From Symmetric to Non-Inheriting Resultatives: On Gradicence and Conceptual Links in Resultative Constructions

Abstract

This paper investigates the relation between the arguments of the English resultative construction (RC) and the arguments (either “optional” or “obligatory”) of the RC verb. Two types of RC are distinguished, inheriting and non-inheriting RCs, although it is pointed out that the distinction between the two may be a matter of degree. It is argued that existing approaches do not handle all RC cases satisfactorily and an alternative analysis is offered which does not rely on the notion of obligatory argumenthood. RCs are claimed to involve the blending of a causing subevent and a caused subevent by way of the existence of tight conceptual links (such as identity and entailment) between the two.