Table Of ContentSemantic Role Universals
and Argument Linking:
Theoretical, Typological,
and Psycholinguistic
Perspectives
Edited by
Ina Bornkessel et al.
Mouton de Gruyter
Semantic Role Universals and Argument Linking
≥
Trends in Linguistics
Studies and Monographs 165
Editors
Hans Henrich Hock
(main editor for this volume)
Walter Bisang
Werner Winter
Mouton de Gruyter
Berlin · New York
Semantic Role Universals
and Argument Linking
Theoretical, Typological,
and Psycholinguistic Perspectives
edited by
Ina Bornkessel
Matthias Schlesewsky
Bernard Comrie
Angela D. Friederici
Mouton de Gruyter
Berlin · New York
MoutondeGruyter(formerlyMouton,TheHague)
isaDivisionofWalterdeGruyterGmbH&Co.KG,Berlin.
(cid:2)(cid:2) Printedonacid-freepaperwhichfallswithintheguidelines
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Semanticroleuniversalsandargumentlinking:theoretical,typologi-
cal, and psycholinguistic perspectives / edited by Ina Bornkessel ...
[etal.].
p.cm.(cid:2)(Trendsinlinguistics.Studiesandmonographs;165)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN-13:978-3-11-018602-4(hardcover:alk.paper)
ISBN-10:3-11-018602-0(hardcover:alk.paper)
1. Semantics. 2. Grammar, Comparative and general (cid:2) Syntax.
3.Typology(Linguistics) 4.Psycholinguistics. I.Bornkessel,Ina,
1979(cid:2) II.Series.
P325.S3737 2006
4011.43(cid:2)dc22
2006013163
ISBN-13: 978-3-11-018602-4
ISBN-10: 3-11-018602-0
ISSN 1861-4302
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Dedication
This volume is dedicated to the memory of Helma van den Berg (1965
2003). Helma participated in the conference that led to this volume and is
co-author of one ofthe contributions, although her untimely death meant
that she was unable to join in the final stages ofproduction ofthe volume.
An indefatigable investigatorofthe languages oftheNorth Caucasus and a
recent recipient of a prestigious research grant from the Netherlands
Science Organization, Helma died prematurely of a heart attack while
conducting fieldwork on the Dargi language in Derbent (Daghestan). We
mournthe loss to herfamily, to science, andto ourselves.
Contents
Introduction .
Ina Bornkessel, Matthias Schlesewsky, BernardComrie,
AngelaD. Friederici
Argumenthierarchyandotherfactors determiningargument
realization. 15
Dieter Wunderlich
Mismatches insemantic-rolehierarchies andthe dimensions
ofrole semantics 53
BeatricePrimus
Thematic roles- universal, particular, and idiosyncratic aspects.......... 89
ManfredBierwisch
ExperiencerconstructionsinDaghestanianlanguages.......................... 127
BernardComrie andHelma van den Berg
Clause-levelvs. predicate-level linking 155
BalthasarBickel
Frommeaningto syntax- semantic roles andbeyond.......................... 191
WalterBisang
Meaning, form and function inbasiccaseroles..................................... 237
GeorgBossong
Semanticmacroroles and languageprocessing...................................... 263
RobertD. Van Valin, Jr.
Thematic roles as event structurerelations............................................ 303
Maria Mercedes Pifiango
viii Contents
Generalised semantic roles and syntactic templates:
Anew framework for language comprehension 327
Ina BornkesselandMatthias Schlesewsky
Authorindex 355
Language index...................................................................................... 360
Subjectindex.......................................................................................... 361
Introduction
Ina Bornkessel, Matthias Schlesewsky,
Bernard Comrie, Angela D. Friederici
1. Semanticroles as a corelinguisticconcept
Semantic roles have long played a major role in all domains of linguistic
explanation, including theory ofgrammar, language typology and psycho
/neurolinguistics. This strong degree ofinterest is grounded mainly in the
need for suitable interface representations that canmediate between syntax
and semantics. Because semantic (thematic) roles can characterise core
relational meaning with a certain degree of abstraction, they have been
implicated in the linking between the relevant semantic aspects of an
underlying meaning and the abstract requirements of the corresponding
surface form. However, despite the obvious appeal of such interface
representations and the high degree ofinterest afforded to them during the
last decades oflinguistic research, there is still no fully satisfactory model
of how the syntax-to-semantics linking is accomplished. One reason for
this appears to lie in the problems regarding the definition and scope of
semantic roles that have continually reappeared since the very beginnings
ofresearch inthis domain (Fillmore 1968; Gruber 1965; Jackendoff1972).
For example, researchers have vastly differed with regard to how many
semantic roles should be assumed, how these should be characterised both
in semantic and in syntactic terms, how the different roles can be
dissociated from one another, and which syntactic phenomena should be
derivable fromthem.
Essentially, the literature suggests two possible ways of overcoming
these difficulties. On the one hand, it has been proposed that the
hierarchical relations between semantic roles are more important with
regard to the form-to-meaning mapping thanthe content ofindividual.roles
(Bierwisch 1988; Bresnan and Kanerva 1989; Grimshaw 1990; Jackendoff
1972; Wunderlich 1997). While the further degree ofabstraction provided
by a hierarchy-based approach resulted in a major advance in the
characterisation of linking properties, the formulation of hierarchies in
