Proto-Properties and Grammatical Encoding: A Correspondence Theory of Argument Selection (review)

Ackerman and Moore develop an interesting theory with wide-ranging implications for morphosemantic alternations within David Dowty’s proto-role approach to thematic roles (‘Thematic roles and argument selection’, Language 67.547–619, 1991), which treats thematic roles as prototype categories. The authors follow lexical unification-based assumptions embedded within Ray Jackendoff’s representational modularity-architecture of the language faculty (The architecture of the language faculty, Cambridge, ma: mit Press, 1997). Ch. 1 offers an ‘Introduction’ (1–13) to basic linking problems in argument structure, provides an overview of the book, and presents the model of correspondence theory which is employed throughout. This particular linking theory aims at accounting for both grammatical function and case-marking alternations by appealing to the same explanatory apparatus.

Couched in a useful overview of semantic roles in argument structure, the next two chapters present Dowty’s proposal in detail. a short Ch. 2 deals with ‘Grammatical theory and semantic roles’ (15–25), while the more elaborate Ch. 3 presents ‘a proto-role proposal: Syntagmatic argument selection’ (27–59), where the syntagmatic selection principle (ssp) is A&M’s revision of Dowty’s argument selection principle. Within correspondence theory, coarguments of a given predicate are associated with proto-properties; the most proto-agentive argument becomes the subject and the most proto-patientive, object.

Ch. 4 introduces ‘Paradigmatic argument selection’ (61–82), which involves an extension of the ssp to paradigms. The paradigmatic selection principle (psp) formalizes A&M’s claim that a single argument competes for alternative encodings across related predicates (a&m illustrate this with psych-predicates and causative formation in Spanish).

The next two chapters make up the empirical core of the monograph, exploring several of the predictions and conceptual issues advanced in Ch. 4. Ch. 5 introduces ‘Bounding entities’ (83–139); an addition (distinct from the incremental theme) to the list of proto-patient properties, bounding entities are proposed alongside a detailed discussion of aspectual issues in Estonian (as well as the related Finnish and the less related Scots Gaelic). In Ch. 6, ‘Subject alternations’ (141–68), a&m concentrate on subject-oblique alternations in Polish and Russian along with a discussion of oblique (dative) subject phenomena crosslinguistically, especially in Hindi and Marathi.

In Ch. 7, ‘Conclusion’ (169–77), a&m summarize the main results of their study, concluding that their proto-property approach containing syntagmatic and paradigmatic selection accounts for both the grammatical function status and the case-marking encoding of arguments. They also suggest an extension of paradigmatic selection to new data domains and end with a brief comparison of their approach to other linking theories. The bibliography (179–90) is followed by an index (191–97). This excellent monograph is recommended to anyone interested in the prototype approach to thematic relations and argument structure, but, while well written and illustrated throughout, it is clearly not intended for the uninitiated.