Documentation

Linglib.Phenomena.Causation.Compare

Causative Alternation: Cross-Theory Bridge #

@cite{cuervo-2003} @cite{kratzer-1996} @cite{martin-rose-nichols-2025} @cite{schaefer-2008}

Connects four independent formalizations of the causative alternation:

  1. Semantic (Semantics.Intensional/Causative/): CausativeBuilder, production/dependence distinction
  2. Event-structural (Semantics.Events/EventStructure): Templates (accomplishment vs achievement)
  3. Syntactic (Minimalism/Core/Voice + Applicative): VoiceFlavor (agentive vs nonThematic) + VerbHead (vDO, vGO, vBE)
  4. Empirical (Phenomena/Causation/ThickThin): alternating, thick/thin classification

Key Bridge Results #

source
theorem Phenomena.Causation.Compare.accomplishment_has_agentive_voice :
Semantics.Lexical.Verb.EventStructure.Template.accomplishment.hasExternalCauser = true ∧ Minimalism.isCausative (Minimalism.Bridge.templateToHeads Semantics.Lexical.Verb.EventStructure.Template.accomplishment) = true ∧ Minimalism.voiceAgent.assignsTheta = true

Accomplishment templates (external cause) map to causative structure with agentive Voice.

source
theorem Phenomena.Causation.Compare.achievement_has_nonthematic_voice :
Semantics.Lexical.Verb.EventStructure.Template.achievement.hasExternalCauser = false ∧ Minimalism.isInchoative (Minimalism.Bridge.templateToHeads Semantics.Lexical.Verb.EventStructure.Template.achievement) = true ∧ Minimalism.voiceAnticausative.hasSemantics = false

Achievement templates (no external cause) map to inchoative structure with non-thematic Voice.

source
theorem Phenomena.Causation.Compare.thick_is_production :
MartinRoseNichols2025.productionConstraint MartinRoseNichols2025.ThickThinClass.thickManner = MartinRoseNichols2025.CausationType.production

Thick manner verbs have the production constraint.

source
theorem Phenomena.Causation.Compare.thin_is_dependence :
MartinRoseNichols2025.productionConstraint MartinRoseNichols2025.ThickThinClass.thin = MartinRoseNichols2025.CausationType.dependence

Thin verbs have the dependence constraint.

source
theorem Phenomena.Causation.Compare.production_aligns_agentive :
MartinRoseNichols2025.productionConstraint MartinRoseNichols2025.ThickThinClass.thickManner = MartinRoseNichols2025.CausationType.production ∧ Minimalism.voiceAgent.assignsTheta = true ∧ Minimalism.voiceAgent.hasD = true

Production causation (thick verbs) aligns with agentive Voice: both require a concrete external argument.

source
theorem Phenomena.Causation.Compare.alternation_is_voice_alternation :
((Minimalism.Bridge.templateToHeads Semantics.Lexical.Verb.EventStructure.Template.achievement).all fun (x : Minimalism.VerbHead) => (Minimalism.Bridge.templateToHeads Semantics.Lexical.Verb.EventStructure.Template.accomplishment).contains x) = true ∧ Minimalism.voiceAgent.assignsTheta = true ∧ Minimalism.voiceAnticausative.assignsTheta = false

The causative alternation IS a Voice alternation: transitive = agentive Voice, anticausative = non-thematic Voice. The VP-internal structure (vGO + vBE) is shared.

source
theorem Phenomena.Causation.Compare.thick_mostly_alternate_bridge :
have thickVerbs := List.filter (fun (x : ThickThin.ThickThinEntry) => x.thick) ThickThin.allEntries; have altThick := List.filter (fun (x : ThickThin.ThickThinEntry) => x.alternating) thickVerbs; altThick.length * 100 / thickVerbs.length ≥ 70

Most thick verbs alternate (have both Voice variants).

source
theorem Phenomena.Causation.Compare.break_alternation :
ThickThin.break_.alternating = true ∧ ThickThin.break_.thick = true

Alternating thick verbs: the transitive form has agentive Voice, the anticausative has non-thematic Voice. Example: break.

  • "John broke the vase" = Voice_AG + vDO + vGO + vBE
  • "The vase broke" = Voice_∅ + vGO + vBE
source
theorem Phenomena.Causation.Compare.cut_no_anticausative :
ThickThin.cut.alternating = false ∧ ThickThin.cut.thick = true

Non-alternating thick verbs (cut) only have the agentive Voice form.