元。两类不及物动词的区别完全由语义决定,但表现在句法中。英语动词die描述其唯一论元对象的非自主控制事件,带客体直接内论元,属于典型的非宾格动词。在虚义there结构中,die的唯一论元保留在其基础生成位置,即直接宾语的句法位置,以直观的方式体现了非宾格性。本文反对将die分析为非作格动词,论证die所带的同源名词并不是论元,而是状语,居于附加语的结构位置,而不是宾语位置上。只有非作格动词才能带论元性质的同源宾语。论元性同源宾语结构具备诊断非宾格性的能力,而一个不及物动词能否进入该结构是由其论元结构决定的。

While an unergative verb has an external argument but no direct internal argument,an accusative verb has a direct internal argument but no external argument.The distinction between the two classes of intransitive verbs is fully semantically determined and syntactically represented.The verb die in English describes a non-volitional event of its single argument referent and is thus a typical unaccusative verb,taking a theme direct internal argument.The surface unaccusativity of die is manifested in the there-construction,in which the single argument remains in its base-generated position,that is,the syntactic position of the object.This paper argues against the unergative analysis of die.It is shown that the cognate NP that die takes is not argumental but adverbial;hence,it occupies the adjunct position rather than the object position.Only unergative verbs can take argumental cognate objects.It is concluded that the argumental cognate object construction qualifies as a diagnostic of unaccusativity and it is the argument structure of an intransitive verb that determines whether or not that verb will be found in this construction.