Linking Theory Predictions → Hand-Annotated θ-Roles

@cite{kratzer-1996} @cite{rappaport-hovav-levin-1998}

Two accounts of argument realization make predictions about external argument theta roles. The two predicates live next to the types they project from: severing in VoiceFlavor.thetaRole (Theories/Syntax/Minimalist/Voice.lean) and lexicalist in VerbCore.predictedSubjectTheta (Theories/Semantics/Lexical/VerbEntry.lean). Both operate over proto-role entailment profiles (subjectEntailments / objectEntailments) rather than the legacy subjectTheta / objectTheta labels (which were removed from VerbCore). Studies comparing the two accounts apply both predicates to the same VerbCore and inspect divergence; the LinkingTheory packaging that previously lived in VoiceTheta.lean was dissolved as having no remaining consumers.

Account 1: Severing

Voice flavor determines the theta role: Voice_AG → agent, Voice_CAUSE → stimulus. The current Voice typology has only two θ-assigning flavors, so it cannot distinguish experiencer from agent or theme from internal- arg derivation.

Account 2: Lexicalist (@cite{levin-1993}, @cite{rappaport-hovav-levin-1998})

The verb's lexical semantics — attitude, causalSource, factivePresup, levinClass, unaccusative, controlType, and proto-role entailments — determines the theta role, bypassing Voice.

This file retains only the causative-alternation tree derivations (Part III); per-verb θ-role comparison theorems were removed with the subjectTheta / objectTheta fields.

The causative alternation is the structural prediction of Voice severing: transitive "John broke the vase" has agentive Voice with an agent in Spec,VoiceP; anticausative "The vase broke" has non-thematic Voice with no specifier. Both share the same VP core. Event-structure predictions are verified in Core/Voice.lean via buildDecomposition.

def Kratzer1996.voice_ag_t : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Kratzer1996.voice_ag_t = Minimalist.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.Voice [Minimalist.Cat.v] "Voice[AG]" 200

def Kratzer1996.voice_nth_t : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Kratzer1996.voice_nth_t = Minimalist.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.Voice [Minimalist.Cat.v] "Voice[∅]" 210

def Kratzer1996.voice_mid_t : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Kratzer1996.voice_mid_t = Minimalist.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.Voice [Minimalist.Cat.v] "Voice[MID]" 211

def Kratzer1996.v_head_t : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Kratzer1996.v_head_t = Minimalist.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.v [Minimalist.Cat.V] "v" 201

def Kratzer1996.V_broke_t : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Kratzer1996.V_broke_t = Minimalist.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.V [Minimalist.Cat.D] "broke" 212

def Kratzer1996.V_sank_t : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Kratzer1996.V_sank_t = Minimalist.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.V [Minimalist.Cat.D] "sank" 213

def Kratzer1996.V_opened_t : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Kratzer1996.V_opened_t = Minimalist.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.V [Minimalist.Cat.D] "opened" 214

def Kratzer1996.DP_john_t : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Kratzer1996.DP_john_t = Minimalist.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.D [] "John" 206

def Kratzer1996.DP_vase_t : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Kratzer1996.DP_vase_t = Minimalist.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.D [] "the vase" 215

def Kratzer1996.DP_ship_t : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Kratzer1996.DP_ship_t = Minimalist.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.D [] "the ship" 216

def Kratzer1996.DP_door_t : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Kratzer1996.DP_door_t = Minimalist.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.D [] "the door" 217

def Kratzer1996.transitiveTree : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Transitive: "John broke the vase" [VoiceP John [Voice' Voice_AG [vP v [VP broke [DP the vase]]]]]

Equations

• One or more equations did not get rendered due to their size.

def Kratzer1996.anticausativeTree : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Anticausative: "The vase broke" [VoiceP Voice_∅ [vP v [VP broke [DP the vase]]]]

Equations

• Kratzer1996.anticausativeTree = Minimalist.merge Kratzer1996.voice_nth_t (Minimalist.merge Kratzer1996.v_head_t (Minimalist.merge Kratzer1996.V_broke_t Kratzer1996.DP_vase_t))

def Kratzer1996.unaccusativeTree : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Unaccusative: "The ship sank" [VoiceP Voice_∅ [vP v [VP sank [DP the ship]]]]

Equations

• Kratzer1996.unaccusativeTree = Minimalist.merge Kratzer1996.voice_nth_t (Minimalist.merge Kratzer1996.v_head_t (Minimalist.merge Kratzer1996.V_sank_t Kratzer1996.DP_ship_t))

def Kratzer1996.middleTree : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Middle: "The door opened" [VoiceP Voice_MID [vP v [VP opened [DP the door]]]]

Equations

• Kratzer1996.middleTree = Minimalist.merge Kratzer1996.voice_mid_t (Minimalist.merge Kratzer1996.v_head_t (Minimalist.merge Kratzer1996.V_opened_t Kratzer1996.DP_door_t))

theorem Kratzer1996.transitive_agent_ccommands_theme : Minimalist.cCommandsIn transitiveTree DP_john_t DP_vase_t

Agent c-commands theme in the transitive.

theorem Kratzer1996.transitive_theme_not_ccommands_agent : ¬Minimalist.cCommandsIn transitiveTree DP_vase_t DP_john_t

Theme does NOT c-command agent.

theorem Kratzer1996.anticausative_contains_theme : Minimalist.contains anticausativeTree DP_vase_t

Anticausative contains theme but no agent DP.

theorem Kratzer1996.unaccusative_contains_theme : Minimalist.contains unaccusativeTree DP_ship_t

Unaccusative contains theme.

theorem Kratzer1996.middle_contains_theme : Minimalist.contains middleTree DP_door_t

Middle contains theme.

theorem Kratzer1996.causative_pair_shared_vp : Minimalist.contains transitiveTree V_broke_t ∧ Minimalist.contains transitiveTree DP_vase_t ∧ Minimalist.contains anticausativeTree V_broke_t ∧ Minimalist.contains anticausativeTree DP_vase_t

The transitive and anticausative share the VP core: both contain V("broke") and DP("the vase").

theorem Kratzer1996.causative_pair_agent_contrast : Minimalist.contains transitiveTree DP_john_t ∧ ¬Minimalist.contains anticausativeTree DP_john_t

The transitive has an agent DP; the anticausative does not.

theorem Kratzer1996.causative_pair_voice_contrast : Minimalist.voiceAgent.AssignsTheta ∧ ¬Minimalist.voiceAnticausative.AssignsTheta

Voice determines the alternation: agentive assigns θ, non-thematic does not. This is @cite{kratzer-1996}'s severing verified structurally on the tree derivations.