On the argument structure of complex denominal verbs in Latin: a syntactic approach

Abstract

In this paper I offer a syntactic approach to the formation of complex denominal verbs in Latin. Two basic types of prefixed locative denominal verbs can be distinguished in this language: location ones “agglutinate” a PP expressing location, whereas locatum ones contain a noun expressing the locatum object. Assuming a syntactic distinction between Incorporation and Conflation in denominal verb formation, I claim that prefixed location verbs are formed via Incorporation (i.e. Internal Merge), whereas prefixed locatum verbs are formed via Conflation (i.e. External Merge). Unprefixed locative verbs can only be interpreted as locatum predicates, but unlike prefixed locatum verbs, they are analyzed as involving a possessive relation and as being formed via incorporation. The present approach also provides an explanation of why Romance locatum verbs, unlike location ones, are not necessarily prefixed. It is also claimed that unprefixed and prefixed locatum verbs in Romance are formed via incorporation rather than via conflation, its reason being related to the typological shift from the presence of a typical conflation pattern in satellite-framed Latin to a lack of it in verb-framed Romance languages. Finally, I show that Latin prefixed denominal verbs and prefixed deadjectival ones are all telic and project a ResultP in syntax. In contrast, this projection can be argued to be absent from unprefixed denominal and deadjectival verbs.

Rivalidad de mecanismos verbalizadores en la historia del español

“…Así, tanto los verbos denominales como deadjetivales prefijados son télicos y proyectan un estado resultante (ĒLANGUĔSCĔRE 'volverse lánguido', ĒMOLLESCĔRE 'volverse blando', INCRASSESCĔRE 'empezar a engordar'). En cambio, las formaciones no prefijadas, que corresponden a logros graduables, cambios de estados indefinidos o verbos locatum, muestran telicidad variable, si bien son mayoritariamente atélicos (LANGUESCĔRE 'volverse lánguido', MOLLESCĔRE 'volverse blando', CRASSESCĔRE 'engordar') (Haverling 2003(Haverling , 2010Acedo-Matellán 2006;Mateu 2021). Por lo que se refiere al aspecto léxico, los verbos deadjetivales prefijados pueden presentar una lectura atélica, además de la télica que ya presentaban en la etapa anterior (Haverling 2003(Haverling , 2010.…”