Transitivity
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::John lives a nightmare = direct monotransitive (TST) (live = experience) | ::John lives a nightmare = direct monotransitive (TST) (live = experience) | ||
| − | ; | + | ;Complements (essential) are not to be confounded with adjuncts (accidental) |
| − | :John bought a car to Mary = direct monotransitive (TST) and not ditransitive (DTST) | + | :John bought a car to Mary = direct monotransitive (TST) and not ditransitive (DTST), because "to Mary" is not a complement, but an adjunct of the verb "to buy" |
| + | :John gave a car to Mary = ditransitive (DTST), because both "a car" and "to Mary" are complements of the verb "to give". | ||
;Copula is to be considered without transitivity (NTRA) | ;Copula is to be considered without transitivity (NTRA) | ||
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:I considered him to be an excellent choice = I considered [that he was an excellent choice] = direct monotransitive (TST) and not ditransitive | :I considered him to be an excellent choice = I considered [that he was an excellent choice] = direct monotransitive (TST) and not ditransitive | ||
| − | ;Transitivity is a property of the verb and not of the whole multi-word expression. | + | ;Transitivity is a property of the verb and not of the whole multi-word expression. |
:to make love = to make = direct monotransitive (TST) and not intransitive | :to make love = to make = direct monotransitive (TST) and not intransitive | ||
:to kill oneself = to kill = direct monotransitive (TST) and not intransitive | :to kill oneself = to kill = direct monotransitive (TST) and not intransitive | ||
Revision as of 11:16, 8 May 2010
Transitivity is a category that indicates the number of objects a verb requires or takes in a given instance.
Natural language
In the UNLarium framework, transitivity may assume the following values:
- Objects are to be considered elliptical (hidden) in verbal constructions if they can be inferred from the context.
- I read the book = I read all the afternoon = direct monotransitive (TST) (no significant semantic change)
- John kissed Mary = John kisses well = direct monotransitive (TST) (no significant semantic change)
- John bought a car = John buys (and Peter sells) = direct monotransitive (TST) (no significant semantic change)
- Different transitivity values mean different senses
- The same verb may have different transitivity values, but only when associated to different UWs:
- John lives in Paris = intransitive (NTST) (live = reside)
- John lives a nightmare = direct monotransitive (TST) (live = experience)
- Complements (essential) are not to be confounded with adjuncts (accidental)
- John bought a car to Mary = direct monotransitive (TST) and not ditransitive (DTST), because "to Mary" is not a complement, but an adjunct of the verb "to buy"
- John gave a car to Mary = ditransitive (DTST), because both "a car" and "to Mary" are complements of the verb "to give".
- Copula is to be considered without transitivity (NTRA)
- Subject and object complements are not to be represented as part of the transitivity of the verb
- You make me nervous = You make [me become nervous] = direct monotransitive (TST) and not ditransitive
- I considered him to be an excellent choice = I considered [that he was an excellent choice] = direct monotransitive (TST) and not ditransitive
- Transitivity is a property of the verb and not of the whole multi-word expression.
- to make love = to make = direct monotransitive (TST) and not intransitive
- to kill oneself = to kill = direct monotransitive (TST) and not intransitive
Examples
- English
- unergative (NERG) = run (John ran)
- unaccusative (NACC) = fall (John fell)
- direct monotransitive (TST) = kiss (John kissed Jane)
- indirect monotransitive (ITST) = depend (John depend on Jane)
- ditransitive (DTST) = give (John gave Jane an apple)
- tritransitive (TTST) = trade (John traded Jane an apple for an orange)
UNL
In UNL, transitivity, as a syntactic property, is not to be informed.
