Introducing Arguments

A compositional theory of verbal argument structure that explores how “noncore” arguments are introduced into argument structures and examines cross-linguistic variation in introducing arguments. This concise work offers a compositional theory of verbal argument structure in natural languages that focuses on how arguments that are not “core” arguments of the verb (arguments that are not introduced by verbal roots themselves) are introduced into argument structures. Liina Pylkkänen shows that the type of argument structure variation that allows additional noncore arguments is a pervasive property of human language and that most languages have verbs that exhibit this behavior. It would be natural to hypothesize…