Argues for the description of thematic roles as two-cluster concepts called Proto-Agent and Proto-Patient, each characterized by a set of verbal entailments. It is asserted that an argument of a verb may bear on either or both proto-roles to varying degrees, according to the number and kind of entailments provided by the verb. (133 references) (JL)

It is argued that the restrictions on "wh"-movement out of negative and factive islands cannot be explained solely by the Empty Category Principle but that embedded properties assigned by matrix verbs also intervene. (Contains 48 references.) (LB)

An analysis of the French construction in which a passive is followed by a simple infinitive (e.g., "Paul a ete prie de sortir"), which language purists claim does not exist in French, suggests an account similar to the passivization of verbs without direct object. Three verb groups are considered: verbs of perception, opinion, and…

Evaluates alternative methods of teaching "troublesome" Russian verbs in present and future tenses. Approaches to finding consistent and simple methods of explanation are discussed. Two techniques include memorizing the third person plural and infinitives, or memorizing the single form (the single-stem system). Problem verbs and their stems are…

It is argued that in Russian verbs the perfect aspect is marked and the imperfect unmarked is wrong. For certain lexical classes, the imperfective rather than the perfective is marked. A systematic interrelationship among aspect, tense, and type of action is developed. (PMJ)

Argues for the existence of a pro-prepositional phrase category whose licensing condition requires it to be theta marked by a head. This licensing condition explains the difference found regarding silent prepositional phrases between Class A and Class B prepositional verbs. (CB)

Discusses expressions of future time, and suggests that different expressions of future time in English express different degrees of probability. Two diagrams of present and past tense and 25 references are included. (Author/LMO)

Following Jacobson's 1990 work, this study is another attempt to offer a unified analysis of the Japanese aspect marker "te iru" that touches upon Gestalt psychologists' ideas of figure/ground opposition, Langacker's cognitive grammar, and Kunihiro's cognitive analysis. (Contains 34 references.) (LB)

Using framework of prototype semantics, TE-constructions (type of verbal construct in Japanese), are categorized according to underlying metaphors and related to central TE-construction in which K- 1K- indicate both motion and direction in physical space. Through descriptions, discussions, and examples, it is demonstrated that no adequate…

Demonstrates that structure and interpretation of Resultative Verb Compound (RVC) in the field of Chinese linguistics is neither indiosyncratic nor pragmatically determined as suggested in an earlier study. Rather, RCV formation and interpretation is determined by semantic features of verbs, and these features determine the well-formedness and…

Shows that endoclitics do exist in Udi--a language of the North East Caucasian family--which poses a challenge to the lexicalist hypothesis. Argues, on the basis of accepted tests for wordhood, that complex verb stems are single words and not phrases. (Author/VWL)

Challenges assumptions regarding dative alternation and proposes an account in terms of one general constraint of what makes a verb a possible verb, which operates over verb-specific conceptual information. Central to the proposal is the assumption that the different forms of dative verbs do not only encode different conceptual representations of…

One of the choices available in English is between one-word verbs (train at the gym) and their multi-word counterparts (work out at the gym). Multi-word verbs tend to be colloquial in tone and are a particular feature of informal spoken discourse. Previous research suggests that English learners often have problems with multi-word verbs, and may…

Analysis of two Restructuring constructions in Italian, "equi" and "raising" structures, suggests that while lexical functional grammar (LFG) does not offer the kind of analysis previously used on this kind of structure, it does offer an insightful and interesting analysis of Restructuring in Italian. This approach treats…

A classification of propositions (consisting of a verb and its arguments) is presented with a stipulation of the properties of each type, and clarification is given for how the classfication and the properties function in the interaction between propositions and Japanese aspectual auxiliary verbs. The different types of verbs include: (1) state…