Abstract
This paper deals with the syntactic and semantic aspects of the phenomenon of cognate objects in Serbian. The upshot of my analysis is that whereas the ACC-cognate objects are arguments, on a par in their function and status with the complements of “regu- lar” transitive verbs, INSTR-cognate objects are modifiers. Adopting the treatment of modifiers argued within the Neo-Davidsonian tradition (see Parsons 1990, a.o.), I analyze them as predicates. My approach to INSTR-cognate objects allows me to capture several of their core characteristics, among which is the puzzling property of their obligatory modification. I argue that the obligatory modification is motivated by Gricean pragmatic reasoning, but it is rooted in the semantics of the relevant elements.
| Translated title of the contribution | Cognate Objects in Serbian |
|---|---|
| Original language | Other |
| Title of host publication | Srpski jezik u savremenoj lingvističkoj teoriji |
| Place of Publication | Niš |
| Publisher | University of Niš |
| Pages | 141 -175 |
| Number of pages | 34 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-86-7379-436-5 |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 |
Keywords
- arguments vs. adjuncts, predicates, unergativity and unaccusativity, Grice’s maxims.