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On the Lexical Distribution of Agent-preserving and Object-preserving Transitivity Alternations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 December 2008

Konstantin I. Kazenin
Affiliation:
119021 Xolzunov pereulok 6–53 Moscow, Russia. Email kostya@logos.msu.su
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Abstract

This article gives a cognitively based account of polysemous transitivity alternations, which are Agent-preserving with some verbs and Object-preserving with others. The data from three languages – Asiatic Eskimo, Boumaa Fijian and Bambara – are presented. It is argued that the mechanism of the distribution of the meanings of these TAs is semantic in nature and does not depend upon the coding technique used by a language.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

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