Resultative Predicates in Japanese

Arguments for Pseudo-Resultative Predicates∗†

This paper addresses the compositionality puzzle presented by a class of ‘pseudo-resultative’ predicates, such as tight in the sentence She braided her hair tight. The analysis proposed reveals that the modification involved also provides insight into the nature of the lexical roots of verbs and their role in compositional semantics. Pseudo-resultative predicates superficially resemble resultat...

Finding arguments for pseudo-resultative predicates

Beyond Telicity and Affected-Theme : Semantic Factors Contributing to the Resultative Interpretation of Predicates in Japanese

This paper discusses semantic factors contributing to the resultative interpretation of predicates in the Japanese te-ir construction. The construction ambiguously takes on either progressive or resultative meanings. This ambiguity is due to the lexical meaning of the verb, and it is the purpose of this paper to single out and characterize the classes of verbs which take on the resultative mean...

On Interpretation of Resultative Phrases in Japanese

The present paper attempts to formalize the semantic interpretation of resultative phrases in Japanese in the framework of Generative Lexicon, with a focus on the semantic subject of resultative phrases, i.e. the entity which resultative phrases are predicated of. The semantic subject cannot always be identified with the direct object of transitive verbs or the subject of unaccusative verbs, as...

Unaccusativity and the Resultative Constructions in English and Japanese

(1) a. Mary painted the shed green. b. The blacksmith hammered the metal flat. c. They knocked him out. d. The boy broke the glass to pieces. (2) a. *The boy broke the glass to tears. b. *John gave Mary flowers happy. c. *The hunter shot at the tiger dead. (cf. √The hunter shot the tiger dead.) d. *John loaded hay into the wagon full. (Williams 1980: 204) (cf. √John loaded the wagon full with h...