Keywords - L322.4 S99

Intermediate Syntax

Week 4: Tense and Aspect

Tense

• Operator
• host; bound
• V as host
• Feature copying downward
• V assigns [-Nom] Case.

Aspect

• Operator
• host, bound
• V as host
• links and chains

The passive voice and raising

• In the passive the theta hierarchy is overridden
• the theme is raised to the external argument (the subject)

(19)     Liberace played the piano.

(20)     The piano was played by Liberace.

• Tense is the first operator we have seen
• Voice is the second operator.
• Next tentative step:
• In propositional structure, the argument of voice is V-proposition.
• [VOICE [±Passive]].
• Argument of voice is E-proposition.
• [TENSE [+Past] < [VOICE [+Passive] < PLAY <theme: PIANO> <agent: LIBERACE> ] > ] >.
• D-structure.
• The fun begins here.

course outline.322