On the Structure of Resultative Participles in English

Abstract

The article examines the structure of resultative participles in English: participles that denote a state resulting from a prior event, such as The cake is flattened or The metal is hammered. The analysis identifies distinct stative participles that derive from the different heights at which aspectual morphemes attach in a verbalizing structure. The Aspect head involved in resultative participles is shown to attach to a vP that is also found in (a) the formation of deadjectival verbs and (b) verb phrases with resultative secondary predicates, like John hammered the metal flat. These distinct constructions are shown to have a shared structural subcomponent. The analysis proposed here is compared with Lexicalist approaches employing the verbal versus adjectival passive distinction. It is shown that a uniformly syntactic analysis of the participles is superior to the Lexicalist alternative.

Building verbs in language mixing varieties

“…Both patterns used to form lexical verbs and light verb combinations discussed in this section are inspired by Hale and Keyser's (2002), and Embick's (2004) insights and analysis.…”

“…According to Embick (2004), the structure of secondary resultative predicates as in (27) Crucially, according to Embick (2004: 370): "v's complement cannot be a bare Root when v has a Root merged with it because the Root in the complement position would be uncategorized." Embick leaves open the possibility that v, when it is unoccupied and takes an aP complement, is realized by light verbs like turn, as in John's face turned red.…”

“…Alexiadou et al (2015a), Embick (2004), Harley (2013), cf. Doron (2003), Ramchand (2008), views verbs as complex units.…”

“…Adopting this view, the difference between complex predicate formation (i.e. secondary resultative predication) and simple verb formation relates to the elements that appear as the complement of v, a root, which in combination with v will become verbal, or an already categorized XP, which will lead to complex predicate formation, see Embick (2004), and Alexiadou et al (2015a).…”

Adjectival passives and the structure of VP in Tagalog

“…Notably, such a structure has been proposed as the structure that underlies resultative constructions in languages like English, as exemplified by sentences like (66). "Complex predicate" here refers to the particular analysis of these constructions, in which it is supposed that a main verb (e.g., paint, pound) combines with an AP complement denoting the result state that is achieved by the activity denoted by the main verb, as schematized in (67) (see, e.g., Hale and Keyser 1993;Embick 2004;Larson 1988) b. John (*flat) pounded the metal (flat).…”