Semantic Roles of Clause Elements & Subject-Verb Concord

Florian Mehm & Christian Heinig

PS Grammar, 2007-01-24

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Contents (1)

Semantic roles of clause elementsIntroductionSemantic rolesInteraction between semantic roles and syntaxTransitivity in Systemic Functional GrammarCase grammarFrame grammar / FrameNet

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Contents (2)

Subject-verb concordIntroductionGeneral rule (grammatical concord)Notional concordProximityCoordinationSummary

Semantic Roles of Clause Elements

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Identifying the subject

The duke gave my aunt this teapot.

This teapot my aunt was given by the duke.

This teapot was given to my aunt by the duke.

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What is the subject

Grammatical subject: is related to the predicate via the verb

This teapot my aunt was given by the duke.Logical subject: the actor that brings the happening about

This teapot my aunt was given by the duke.Psychological subject: The subject that the speaker puts emphasis on

This teapot my aunt was given by the duke.

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Semantic roles

The semantic role a noun phrase plays in a clause (as opposed to syntactical function)

(also called thematic role or theta-role)There is no agreement over the set of semantic roles.

Fillmore (1968) lists 6Quirk et. al. (1985) list 13

Theta-criterion: Each NP covers exactly one role and each role is present at most once in a clause.

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Semantic roles as deep cases (1)

Grammatical cases indicate the relations between words on the level of syntax.

Semantic roles indicate the relation between participants on the level of semantics.

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Semantic roles as deep cases (2)

Semantic roles remain the same in paraphrases while the NPs change grammatical function and case.

The duke gave her this teapot.This teapot she was given by the duke.

They are therefore called “deep cases” by Fillmore (1968).

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AGENTIVE

(also AGENT)The animate being instigating or causing the happening.

Margaret is mowing the grass.The game is played by more than 8 million players.

Usual role of subject

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AFFECTED (1)

(also PATIENT or OBJECTIVE)A participant (animate or inanimate) which does not cause the happening, but is directly involved in some other wayUsual choice for the direct object

James sold his digital watch yesterday.The researchers discovered a fascinating thing.

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AFFECTED (2)

Also possible for the subjectThe pencil was lying on the table.

IDENTIFIED:Kevin is my brother.

CHARACTERIZED:The fish is frying.

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RECIPIENT

(also DATIVE)The animate being that is passively implicated by the happening or stateTypical choice for the indirect object

The duke gave my aunt this teapot.

Also possible for the subject:John saw the bright morning sky.(With verbs of cognition/feeling/sensing also called EXPERIENCER or SENSER)

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ATTRIBUTE

Typical for subject (SC) and object (OC) complementIDENTIFICATION

Kevin is my brother. (SC)They called their daughter Edna. (OC)

CHARACTERIZATIONAnimals are a major group of organisms. (SC)The teacher called their daughter a good student. (OC)

CURRENT ATTRIBUTE: He's my brother.RESULTING ATTRIBUTE: He turned traitor.

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Further roles (1)

EXTERNAL CAUSER: The unwitting (generally inanimate) cause of an event.

The avalanche destroyed several houses.

INSTRUMENT: The entity (usually inanimate) which an agent uses to perform an action.

As subject: A car knocked them down.As object: We employ a computer for our calculations.

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Further roles (2)

POSITIONER: With verbs related to stance (e.g. sit, stand, remain, keep, hold). The subject is in control but there is no change in the situation

He kept himself upright.My friend is sitting in a chair near the door.

Prop it subject (Used when no subject is required)Time: It's ten o'clock precisely.Atmospheric conditions: It's raining.Distance: It's a long way to Denver.

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Further roles (3)

LOCATIVE: Designating the place of the actionAs subject: Los Angeles is foggy.As object: We walked the streets.

TEMPORAL: Designating the time of the actionYesterday was a holiday.

EVENTIVE (as subject): The match is tomorrow.

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Further roles (4)

RESULTANT: The object exists only by virtue of the happening

I'm writing a letter.COGNATE: Object is semantically and often morphologically related to the verb; It has the role of repeating the content

Chris will sing a song for us.EVENTIVE (as object): verb of general meaning (have, do, give) + deverbal noun; extension of the verb

They are having an argument.

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Effects on syntax (1)

We usually cannot coordinate subjects with different roles:

The gamekeeper wounded him. (AGENTIVE)A gun wounded him. (INSTRUMENTAL)* The gamekeeper and a gun wounded him.

Possible with EXTERNAL CAUSER + AGENTIVE

Hurricanes and marauding bands devastated the region (at different times).

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Effects on syntax (2)

When a subject plays the RECIPIENT (or EXPERIENCER) role, the relation between subject and verb is not one of “doing” something, therefore it is not possible to probe or substitute using the verb “do”.

Mary liked the gift.* What did Mary do to the gift? She liked it.* What Mary did to the gift was like it.

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Interactions of verbs and roles

Verbs may have restrictions on the roles in the sentence.Example: taste, smell, feelHave a sense that requires AGENTIVE and one that requires RECIPIENT

Foolishly, he tasted the soup.* Foolishly, he tasted the pepper in the soup.

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Choice of subject

The first role from this list that is present is usually chosen as subject:

AGENT, EXTERNAL CAUSER, POSITIONERAFFECTEDTEMPORAL, LOCATIVE, EVENTIVEProp word “it”

(e.g. if there is no AGENT, EXTERNAL CAUSER or POSITIONER but an AFFECTED, it will be chosen as subject.)

