Two types of extraction asymmetries in Javanese applicatives

Our ex-colleague Jozina Vander Klok from Humboldt University Berlin is visiting to talk about Javanese applicatives in (formal) syntactic and semantic terms.

There are two applicative constructions in Javanese, the 'benefactive' and the 'locative' applicative. We observe two types of extraction asymmetries in Javanese applicatives: (i) where only the applied object can be extracted from an NP+NP (or double object) construction for both applicative types, and (ii) where only the theme verbal object from a 'benefactive' applicative construction can be extracted with NP+PP post-verbal word order.

I argue that the first asymmetry is due to both applicative types having a low applicative structure, providing further cross-linguistic support for Jerro (2020) that the semantic role type is not inherently linked to a syntactic construction.  As for the second asymmetry, I propose that benefactive and locative applicative structures diverge when the applied argument is headed by a PP: Benefactives allow for the theme verbal object to be in Spec,LApplP, while locatives do not, rendering the Theme verbal object inaccessible for movement. 

Published Sep. 25, 2023 9:22 AM - Last modified Oct. 13, 2023 1:53 PM