The cognitive basis of adjectival and adverbial resultative constructions

Cristiano Broccias | Università di Genova

In this paper I investigate adjectival resultative constructions, which usually do not occur in Romance languages, and adverbial resultative constructions, which are also possible in Romance languages. I claim that adjectival resultative constructions and adverbial resultative constructions rely on different cognitive processes. In particular, I contend that adjectival resultative constructions involve the activation of Langacker's billiard-ball model. Such an analysis turns out to be more satisfactory than formal ones. On the other hand, adverbial resultative constructions, as well as more generally adverbial depictive constructions, are argued to involve the process of property ascription by the conceptualiser and the reference point ability. Finally, I show that adverbial (resultative) constructions exhibit similarities with so-called raising constructions in that both crucially rely on the reference point ability.

Keywords: reference point ability, raising construction, resultative construction, billiard-ball model, property ascription

Published online: 11 January 2005
https://doi.org/10.1075/arcl.2.04bro

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