Implicit internal arguments, event structure, predication and anaphoric reference

Abstract

International audienceThis chapter deals with zero or implicit internal arguments of predicates which may take one or two internal arguments, realizable syntactically. It begins by distinguishing implicit (internal) arguments in terms of a predicate's semantic valency in relation to the syntactic valency of the verb or adjective corresponding to that predicate (§2), and continues with an attempt to distinguish three semantic or discourse-referential values assumable by null complements (§3). Section 4 then examines one of the three sub-types of null complement isolated in §3 (the contextually-definite anaphoric subtype), in an attempt to make precise its anaphoric potential, as compared with that of unaccented 3rd person personal pronouns. It is shown that this is a function of an interaction amongst the event-type designated by the clause as a whole, the host predicate's selection restrictions, the choice of zero vs. overt pronoun as complement, and wider contextual factors. Finally, section 5 examines the role of the host predication as a whole in the functioning of non-referential and anaphoric null complements, and attempts to arrive at certain generalisations licensing the possible occurrence of null complements bearing the three types of values isolated