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The Structure of Tagalog: Specificity, Voice, and the Distribution of Arguments

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The Structure of Tagalog: Specificity, Voice, and the Distribution of Arguments The Structure of Tagalog: Specificity, Voice, and the Distribution of Arguments by Andrea Stokes Rackowski Bachelor of Arts, Linguistics McGill University, 1996 Submitted to the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology September 2002 ©Andrea Rackowski, 2002. All rights reserved. The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part. Author ..... .............................................. Department of Linguistics and Philosophy September 2, 2002 Certified By ...................... Alec Marantz Professor of Linguistics Thesis Supervisor A ccepted B y .. ...... ...... ............................................... Alec Marantz Head, Department of Linguistics and Philosophy I- - MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ARCHiAVES SEP 2 0 2002 LIBRARIES The Structure of Tagalog: Specificity, Voice, and the Distribution of Arguments by Andrea S. Rackowski Submitted to the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy on September 3, 2002 in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Ph.D. in Linguistics Abstract This thesis examines the syntax of Tagalog with a particular focus on argument structure and its implications for clause structure. Through cross-linguistic comparison I show that Tagalog syntax is not as exotic as is often assumed and that it can be straightforwardly accounted for using available syntactic tools, primarily the theory of phases and Agree of Chomsky (1999, 2001). This study shows that there is no need to appeal to new parameter settings or new components of the grammar in order to account for the syntactic behavior of Tagalog (cf. Sells 1998, Speas 1998, Carrier-Duncan 1985, Kroeger 1993). In this work I show that, contrary to widespread assumptions, the voice system of Tagalog does not reflect the thematic role of the subject argument. Instead, returning to the insight of Ramos 1974, I argue that voice morphology on the verb reflects the case that the subject argument receives in its base position. I also argue that the specificity properties of subjects and objects in Tagalog resemble those motivating object shift in Germanic languages; therefore, I conclude that Tagalog instantiates a system of generalized 'argument shift'. I show that the shift of specific arguments to the edge of the phase is strictly constrained by locality. The analysis of voice and locality-constrained shift relies on a detailed study of argument positions in Tagalog. Using tests for hierarchical structure such as reflexive and pronominal variable binding, I examine the structural relations among external arguments, applicative arguments, direct objects, and adjuncts and show them to be in accordance with what is known about structural argument asymmetries cross-linguistically. Thesis Supervisor: Alec Marantz Title: Professor of Linguistics Contents A BBR EV IA TIO NS ............................................................................................................................................... 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................ 7 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 10 1.1 THEORETICAL ORIENTATION............................................................................................................ 12 1.1.1 PHA SES AND V OICE................................................................................ ................................... 12 1.1.2 AGREE AND MOVE .................... ............. ........................................... 12 1.1.3 CASE ............. ........... ......................................... ......................................... 15 1.1.4 D ISTRIBU TED M ORPHO LOGY .................................................................................................................. 17 1.2 THE EPP AND (QUIRKY) CASE IN TAGALOG ............................................................................... 18 1.3 TAGALOG ESSENTIALS.....................................................................................................................20 1.3.1 V OIC E ........................... .......................... ............................. .................. ........................ 20 1.3.2 WORD ORDER AND SCRAMBLING ................................................................................... ............. .......... 22 1 .3 .3 AS P E CT ................................................................................................................................................... 2 7 1.3.4 N O M IN AL C ASE .................................................................................................................................. 2 9 1.3.5 E X TRA CTIO N .................................................................... ........................................... .................. 30 1.4 ON SUBJECTS .......................................................................................................................................... 31 1.4.1 T OPIC vs. SUBJECT ..................................................................................................... .................. 31 1.4.2 NOMINATIVE VS. OTHER ............................................. .......................... .... 32 1.4.3 EXTERNAL ARGUMENT VS. ANG-PHRASE............................................................... .................. 33 CHAPTER 2: DISTRIBUTION OF ARGUMENTS ........................................................ 34 2.1 IN TRODU CTION .......................................................................................... ......................................... 34 2.2 TRANSITIVE CLAUSES ...................................................................................................................... 35 2.3 APPLICATIVES ............................................................................................................................ 38 2.3.1 HIGH APPLICATIVES ................... ................. 4..................................0.......... 2.3.1.1 Benefactives ........... ......... ......... ......... ....... ....................... 40 2.3.1.2 Instrumentals ...................................... ..................................................................48 2.3.1.3 Locatives ......................................................... ...................... ............ 53 2.3.2 Low APPLICATIVES AND THE DATIVE ALTERNATION...........................................55 2.3.2.1 Dative Alternation Cross-linguistically...................... ... ............................................... 56 2.3.2.2 Tagalog revisited...................... ................................ ........... 59 2.4 CAUSATIVES .............. .................................................................................................................... 66 2.4.1 PRODUCTIVE CAUSATIVE ................................................................................. 66 '2.4.2 LEXICAL' CAUSATIVE ............................................................. .. 70 2.5 CO N CLU SION ................................................................................................. ....................................... 74 CHAPTER 3: SUBJECT AND SPECIFICITY........................................................................................76 3.1 IN TR O D U CTION ........................................................................................................................................ 76 3.2 SIMILARITIES TO GERMANIC ........................................................................................................ 78 3.3 SHIFT IN TAGALO G .......................................................................................... .................................. 80 3.3.1 THE DIRECT OBJECT AS SUBJECT ................................................... 80 3.3.2 EXTERNAL ARGUMENT CLAUSES .. ............................................................ 83 3.3.3 BEN EFA CTIV ES ....................................................................................................... ....... ............ 84 3.3.4 D ITRANSITIVES ........................................ ..... ....... ................. 86 3.4 PRONOUNS .................................................................................................................................................. 88 3.5 THE IMPORTANCE OF PAG.............................................................................................................. 88 3.6 CA U SATIV ES .................................................................................................. ....................................... 92 3.7 RECENT PERFECTIVE ....................................................................................................................... 93 3.8 WHEN THERE IS NO SPECIFIC ARGUMENT ...................................................... 95 3.9 CLAUSAL SUBJECTS ...................................................... 95 3.10 OBVIATING THE SPECIFICITY EFFECT IN EXTRACTION ENVIRONMENTS ................... 96 3.11 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 101 CHAPTER 4: THE CASE OF VOICE........................................................................................................102
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