Applicatives without verbs

• Published in: Natural language and linguistic theory Vol. 37; no. 4; pp. 1273 - 1317
• Main Authors: Berro, Ane, Fernández, Beatriz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer 01.11.2019; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adjectives; Basque language; Hypotheses; Icelandic language; Linguistics; Morphology; Natural Language Processing (NLP); Nouns; Philosophy of Language; Social Sciences; Syntax; Verbs; Spain; Applicatives; Root-selecting applicatives; Adjectives; Nouns; Event-naming Roots; Verbs
• ISSN: 0167-806X; 1573-0859
• DOI: 10.1007/s11049-018-09437-4

In this paper, we argue that Applicatives can occur without verbs, more specifically, internal to nouns and adjectives, as previously proposed by Ingason (2015, 2016). We extend Ingason's theory and separate the noun-internal Root-Selecting Event Applicative of the Icelandic type (ApplEXP) from another Root-Selecting Applicative attested in Basque (referred to here as ApplGOAL). Evidence supporting this hypothesis comes from two empirical domains: (i) result/process nominais taking datives attested in the syntax of headlines, where no v is projected at all; and (ii) predicative configurations headed by adjectives and process nouns taking internal datives. On the basis of distributive and morphological evidence, as well as constituency tests, we argue that the presence of these internal datives is independent from v. On the other hand, we depart from Ingason's analysis in that the Root-selecting Applicative of the Basque type, although related to an event, does not strictly correspond to Pylkkänen's High Appl projection, but rather resembles the Low one in that it introduces goal/source datives. Finally, we show that the Appl projection introducing experiencer datives in Basque is in fact dependent on the projection of v.