Resultative constructions
Resultative constructions are set syntactic patterns used to express resultativeness. Within these structures, the object NP is viewed as having undergone some change of state, and the change is viewed as a result achieved through the action expressed by the combination of the verb and the result phrase. The word order of the elements is said to be constant and crucial in conveying the resultative meaning; under this analysis, the output in its entirety is regarded as having a more complex meaning than the sum of its components' individual meanings. This constructional approach has been proposed in order to account for the semantic differences between standalone verbs that have no intrinsic resultative meaning and their resultative counterparts (e.g. ''hammer'' versus ''hammer ... flat'').Systems of differentiation
Resultative constructions can be described in the framework of a sign-oriented approach: morphological signals and word order signals (based on the ordering of lexical items) interact in order to create meaning. This interaction generates a system of oppositions based on two types of differentiation: differentiation of the referent from other referents in the lexicon and differentiation of the referent from itself.Classes of resultative constructions
Semantically, resultative constructions can be part of one of four major classes, defined by two attributes: causative vs. non-causative, and property vs. path. (See table below.) These classes are distinguished by the relation between the noun phrase undergoing the change expressed by the resultative (referred to as the host) and the resultative construction itself. In causative resultatives, the host is the direct object of the resultative construction; the subject causes the host to undergo a change. In noncausative resultatives, the host is the subject of the resultative construction; the sentence states a change of state or position. In property resultatives, the host comes to have the property expressed by the resultative construction. In path resultatives, the resultative construction describes a path that is traversed by the host.Traditional view
Defining the role and category of resultatives has inspired numerous approaches from linguists. Traditionally, certain tenses and aspects have been attributed to resultatives. Namely, the present perfect aspect is pointed to in explaining resultative constructions like ''I have written them a letter''. There is a stress on the sense of completeness inherent in resultatives: A: Have you cleaned the windows? B: No, I haven't finished them yet. B: Yes, but I haven't finished them yet In this example, answering negatively entails that either some or none of the windows have been cleaned, but you cannot answer positively unless the entire task is completed. The task does not require successful completion as found in the example ''He has not passed his exam''. It has been demonstrated, however, that resultatives exist independently of the perfect in sentences like ''I turned this offer down'', creating the need to reexamine the role of resultatives. To address this, it has been claimed that the resultative expresses both a state and the preceding action it has resulted from. This emphasizes that the resultative describes how a state was acted upon. Therefore, it must use theSign-oriented analysis
Sign-oriented analyses present an aspectual contrast, in which the approach is based on the boundaries of predication within a time-field. An action is perceived as a whole within a predication or it could be perceived as the predication within the boundaries. A markedness relationship is one between theThe Guillaumean approach
This aspectual approach shows the relation between an action and its result. The Guillaumean approach posits that the English verb has two moments, one where any duration, any developments, or any actualizations take place with the event’s duration.The resultative as a feature of English
Yet another approach to resultativeness views it as “a fundamental semantic distinctive feature which cuts across almost all traditional categories: verb, noun,As a system of oppositions
This approach suggests the idea of viewing resultativeness as a system of oppositions. It hypothesizes that the resultative is not restricted to a tense or an aspect form. It suggests that the resultativeness is expressed by oppositions of marked/unmarked forms throughout all language levels and subsystems. Markedness is a system that contrasts two language forms as distinguished based on simplicity and frequency of usage.(For example, irregular verbs will be marked, whereas regular verbs will be unmarked) These subsystems includes: morpheme,Distribution
A resultative is either an adjectival phrase indicating the state of a noun resulting from the completion of the event denoted by the verb, or a verbal construction denoting the result state of an event. This verbal construction type of resultative is usually considered part of the field ofAdjectival resultatives
This type of resultative is a phrase that indicates the state of a noun resulting from the completion of the verb. In the English examples below, the affected noun is shown in bold and the resulting predicate is in ''italics'': *John licked his plate ''clean''. *Mary painted the fence ''blue''. *The cold weather froze the lake ''solid''. Subjects ofResultatives in German
In German, some verbs can occur in adjectival resultative sentences while others cannot. In the example below, an argument can be made that the noun phrase after the verb can be interpreted as a verb argument.Verbal resultatives
This sort of resultative is a grammatical aspect construction that indicates the result state of the event denoted by the verb. English does not have a productive resultative construction. It is widely accepted that the ''be''- perfects of various European languages (e.g. French, Italian, German, and Dutch) began as resultative constructions.Resultatives in Mandarin
Mandarin places the resultative within an verb aspect construction. In this example, the resultative ''gānjìng'' is situated within the verb aspect construction. The verb ''cā-'' takes the theta roles of agent and experiencer. Resultative phrases may also take multiple theta-roles. The linguist Fengqi Li calls these “composite roles”. Here, the theta-roles are agent, experiencer and instrument. The experiencer and instrument are both the ax, but they take composite roles. The verb cut is transitive and therefore requires a direct object. The composite role allows the knife to undergo its own action.Resultatives in Japanese
The resultative construction in English might be represented as SVO AP. :a. ''John shot Mary dead.'' :b. ''John painted the wall blue.'' The Japanese translation of the sentences a. and b. in the above table would have two distinct constructions. The first construction has a complex verb strategy, where V2 is the causative change of state verb, or result state corresponding to the AP in English construction. V1 is a verb of simple activity, which corresponds to V in the English construction.References
{{reflist Syntax Generative syntax