Chapter 10
Verbal vs. nominal reflexive constructions
A categorial opposition?
Reflexives have been extensively studied from different approaches and perspectives, but no clear consensus has been established on the criteria for their definition. From a morphological point of view, a distinction between nominal reflexives and verbal reflexives has been generally accepted in both functional and generative approaches. However, it is ultimately hard to make a precise distinction between verbal and nominal reflexives which should possibly be viewed as a continuum rather than as a discrete partition. In this paper, I will discuss the opportunity of a categorial distinction between verbal and nominal reflexive constructions, identifying some general principles which allow us to classify a form as “verbal” or “nominal”.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.The debate on “reflexives”
- 2.1The vagueness of “reflexives”
- 2.2Reflexive constructions in a typological perspective
- 2.2.1Faltz’s definition
- 2.2.2“Reflexives” as markers of coreference
- 2.2.3“Canonical” or “prototypical” reflexives
- 3.The morphology of reflexives
- 4.Verbal vs. nominal reflexives
- 4.1Definitions of “verbal” and “nominal” reflexives
- 4.2Criteria for distinguishing nominal from verbal reflexives
- 4.3Problematic cases for the distinction between verbal and nominal reflexives
- 5.Conclusions
-
Abbreviations
-
Note
-
References
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