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Transitivity system of Systemic Functional Grammar

Identifies 6 different process types (material, mental, relational, behavioural, verbal, existential) with corresponding participant rolesExample: mental clauses

SenserPhenomenon

Mary liked the gift.The gift pleased Mary.

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Case grammar

Introduced by Charles J. Fillmore in 1968Construes sentences as the combination of a verb and a set of deep cases (semantic roles)Each verb has a case frame, indicating which deep cases can be used in a clause using this verb.

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Frame grammar

Further development from case grammarAssumes that...

lexical items are related in the context of frames.choosing different items from one frame foregrounds varying aspects of the background frame.

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FrameNet (1)

Online database featuring more than 625 semantic frameshttp://framenet.icsi.berkeley.edu/135.000 sentences annotated using the frames

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FrameNet (2)

The Education_teaching frame“This frame contains words referring to teaching and the participants in teaching. A Student comes to learn either about a Subject; a Skill; a Precept; or a Fact as a result of instruction by a Teacher.”

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FrameNet (3)

My friend studies psychology.Psychology is being taught to my friend.My friend receives training in psychology.My friend is a student of psychology.

Variation (active/passive, subject choice, implication of the teaching institution) between the sentences, yet the same situation is described using the same frame elements.

Subject-Verb Concord

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Introduction

Concord / “agreement”: relationship between two grammatical units where a feature (e.g. plurality) in one unit accords to a feature in the other.The concord of 3rd person number between subject and verb (“grammatical concord”) is the most common and important type of concord in English.

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General rule

Subject is singular verb must also be singularThe mouse eats the cheese.The cat chases the mouse.

Subject is plural verb must also be pluralThe dogs hunt the cat.The killers shoot the dogs.

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Noun phrases, (non)finite clauses

A NP as subject counts as singular if its head is singular.

The change in the algorithm is well documented.The changes in the algorithm are well documented.

Finite and nonfinite clauses: singular.How you got there doesn’t concern me.

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PPs, nominal relative clauses

PPs and adverbs that function as subject are also considered singular.

In the evenings is best for me.Slowly does it!

Nominal relative clauses: concord depends on the number of the determined noun.

What was once a palace is now a pile of rubble.What ideas he has are his wife’s.

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Special cases (1)

“to be” is the only verb that shows concord of number in the 3rd person past.

My daughter was watching TV.My daughters were watching TV.

All other verbs only display concord in the 3rd person present.

My daughter watched TV.My daughters watched TV.

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Special cases (2)

There is no number concord in nonfinite verbs / imperatives, only in the indicative.

Modal auxiliaries also do not show number concord.

My daughter may watch TV.My daughters may watch TV.

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Notional concord (1)

Agreement not based on the grammatical number, but on the notion.

The government has/have? broken all its/their? promises. <BrE>

Plural NPs of quantity or measure: singular is used.

Ten dollars is all I have left.Two miles is as far as they can walk.

The government have broken all theirpromises. <BrE>

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Notional concord (2)

With “more than” grammatical concord is more frequently used than notional concord.

More than a thousand inhabitants havesigned the petition.More than one member has protested against the proposal.

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Notional concord (3)

Collective nouns: in BrE the number of the verb usually depends on whether the group is notionally a collection of individuals or a single unit.

The audience were enjoying every minute of it. (Each individual enjoys it!)The audience was enormous. (Not every person is enormously large!)

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Notional concord (4)

In AmE, singular collective nouns normally require a singular verb.But plural pronouns are frequent:

The committee has not yet decided how they should react to the Governor’s letter.

In doubt it is generally safer to use the singular verb, obeying to grammatical concord.

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Proximity / “attraction”

Agreement of the verb with a closely preceding NP instead of the head of the subject NP.

? No one except his own supporters agree with him.?* A good knowledge of English, Russian and French are required for this position.

The principle of proximity is mostly used in speech. In writing grammatical concord is preferable.

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Coordinated subject (and)

Subject consists of NPs coordinated by and: plural is required (exception: next slide).

Alice and Bob are encrypting their mails.(Alice is encrypting her mails and Bob is encrypting his mails.)

Also true for premodified singular non-countable noun heads:

American and Dutch beer are much lighter than British Beer.

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Coordinative apposition

If the coordinated units have the same reference, a singular verb is required (if each NP is singular).

This temple of ugliness and memorial to Victorian bad taste was erected in the main street of the city.“temple” and “memorial” both refer to the same statue!

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Coordinated subject (or) (1)

Subject consists of NPs coordinated by or.

Each NP is singular: verb is also singular.Either the mayor or her deputy is bound to come.

Each NP is plural: verb is also plural.Either the strikers or the bosses havemisunderstood the claim.

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Coordinated subject (or) (2)

One NP is plural and one is singular:principle of proximity is used!

Either your brakes or your eyesight is/are? at fault.Either your eyesight or your brakes is/are? at fault.Either your brakes or your eyesight is at fault.Either your eyesight or your brakes are at fault.

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Summary

grammatical concordgrammatical number of the subject defines number of the verbfollowed in writing and formal usage

notional concordsemantic number of the subject defines number of the verbonly used in colloquial English

principle of proximitynumber of the nearest noun phrase defines number of the verbonly tips the scales when the other two principles provide no guidance or are in conflict (which is only occasionally)

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References

Quirk, Randolph, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, Jan Svartvik. 1985. A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. London, New York: Longman.Halliday, M.A.K., Matthiessen, Christian. 2004. An Introduction to Functional Grammar.Fillmore, Charles J. 1968. The Case for Case.

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Thanks for your attention.