2026-09-18T21:24:34Zhttps://ecommons.cornell.edu/server/oai/requestoai:ecommons.cornell.edu:1813/1147642026-05-15T19:48:04Zcom_1813_35col_1813_47
Sobolak, Frances
Diesing, Molly
Murray, Sarah
Despic, Miloje
2024-04-05T18:47:58Z
2024-04-05T18:47:58Z
2023-08
ProQuest Submission ID: 13847
ProQuest Publication ID: 30574184
https://hdl.handle.net/1813/114764
https://doi.org/10.7298/x25f-9v41
16219192
127 pages
This dissertation systematically investigates how light verbs contribute to eventstructure across three, typologically different languages: English, Hindi-Urdu, and Korean. I first show that light verbs across the three languages vary in their structural position and function. English light verbs take and give remain low in the structure, in VP, while the Hindi-Urdu light verb le ‘take’ occupies an intermediary (Inner) Aspect head just below the head that introduces the external argument, vP. The Korean light verb peli sits even higher in the structure, in an aspect head above vP. This structural variation is reflected in the effect that the light verbs have on the lexical aspect of the predicate. Light verbs in all three languages make the event telic, regardless of the type of event the light verb combines with. In summary, this dissertation provides a brief typological overview of the syntactic function and semantic role of light verbs, providing new insights into how light verbs contribute to event structure.
en
Attribution 4.0 International
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
aspect
light verb
semantics
syntax
The event structure of light verbs
dissertation or thesis
https://newcatalog.library.cornell.edu/catalog/16219192
application/pdf
Linguistics
Cornell University
Doctor of Philosophy
Ph. D., Linguistics
https://hdl.handle.net/1813/59810.2
Publication
Cornell Theses and Dissertations
Sobolak, Frances
5893a6ea-7af3-41d7-abc6-04bcd26ab5df
open.access
open.access
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<Abstract>This dissertation systematically investigates how light verbs contribute to eventstructure across three, typologically different languages: English, Hindi-Urdu, and Korean. I first show that light verbs across the three languages vary in their structural position and function. English light verbs take and give remain low in the structure, in VP, while the Hindi-Urdu light verb le ‘take’ occupies an intermediary (Inner) Aspect head just below the head that introduces the external argument, vP. The Korean light verb peli sits even higher in the structure, in an aspect head above vP. This structural variation is reflected in the effect that the light verbs have on the lexical aspect of the predicate. Light verbs in all three languages make the event telic, regardless of the type of event the light verb combines with. In summary, this dissertation provides a brief typological overview of the syntactic function and semantic role of light verbs, providing new insights into how light verbs contribute to event structure.</Abstract>
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