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Linglib.Theories.Interfaces.SyntaxSemantics.Minimalism.VoiceTheta

Severing Account of θ-Role Assignment #

@cite{kratzer-1996} @cite{schaefer-2008} @cite{alexiadou-schaefer-2015} @cite{levin-2004} @cite{goldberg-1995}

The severing account holds that the Voice head — not the verb root — determines which theta role the external argument gets. The verb root is category-neutral; argument structure comes from the functional sequence.

Note: this is sometimes called the "constructionist" position, but that term is better reserved for Construction Grammar, which makes a different (stronger) claim. The Minimalist Voice analysis is specifically Kratzer's severing of the external argument.

The prediction #

VoiceFlavor.thetaRole maps each Voice flavor to the theta role it assigns. The current typology has these θ-assigning flavors:

This makes a clear empirical prediction: all external arguments introduced by Voice must be either agents or stimuli. Experiencer subjects (know, believe, enjoy) require either:

Voice compatibility #

compatibleVoices derives which Voice flavors a verb is compatible with, based on independently motivated VerbCore properties. This captures @cite{levin-2004}'s gradient verb–construction pairing: causative alternation verbs (break, melt, open) are compatible with BOTH Voice_AG and Voice_nonThematic, while non-alternating verbs have a single compatible Voice.

As a LinkingTheory #

severingAccount packages the severing prediction as a LinkingTheory VoiceFlavor, allowing uniform comparison with other accounts via the shared linking interface.

source
def Minimalism.VoiceFlavor.thetaRole :
VoiceFlavor → Option ThetaRole

Severing prediction: Voice flavor determines WHICH theta role the external argument gets.

This goes beyond assignsTheta (which only says WHETHER there is one) to predict the specific role. The current typology has only two θ-assigning flavors, so it can only distinguish agent from stimulus.

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    theorem Theories.Interfaces.SyntaxSemantics.VoiceTheta.agentive_predicts_agent :
    Minimalism.VoiceFlavor.agentive.thetaRole = some ThetaRole.agent

    Voice_AG predicts agent.

    source
    theorem Theories.Interfaces.SyntaxSemantics.VoiceTheta.causer_predicts_stimulus :
    Minimalism.VoiceFlavor.causer.thetaRole = some ThetaRole.stimulus

    Voice_CAUSE predicts stimulus.

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    theorem Theories.Interfaces.SyntaxSemantics.VoiceTheta.nonthematic_predicts_none :
    Minimalism.VoiceFlavor.nonThematic.thetaRole = none

    Non-θ Voice predicts no theta role.

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    def Theories.Interfaces.SyntaxSemantics.VoiceTheta.selectedVoice (v : Core.Verbs.VerbCore) :
    Minimalism.VoiceFlavor

    Derive the canonical Voice flavor a verb projects from VerbCore properties. This is the "default" or most typical configuration.

    • causalSource.isSome → Voice_CAUSE (Class II psych, @cite{kim-2024})
    • unaccusative → Voice_nonThematic (anticausative)
    • controlType =.raising → Voice_expletive (no external argument)
    • levinClass =.weather → Voice_expletive (expletive subject)
    • default → Voice_AG (agentive)
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      def Theories.Interfaces.SyntaxSemantics.VoiceTheta.compatibleVoices (v : Core.Verbs.VerbCore) :
      List Minimalism.VoiceFlavor

      Which Voice flavors is this verb compatible with?

      Most verbs have a single compatible Voice (categorical). Causative alternation verbs are compatible with both Voice_AG (transitive) and Voice_nonThematic (inchoative) — this is the gradient verb–construction pairing that @cite{levin-2004} identifies.

      The current implementation uses selectedVoice as the sole element. TODO: extend to detect alternating verbs via MeaningComponents (changeOfState ∧ causation ∧ ¬instrumentSpec → [.agentive,.nonThematic]).

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        def Theories.Interfaces.SyntaxSemantics.VoiceTheta.severingTheta (v : Core.Verbs.VerbCore) :
        Option ThetaRole

        The severing prediction for external argument theta role: verb → Voice selection → theta role.

        Verb semantics determines which Voice head is projected (§ 2), and Voice flavor determines the theta role (§ 1).

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          def Theories.Interfaces.SyntaxSemantics.VoiceTheta.severingAccount :
          Interfaces.SyntaxSemantics.LinkingTheory Core.Verbs.VerbCore Minimalism.VoiceFlavor

          The severing account as a LinkingTheory.

          Structural context = VoiceFlavor. The predict function ignores the verb — Voice alone determines the external argument's theta role. The verb's contribution is channeled entirely through compatible (which determines which Voice flavors are available).

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            def Core.Verbs.VerbCore.predictedSubjectTheta (v : VerbCore) :
            Option ThetaRole

            Lexicalist prediction of the external argument's theta role, based solely on verb-internal properties (@cite{levin-1993}, @cite{rappaport-hovav-levin-1998}).

            The cascade mirrors traditional linking rules:

            • raising / weather → no external role
            • external causal source → stimulus (Class II psych, @cite{kim-2024})
            • attitude builder or factive presupposition → experiencer
            • occasion sense (manage-to) → experiencer
            • Levin class flinch / learn → experiencer
            • unaccusative / measure → theme
            • default → agent
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              def Theories.Interfaces.SyntaxSemantics.VoiceTheta.lexicalistAccount :
              Interfaces.SyntaxSemantics.LinkingTheory Core.Verbs.VerbCore Unit

              The lexicalist account (@cite{levin-1993}, Rappaport @cite{rappaport-hovav-levin-1998}) as a LinkingTheory.

              Structural context = Unit — the verb's lexical semantics determines theta roles with no structural input. Everything is derived from VerbCore.predictedSubjectTheta.

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