Class on Psych verbs

 Review of linking

Syntactic templates

NP NP

Actor Undergoer

Activity Hierarchy

Semantic schemata

CONTENT

 The notion of verb class

a. Root and content meaning.

b. The way language captures a domain of experience.

b’. Diathesis: It’ s challenge

Hypothesis: a. There is always a difference in meaning.

Diathesis A: same word different syntactic realizations.

Load, paint,

What is the alternative? A different word. The Economy principle at works here: if
there is a systematic way (i.e. existence of a general pattern) of relating a specific meaning
to another, then, don´t multiply entities and use the same word.

Diathesis B: same semantic role, different words, different syntactic

realizations

Agents; Instruments, EXPERIENCER,

Psych verbs
I-Every day expressions of emotions

Me puse triste/ Estaba triste/

Me dio miedo/tuve miedo.

II. Grammar of emotions

1- sentir -CS, -se, +pasiva
STATE
[(exp=subj), Emotion=ACC= NP)] siento dolor/pena/
¿Qué sentís?
+COMP
Sentirse. ¿cómo te sentís?  ¿Qué te sentís?
[(exp=subj), Emotion= AP)] This is a predicative structure
-COMP

2- amar -CS, -se,+pasiva

STATE
[(exp=subj), (Stim=ACC)]
+COMP

Temer [(exp=subj), (Stim=DAT)]

+COMP

3- Gustar; encantar -CS, -se,-pasiva

STATE
[(exp=DAT), (Stim=Subj)]
+COMP

4- a. Asustar/aburrir/preocupar
Ch. of state (achievement?)

CS Exp= ACC SVO/OVS

-COMP
-pasiva; Commented [L1]: Esto es interesante, el acusativo tampoco
permite ser tomado como objeto afectado al experimentante.
Exp Ø;
b. Exp= DAT OVS*SVO
+COMP

5. aburrirse/ asustarse
Exp = Subj SV

Hypothesis: The variable expression of the Experiencer is motivated on the activity

hierarchy, namely, it serves the purpose of distinguishing more active Experiencers from
passive Experiencers.
Máximo nivel Pasividad EXP y
máximo nivel de Actividad EST EST AG =SUJ EXP ACC SVO “María lo asustó a Juan”
Esq 1
foco
Esq 1’
EST AG SUJ EXP ACC OVS “A Juan lo aburrió María”

Esq 2 EST PP EXP SUJ SVPP “María se asustó (de/con/por el ruido)”

Esq 3 EST SUJ EXP DAT SVO “María le molesta a Juan”

“Juan le gusta a María”
EST SUJ EXP DAT OVS
Esq 3’ “A Juan le molesta María”

“A María le gusta Juan”

Esq 4 EST DAT EXP SUJ SOV “Juan le teme a María”

Esq 4’ EST ACC EXP SUJ SOV “María lo odia a Juan”

Esq 4’’ EST ACC EXP SUJ OVS “A Juan lo odia María”

Linking
Amar
Subect[NOM] D.Object[ACC]

Actor Undergoer

Do’(x, ... do’(x, ... pred’(x, ... pred’(...,y) pred’(x)

amar’ (Experiencer, Stimulus) [MR2]

 Subject[Nom] D.Object

Actor Undergoer
[dativo]

Do’(x, ... do’(x, ... pred’(x, ... pred’(...,y) pred’(x)

gustar’ (Experiencer, Stimulus) [MR1]

asustar causativo
Subject[Nom] D.Object[Acc]

Actor Undergoer

Do’(x, ... do’(x, ... pred’(x, ... pred’(...,y) pred’(x)

[do’ (STIM, Ø)] CAUSE [BECOME asustar’ (EXP, STIM)] [MR2]

Asustar dative

Subject[NOM] D.Object

Actor Undergoer
dativo

Do’(x, ... do’(x, ... pred’(x, ... pred’(...,y) pred’(x)

[BECOME asustar’ (EXP, STIM)] [MR1]

Asustarse

Subject[NOM] D.Object

Actor Undergoer

Do’(x, ... do’(x, ... pred’(x, ... pred’(...,y) pred’(x)

Adjunct
[BECOME asustar’ (EXP, STIM)] [MR1]

II- 1- Similar verb classes: doler

- Doler (xxx)
[(Stim = Subj)/ (Exp=DAT)] la inyección me - dolió
(part=Subj) me duele la espalda

No (explicit) experiencer in English

a. My back hurts.

b. I have a headache.

IV. Psych verbs in English

English has the following emotion verb types.

1. Worry (which has a CS version) I worry about….

[EXPERIENCER: SUBJECT; STIMULUS: PP….]

