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Linglib.Phenomena.Causation.Studies.SpalekMcNally2026

@cite{spalek-mcnally-2026}: The Anatomy of a Verb #

Empirical data and bridge theorems for the contrastive study of English tear and Spanish rasgar. These putative translation equivalents share event structure (both Levin 45.1 Break Verbs, binary-scale result verbs with causative alternation) but differ in root content — specifically in patient restrictions, separation geometry, and agent control.

Key findings #

  1. Shared event structure: Both are simple result verbs with causative alternation (§3.1). Binary-scale change: almost modification entails no change has yet occurred.

  2. Different root content (§3.2):

    • rasgar requires flimsy/insubstantial patients; tear is unrestricted
    • tear implies contrary-direction separation with force; rasgar implies linear/gash-like separation
    • tear is compatible with careful action; rasgar is not

  3. Figurative extensions differ predictably (§3.3): root content predicts which figurative uses each verb supports.

  4. Translation equivalence is partial (§4.2): in P-ACTRES parallel corpus, tear translates to many Spanish verbs; rasgar predominantly translates to tear only in specific contexts (Tables 1–2).

source
theorem Phenomena.Causation.Studies.SpalekMcNally2026.shared_levin_class :
Fragments.English.Predicates.Verbal.tear_.levinClass = Fragments.Spanish.Predicates.rasgar.levinClass

Both tear and rasgar are Levin 45.1 Break Verbs.

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theorem Phenomena.Causation.Studies.SpalekMcNally2026.shared_causative_builder :
Fragments.English.Predicates.Verbal.tear_.causativeBuilder = Fragments.Spanish.Predicates.rasgar.causativeBuilder

Both use the make causative builder (sufficiency semantics).

source
theorem Phenomena.Causation.Studies.SpalekMcNally2026.both_causative :
Fragments.English.Predicates.Verbal.tear_.causativeBuilder = some NadathurLauer2020.Builder.CausativeBuilder.make ∧ Fragments.Spanish.Predicates.rasgar.causativeBuilder = some NadathurLauer2020.Builder.CausativeBuilder.make

Both are causative verbs (derived from causativeBuilder).

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theorem Phenomena.Causation.Studies.SpalekMcNally2026.patient_restriction_differs :
Fragments.English.Predicates.Verbal.tear_.rootProfile ≠ Fragments.Spanish.Predicates.rasgar.rootProfile

tear accepts robust patients; rasgar does not. @cite{spalek-mcnally-2026} ex. (14): "she tore a chunk off her slice of bread" ✓ vs. "??rasgó un trozo de pan" (§3.2).

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theorem Phenomena.Causation.Studies.SpalekMcNally2026.force_direction_differs :
(Fragments.English.Predicates.Verbal.tear_.rootProfile.bind fun (x : RootProfile) => x.forceDir) ≠ Fragments.Spanish.Predicates.rasgar.rootProfile.bind fun (x : RootProfile) => x.forceDir

tear implies bidirectional (contrary-direction) force; rasgar implies unidirectional (linear/gash-like) force.

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theorem Phenomena.Causation.Studies.SpalekMcNally2026.agent_control_differs :
(Fragments.English.Predicates.Verbal.tear_.rootProfile.bind fun (x : RootProfile) => x.agentControl) ≠ Fragments.Spanish.Predicates.rasgar.rootProfile.bind fun (x : RootProfile) => x.agentControl

tear is compatible with controlled action; rasgar is not. @cite{spalek-mcnally-2026} ex. (17): "carefully tore the tin foil" ✓ vs. "??rasgaron con cuidado el papel de aluminio" (§3.2).

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theorem Phenomena.Causation.Studies.SpalekMcNally2026.roots_overlap :
Fragments.English.Predicates.Verbal.tear_.rootProfile.get!.overlaps Fragments.Spanish.Predicates.rasgar.rootProfile.get! = true

The roots of tear and rasgar overlap: there exists a region of the conceptual space (flimsy patients, moderate force, separation result) where both verbs are applicable. This overlap zone is where they function as translation equivalents (§4.2, Table 1).

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structure Phenomena.Causation.Studies.SpalekMcNally2026.TranslationDatum :
Type

Translation of transitive tear in P-ACTRES 2.0 (Table 1). 66 instances total; rasgar accounts for only 8 (12.1%).

Instances For
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    def Phenomena.Causation.Studies.SpalekMcNally2026.instReprTranslationDatum.repr :
    TranslationDatum → ℕ → Std.Format
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    • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
    Instances For
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      instance Phenomena.Causation.Studies.SpalekMcNally2026.instReprTranslationDatum :
      Repr TranslationDatum
      Equations
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      def Phenomena.Causation.Studies.SpalekMcNally2026.instInhabitedTranslationDatum.default :
      TranslationDatum
      Equations
      Instances For
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        instance Phenomena.Causation.Studies.SpalekMcNally2026.instInhabitedTranslationDatum :
        Inhabited TranslationDatum
        Equations
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        def Phenomena.Causation.Studies.SpalekMcNally2026.tearToSpanish :
        List TranslationDatum

        Table 1: Translation of transitive tear into Spanish.

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        • One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.
        Instances For
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          def Phenomena.Causation.Studies.SpalekMcNally2026.rasgarToEnglish :
          List TranslationDatum

          Table 2: Translation of transitive rasgar into English.

          Equations
          Instances For
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            theorem Phenomena.Causation.Studies.SpalekMcNally2026.rasgar_not_preferred_for_tear :
            (List.filter (fun (x : TranslationDatum) => x.targetVerb == "rasgar") tearToSpanish).head!.instances < (List.filter (fun (x : TranslationDatum) => x.targetVerb == "arrancar") tearToSpanish).head!.instances

            rasgar is not the preferred translation of tear. Only 8 of 66 instances (12.1%).

            source
            theorem Phenomena.Causation.Studies.SpalekMcNally2026.tear_preferred_for_rasgar :
            (List.filter (fun (x : TranslationDatum) => x.targetVerb == "tear") rasgarToEnglish).head!.instances > (List.filter (fun (x : TranslationDatum) => x.targetVerb == "rend") rasgarToEnglish).head!.instances

            tear IS the preferred translation of rasgar (4 of 6 instances).