Semantic and Pragmatic Conditions on Object Omission in the English Resultative Construction

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  • 英語の結果構文における目的語省略の意味・語用論的条件
  • エイゴ　ノ　ケッカコウブン　ニ　オケル　モクテキゴ　ショウリャク　ノ　イミ　ゴヨウロンテキ　ジョウケン

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Abstract

This paper is concerned with object omission in the English Resultative Construction（e.g., You sweep Ø clean, and I wipe Ø clean）. Considering missing objects of causative change-of-state verbs such as break and kill, I propose their licensing conditions and applies them to missing objects in the Resultative Construction. It is shown that two important semantic and discourse-pragmatic factors are related to acceptability of the omission: imperfectivity / atemporality and emphasis on causation of the event denoted by the expression. Also, the paper uncovers an interesting fact that there are two types of Resultative Constructions as to whether they accept missing objects even with the types of contexts that render those of causative change-of-state verbs acceptable, which this paper attempts to explain in terms of a lexico-semantic relationship between the verb and its object.

Journal

  • 言語文化研究

    言語文化研究 42 85-105, 2016-03-31

    Graduate School of Language and Culture, Osaka University

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