Middle Voice
A comparative study in the syntax-semantics interface of German
Author
This book offers a completely new analysis of the syntax and semantics of transitive reflexive sentences in German, which is embedded in the major phenomenon of the middle voice in Indo-European languages. It integrates the interpretation of non-argument reflexives into a modified version of recent theories of binding. The ambiguity of the reflexive pronoun is derived at the interface between syntax and semantics and does not rely on additional lexical or syntactic rules of argument suppression and argument promotion. This shift towards the semantic interpretation of syntactic arguments enables the author to offer a unified analysis of the middle, the anticausative and the reflexive interpretations. Furthermore, the crucial distinction between structural and oblique case forms is discussed and it is illustrated how specific properties of middle constructions such as adverbial modification or subject responsibility can be related to the generic interpretation of middle constructions.
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today, 50] 2002. xii, 337 pp.
Publishing status: Available
© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Table of Contents
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Acknowledgments | p. ix
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List of abbreviations | p. xi
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1. Introduction | pp. 1–16
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2. Middle constructions and middle voice: What does a middle look like? | pp. 17–72
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3. Lexical and syntactic approaches to middle formation | pp. 73–128
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4. The syntax of transitive reflexive sentences: Word order, coordination, focus, and fronting | pp. 129–175
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5. The interpretation of reflexive pronouns in German | pp. 177–227
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6. Suppressed arguments and dative objects | pp. 229–265
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7. Middle constructions revisited | pp. 267–298
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8. Conclusion | pp. 299–308
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Subject index | pp. 327–337
“My overall evaluation is positive. The book reads easily. The book is necessary reading for everyone interested in reflexivity, middle voice, middle constructions and German grammar.”
Andrew McIntyre, University of Leipzig on Linguist List Vol 14-260, 2003
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2010. Preface. In Language Change and Linguistic Theory, Volume I, ► pp. xii ff.
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2010. Bibliographical Abbreviations. In Language Change and Linguistic Theory, Volume I, ► pp. xxix ff.
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2010. Dating and Other Conventions. In Language Change and Linguistic Theory, Volume I, ► pp. xv ff.
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Subjects
Main BIC Subject
CF: Linguistics
Main BISAC Subject
LAN009000: LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General