The semantic representation of possesseed-raising constructions in terms of reflexivity

• Beatriz Martínez Fernández ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidad de La Rioja

     Universidad de La Rioja

     Logroño, España

     
• Localización: Journal of English Studies, ISSN 1576-6357, Nº 3, 2001-2002, págs. 149-164
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This paper aims to provide arguments in favour of the widely discussed idea that English causative alternating constructions of the type "John broke his arm/His arm broke" are, at least partly, reflexive. As we shall see, several constraints condition this proposal, namely the actor/non-actor category of the first argument of the activity predicate and the concept of control. In addition, I will argue that the recurrent association of this particular causative formal composition to the above mentioned reflexive meaning leads us to consider this alternation as a new construction within the wider scope of causatives. This construction has been labelled as the Possessed-Raising construction