Nazareth Amlesom Kifle (Department
of Linguistic, Litterary and Aesthetic Studies)
Tigrinya
Applicative Constructions in Lexical Mapping Theory (LMT)
My project aims at analyzing applicative constructions in
Tigrinya within the LFG (Lexical Functional Grammar) framework.
Tigrinya is a Semitic language spoken in Eritrea and Ethiopia.
Applicative constructions result from a morphosyntactic operation
that is applied on the verb in order to promote a semantic
argument, not otherwise required by the lexical verb, to core
argument object status (Alsina and Mchombo 1990). Applicative
constructions have played an important role for the development
of various syntactic theories which have been focusing on
argument structure devices in the Bantu languages. The applicative
rule is a very productive morphosyntactic operation in Tigrinya
although in traditional descriptions of the language the term
itself has never been used.
This morphosyntactic operation is accomplished by adding a pronominal
agreement morpheme for an applied object (AO) on a verb. As
a result, the argument structure of the applied verb has been
augmented with an additional object argument, in addition
to the verbal object (VO that is an object lexically subcategorized
for by the verb). This derivation applies to a range of semantic
roles such as a recipient, goal, source, beneficiary, maleficiary,
locative or instrumental. Applicative constructions pose a
typical argument-function mapping problem similar to dative
shift in languages such as English and Chichewa (Bresnan and
Moshi 1993). In regard to applicative constructions, what
is at stake is the category and status of the AO and the VO
when they co-occur in the same clause. In LFG these constructions
are treated as lexical processes, and the development of Lexical
Mapping Theory (LMT) within the LFG framework has made a remarkable
advancement for the understanding of the principles and constraints
that govern the mapping of arguments to their respective grammatical
functions. Thus, in the analysis of Tigrinya applicative constructions
I will adopt the LMT to examine the relationship between the
arguments of the predicator and the object functions involved.
Therefore, this project has the following main objective. First, since
there is no prior research on Tigrinya applicative constructions,
applicative constructions will be described and classified.
Second, object functions will be examined in terms of their
mophosyntactic properties. Third, morphosyntactic rules that
determine the mapping of object arguments to grammatical functions
will be formulated. In addition, the grammar of applicative
constructions will be implemented in XLE (Xerox Linguistic
Environment), a linguistic platform for the development of
grammars within the LFG formalism.
Alsina, Alex and Sam A. Mchombo. 1990. The syntax
of applicatives in Chichewa: Problems for a theta theoretic
asymmetry. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory
8.493-506.
Bresnan, Joan and Lioba, Moshi. 1993. Object
asymmetries in comparative Bantu. Theoretical Aspects
of Bantu Grammar, Sam A. Mchombo (ed), 47-91. Standford:
CSLI.
