Morphologically-marked Transitivity Alternations in Makkan Arabic: Morphology as a Reflex of Argument Structure
| dc.contributor.author | Azhari, Hanadi | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Oxford, Will (Linguistics) | en_US |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Roy, Egan (Classics) | en_US |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Ritter, Elizabeth (Calgary) | en_US |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Ritter, Elizabeth (University of Calgary) | en_US |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Ghomeshi, Jila (Linguistics) | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2019-01-07T17:16:47Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2019-01-07T17:16:47Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2019 | en_US |
| dc.date.submitted | 2019-01-04T02:51:55Z | en |
| dc.degree.discipline | Linguistics | en_US |
| dc.degree.level | Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | This dissertation explores the relation between morphology and the suppression of the external argument in transitivity alternations in Makkan Arabic (MA). It investigates three morphologically-marked intransitive constructions that have transitive alternants. The first construction ʔan-v encodes passive, anticausative, and psych structures all of which are unaccusative structures that lack syntactically-merged external arguments. The distinction between different ʔan- structures is based on the pattern of compatibility of these structures with by itself, from-phrases, instrumental PPs, and Agent-oriented adjuncts. The second construction ʔat-v encodes reflexive and reciprocal structures, both of which are shown to be unergative structures with syntactically-merged external arguments. The third construction discussed in the dissertation is the unaccusative participles. On a par with ʔan- constructions, unaccusative participles involve three subclasses: passive participles, decausative participles and psych participles. In the thesis I argue that ʔat- constructions are structures in which the internal argument is not introduced in its canonical position as a complement of the root; rather it bundles with the external argument to be introduced into one and the same position [Spec, vP]. In contrast, ʔan- structures and unaccusative participles lack syntactically-merged external arguments. My account for morphologically-marked agentless structures is couched within the framework of the theory of Distributed Morphology (DM) in combination with the Minimalist approach to formal syntax. I assume different root types and different flavors of the functional head v. Building on Reinhart (2000) and Haiden’s (2005) Feature Theory of theta structure, I develop a theory of argument structure in which both root type and the functional head v take part in determining the argument structure for a given predicate, an approach that mediates the projectionist and constructionist approaches to argument structure. I attribute the absence of external arguments in ʔan-structures and unaccusative participles to a voice feature [±active] on the verbal functional head v and the participle functional head ptcpl. A functional head [+active] projects a specifier in which an external argument is licensed/introduced and hence derives transitive structures. In contrast, a functional head [-active] does not project a specifier and thus derives unaccusative structures. ʔan- spells out v[-active] while unaccusative participles spell out ptcpl[-active]. Given this, I conclude that morphologically-marked transitive/unaccusative alternations boil down to a voice feature [±active]. | en_US |
| dc.description.note | February 2019 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1993/33626 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | en_US |
| dc.rights | open access | en_US |
| dc.subject | Syntax | en_US |
| dc.subject | Agent-less structures | en_US |
| dc.subject | Distributed Morphology | en_US |
| dc.subject | Dependent case | en_US |
| dc.subject | Argument structure | en_US |
| dc.subject | Participles | en_US |
| dc.title | Morphologically-marked Transitivity Alternations in Makkan Arabic: Morphology as a Reflex of Argument Structure | en_US |
| dc.type | doctoral thesis | en_US |