The basicness of transitives
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10140790 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Anuradha Saksena (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1982 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 355-360 |
| Publication date | 1982-09-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Linguistics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-2267 • E-ISSN: 1469-7742 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0022226700013645 |
| OpenAlex | W2153522204 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 1 |
This paper raises the question whether transitive or intransitive semantics is the more basic. Recently, the transformational analysis of causatives (Lakoff, 1970; McCawley, 1968) has proposed that transitives are derived from intransitives by a causative transformation — thus implying that intransitive semantics is more basic. Because the transformational model has been so influential 2 this claim has been carried over, often unquestioningly, into the grammar of many languages such as Hindi (Kachru, 1966, 1971; Kleiman, 1971). This paper shows that of significance in determining basicness is the question whether intransitive verbs of the form (O_) represent natural activity or agent-motivated activity; and using this criterion, we expect most transitives to be basic
Causative · Emergent grammar · Grammar · Hindi · Linguistics · Natural (archaeology · Programming language · Relational grammar · Semantics (computer science · Transformation (genetics · Transformational grammar · Transformational leadership · Transitive relation · Verb · Computer Science · History · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Mathematics · Multilingual Education and Policy · Philosophy · Psychology · Social Psychology · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation
| Citations per year | 0.05 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 1983 - 2022 (40) |
| Highly cited | No |