2. Frighten/scare
CS EXP: DO; STIM:AGENT

3. Love/like
EXP: SUBJ; STIM:DO

4. Please/pain/satisfy:

5- and the predicative structure (which is ambiguous with the passive).

be-afraid
&
Got scared
6- A frightening inflation.
‘la inflación asusta’
‘el pollo gusta’

V. Summary of the Spanish/English contrast:

1. amar SVOacc Love

OaccVS
1’. Temer SVOdat
OdatVS
2. gustar SVOdat ¿??? Her face pleases me/ His punches
pained me.
OdatVS
3. asustar(lo) SVOacc ¿??? Her face pleases me/ His punches
pained me.
OaccVS
3’.(le) SVOdat
OdatVS
4. asustarse SV
5. estar asustado
Tener miedo.
6- dar un susto. Commented [L2]: No existe darse un susto con el mismo
sentido de darse un gusto. ¿?
7. pegar(se) un susto.
Agarrarse un susto.
¿?? La inflación asusta. Frightening inflation

MOTION VERBS

Manner of Motion: Activity verbs

Typically, Intransitive verbs
Caminar, correr, walk, run, crawl,

Direction of Motion; Telic (Accomplishments)

Intransitive/

Ir, venir go/come

Orientation
In/transitive
Subir: go up/down/ come up/down
Bajar
Ascender ascend
Descender descend

Alejar(se), put farther away.

Acercar(se),
Adelantar(se), Move forward.

Change of location (achievements).

Entrar come in, let in;
Salir go out; get out
Llegar get to.
Arrivar arrive
Despegar take off.

Manner?

Girar: go around, spin, turn, veer

Saltar: jump, leap, hop, skip, spring,

Causative

Subir: to take up
Bajar: to take down
Traer
Llevar
Tirar toss, drop, throw, pull, spill
Arrojar
Cargar
Levantar get up, raise,

Sacar/poner
remover

CS –telic
arrastrar drag,
The creation of senses: phrasal verbs in English and clitics in Spanish.

In Spanish, clitic pronouns express the argument of verbs and they can even add up
participants to the event: ethical dative.

(1) La maestra ME lo aplazó al Juan.

(2) Me le sacaron la beca al Pedro.

They have become a sort of inflectional morphology of the verb that does the same job for
(in)direct objects pronouns than the regular personal inflection does for subjects. There is a
trend of using unnecessary (but meaningful) clitics.

(3) Esto te sale xxxx en el centro.

(4) Esto te lo venden a xxxx en Palmares.

También usamos los clíticos para crear sentidos, sentidos más específicos que el general del
verbo:

Te la cantó.

Me caminó.

Tenerla adentro/clara/

Cométela. (te la tenés que comer).

Te la mandaste.

Another way to create meaning with clitic ‘pronouns’ is by using ‘se’ in several ways:

Constructional:

Impersonal: (5) Se vende empanadas caseras. (*las, unas, auto).

Passive: (6) Se arreglaron los bancos a un precio módico.

Anticausative: (7) La nieve se derritió. (hundirse; romperse; entristecerse?); se levantó, se

tiró, se paró, se inclinó, se acostó, …

Aspectual: Pedro se comió la carne.

Locative: anti-path (Processes are backgrounded): Se fue/ Se subió al árbol/ se cayó del
techo.

In English the extension of a meaning to cover neighboring domains comes from the
combination with satellite (phrasal verbs), which are particles that usually derive –
syntactically and semantically- from prepositions but they lack NP objects and are used to
reach more specific meanings with the same verb.

Along
come along (1)
to make progress or to improve in some way
come along (2)
to go with somebody when they're going somewhere
get along
If two people get along, they like each other and are friendly to each other.

Up:
shut up.
call up: The army CALLED UP the reserve soldiers when the war broke out.
Catch up
Walk up (come up) to someone or something
Cut up
If you do up an old building, car, boat, etc., you make it look new again by repairing it,
painting it, and so on.
Dress up
Fill up

Hung up

Get up

Give up

Wrap up

Hold up A man in a black mask held the bank up this morning

put up with I don't think I can put up with three small children in the car.
someone/something

Down
Through
check through
to examine something carefully to make sure nothing is wrong, or to look for something
come through
to survive a difficult or dangerous situation or time
get through (1)
to complete a task
go through (1)
to look through a collection of things like documents, books, clothes, etc. to find something
or to sort them out
go through (2)
to live through a bad time or a difficult situation
run rehearse, review Let's run over/through these lines one more
over/through time before the show.
something

Out

Off