TRANSITION AND TRANSFER PREDICATES

CHAPTER VI TRANSITION AND TRANSFER PREDICATES

In semantics verb and other predicates determine what meaning a sentence express and to a large extent, they determine what role the accompanying arguments. In this chapter we explore predicates that have a valency of more than two. Many such predicates express transition, movement from one place to another, respectively the Source and the Goal. Some predicates express transfer, causing the movement of an entity from one place or person to another place or person. Movement through space requires some amount of time, so that a semantic account of some predicates has to include a time frame.

6.1 TRANSITION Transition takes up predicates with a valency of three or more. Many

of them express the going or coming from one place to another.

a. There are predicates of transition Example:

1. The bus goes from Greenville to Stratford.

2. Carlo came to this country from Italy.

b. Other express the moving of something from one place to another Example:

3. Fenwick drive the bus from Greenville to Stratford.

4. Jane rowed the boat from one side of the river to the other.

c. Transfer includes putting and removing

5. Squirrels are stashing nuts in the oak tree.

6. Thieves stole some money from the cash box.

d. Giving and taking away

7. Ronnie gave Rosie some flowers.

8. The accident deprived Alex of livelihood.

e. Communicating something to someone through language is also a form of transfer:

9. Mother told the children a story.

10. Agnes is writing her mother a letter. Finally, there is miscellaneous group of predicates with three or

more arguments that are not so easily classified. In this chapter we concentrate on verbs of transition and transfer other than verbs of communication.

In other example of transition we can change the goal ( to) become into. To is replaced by into to express the notion that the goal is not simply a location but an area which contains.

Example: 11a. he emerged from the dark cellar into the bright sunlight. 11b. he plunged from the bright sunlight into the dark cellar.

As these examples show, the containing area is not necessarily an enclosed space-a speaker is free to treat any area as an enclosed space.

f. A sentence may express a Path, a place or area between the Source and Goal.

12. The bus goes from Greenville to Stratford by way a Compton.

13. The boat drifted over the water from one place to another.

Theme

path

source

goal

The path is indicated by a form that may follow one of several prepositions: via, by way of, through, across or over. The theme or actor NP is subject of the sentence. To generalize, sentence with transition verbs have this arguments structure:

Transition verb

Theme or actor

Movement through space requires time. Sentence 1 informs us that the bus is at Greenville at Time Zero and at Stratford at Time Plus, where time plus is later that time zero, and at Compton at some time between. The verb go in sentence 1 can be represented on atime frame like this:

Theme at Source

theme at Goal

Example:

14. The road goes from Greenville to Stratford by way of Compton.

15. The driveway extends from the street to the garage.

16. Curtains hung almost from the ceiling to floor.

In these sentences from and to introduce source and goal, representatively, but the road, driveway and curtains do not move from one place o the other, and so there in no Time Zero or Time Plus. The driveway is at the street an at the garage simultaneously. The verbs, extend, hang, spread and others are verbs of spatial extension.

The predicate go, extend, hang, as they are used here, are verbs of pseudo-transition. Whereas the first thirteen sentences have dynamic predicate, these three are stative. The time frame for a predicates like extend, as in sentence 15 is:

Extend

time

Theme at source and goal

Here three times are implied: at Time Minus, which is earlier than Time Zero. Example:

17. Harrison returned to his hometown from the big city.

- Harrison was in hometown, at Time Minus - He was in the big city, at Time Zero - He was again in his hometown, at Time Plus

Of all transition verbs move is the least marked, the one that lacks a special focus. Go is probably a more common verb, but it carries the semantics features [away from speaker], contrasting with come [toward speaker]. Common transition predicates are the following.

Unmarked: Move

a. Focus on Goal  Get [general]  Come [goal is where speaker or addressee is or will be]  Go [goal is away from speaker]

b. Focus on Manner  Creep [animate subject; slow movement over a surface]  Rotate [where or globe; turns on an axis]

 Gallop [subject is a horse or on a horse, moving at the fastest gait]

c. Focus on path  Drift [effortless movement in moving water]  Float [seemingly effortless movement in water or air]  Fall [ source is higher than goal; involuntary movement]

d. Focus on Cause or Purpose  Escape [ source is undesirable place]  Emigrate [as above; source-oriented]  Immigrate [as above; goal-oriented]

6.2 TRANSFER Transfer predicates is causing the movement of an entity from one place or person to another place or person.

Example:

18. Fenwick drives a bus from Greenville to Stratford by way of Compton

The verb drive is predicate of transition, and this sentence has

a causative meaning corresponding to sentence 1: Fenwick causes the bus to go from Greenville, etc. , and of course he moves with the bus. Compare the next sentence.

19. The King banished the rebels from his realm (to another land).

affected source

Agent

goal

These are shown on the timescales below. Drive

time 0

time +

agent & theme at goal

Agent & time at source

Banish

time + Theme at source theme at goal

time 0

1. Act that change location of both Agent and Theme are the following:

Unmarked: Move

a. Focus on Manner Drive [object= vehicle and subject= driver; object= animal(s) and subject is behind the animal(s)] Convey [ unmarked] Haul [ transfer in vehicle suggested] Drag [subject moves object over a surface, object is inert]

b. Focus on Goal Bring [goal is location of speaker, not necessary at time of

speaking] Take [goal is not location of speaker]

c. Focus on Aspect ( involving some relation at goal ) Restore [ object was previously t goal]

2. Acts that change location of theme only are expressed in the following verbs:

a. Focus on Goal Push [object is moved away from original position of agent] Pull [object is moved toward agent] a. Focus on Goal Push [object is moved away from original position of agent] Pull [object is moved toward agent]

c. Focus on Path Throw [object moves through air] Lift [vertical movement upward] Raise [vertical movement upward or into upright position] Drop [vertical movement down; may be involuntary] Lower [as above; voluntary]

Compare those two sentences.

20. We spread a red carpet from sidewalk to the door. To spread something is to cause it to be simultaneously at place X

and place Y, the source and the goal.

21. The court restored the property to its lawful owner (from one who was not the lawful owner.)

To restore something is causes it to be in the same place or possession at Time Plus as it was at Time Minus it was not at Time Zero.

6.3 CONCLUSION The thematic structure, or role structure of a predicate is clearly

related to its meaning and predicates with similar meanings have similar thematic structure. In transition and transfer we have examined predicates with a valency of three or more. All such predicates describe the movement of some entity, concrete or abstract. The entity from which the movement originates has the semantics function of source and the entity which represents the end of movement has the function of the goal. Predicates of related to its meaning and predicates with similar meanings have similar thematic structure. In transition and transfer we have examined predicates with a valency of three or more. All such predicates describe the movement of some entity, concrete or abstract. The entity from which the movement originates has the semantics function of source and the entity which represents the end of movement has the function of the goal. Predicates of

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