Larson (1988): On the Double Object Construction

This file formalizes the analysis of [Lar88]: a ditransitive verb projects a VP shell, the oblique dative send a letter to Mary is built by merging the to-phrase as the complement and the theme as the inner specifier, and the double object construction is derived from it by the operation of Passive applied within the VP, an internal merge of the indirect object above the theme. The derivations are Derivations whose movement steps are the same internal-merge step as the clausal passive, and the c-command relations of the resulting trees give the asymmetries of [BL86]: in the oblique dative the theme c-commands the goal (oblique_do_ccommands_goal), in the double object construction the indirect object c-commands the theme and not conversely (doc_io_ccommands_do, doc_do_not_ccommands_io), as the promoted object c-commands the demoted subject of a passive. Dative shift is subject to recoverability: the content of to must be recoverable from the verb's own assignment of a goal role (recoverable), which separates give and send from donate and contribute. The indirect passive Mary was sent a letter is derived by dative shift followed by passive.

Implementation notes

The oblique dative and dative shift are the paper's second and third sections, the indirect passive its fourth, and recoverability the second part of its fifth. The head movement of the verb from the inner to the outer shell is not modelled, since the c-command facts depend only on the positions of the arguments; each derivation is paired with the planar tree it produces, on which c-command is decided. The recoverability entries record the roles the paper assigns to each verb's indirect object.

References

• [Lar88]
• [BL86]

Lexical items

def Larson1988.V_send : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Larson1988.V_send = Minimalist.SyntacticObject.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.V [Minimalist.Cat.D] "send" 300

def Larson1988.P_to : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Larson1988.P_to = Minimalist.SyntacticObject.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.P [Minimalist.Cat.D] "to" 301

def Larson1988.DP_john : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Larson1988.DP_john = Minimalist.SyntacticObject.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.D [] "John" 302

def Larson1988.DP_mary : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Larson1988.DP_mary = Minimalist.SyntacticObject.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.D [] "Mary" 303

def Larson1988.DP_letter : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Larson1988.DP_letter = Minimalist.SyntacticObject.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.D [] "a letter" 304

def Larson1988.V_kick : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Larson1988.V_kick = Minimalist.SyntacticObject.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.V [Minimalist.Cat.D] "kicked" 310

def Larson1988.DP_ball : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Larson1988.DP_ball = Minimalist.SyntacticObject.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.D [] "the ball" 311

The planar tokens of the result trees on which c-command is decided.

def Larson1988.tok_send : Minimalist.LexicalItem.Token

Equations

• Larson1988.tok_send = { item := Minimalist.LexicalItem.of Minimalist.Cat.V [Minimalist.Cat.D] "send", id := 300 }

def Larson1988.tok_to : Minimalist.LexicalItem.Token

Equations

• Larson1988.tok_to = { item := Minimalist.LexicalItem.of Minimalist.Cat.P [Minimalist.Cat.D] "to", id := 301 }

def Larson1988.tok_john : Minimalist.LexicalItem.Token

Equations

• Larson1988.tok_john = { item := Minimalist.LexicalItem.of Minimalist.Cat.D [] "John", id := 302 }

def Larson1988.tok_mary : Minimalist.LexicalItem.Token

Equations

• Larson1988.tok_mary = { item := Minimalist.LexicalItem.of Minimalist.Cat.D [] "Mary", id := 303 }

def Larson1988.tok_letter : Minimalist.LexicalItem.Token

Equations

• Larson1988.tok_letter = { item := Minimalist.LexicalItem.of Minimalist.Cat.D [] "a letter", id := 304 }

def Larson1988.tok_kick : Minimalist.LexicalItem.Token

Equations

• Larson1988.tok_kick = { item := Minimalist.LexicalItem.of Minimalist.Cat.V [Minimalist.Cat.D] "kicked", id := 310 }

def Larson1988.tok_ball : Minimalist.LexicalItem.Token

Equations

• Larson1988.tok_ball = { item := Minimalist.LexicalItem.of Minimalist.Cat.D [] "the ball", id := 311 }

def Larson1988.ppToMaryP : Minimalist.PlanarSyntacticObject

The constituent to Mary.

Equations

• Larson1988.ppToMaryP = ↑Larson1988.tok_to * ↑Larson1988.tok_mary

The oblique dative

John sent a letter to Mary: the to-phrase is merged as the complement, the theme as the inner specifier, and the agent as the outer specifier, so the theme c-commands the goal, which is buried in the prepositional phrase.

def Larson1988.obliqueDative : Minimalist.Derivation

Equations

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

def Larson1988.obliqueDativeTree : Minimalist.PlanarSyntacticObject

The oblique dative's tree, [John [a letter [send [to Mary]]]].

Equations

• Larson1988.obliqueDativeTree = ↑Larson1988.tok_john * (↑Larson1988.tok_letter * (↑Larson1988.tok_send * Larson1988.ppToMaryP))

theorem Larson1988.oblique_do_ccommands_goal : (↑obliqueDativeTree).CCommands DP_letter DP_mary

theorem Larson1988.oblique_goal_not_ccommands_do : ¬(↑obliqueDativeTree).CCommands DP_mary DP_letter

Dative shift

John sent Mary a letter extends the oblique dative by one step, the internal merge of the indirect object from inside the to-phrase to the edge of the inner shell, the operation of Passive within the VP. The indirect object thereby comes to c-command the theme, which gives the six asymmetries of [BL86]: anaphor binding, quantifier–pronoun binding, weak crossover, superiority, each … the other, and negative polarity licensing.

def Larson1988.docDativeShift : Minimalist.Derivation

Equations

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

def Larson1988.docDativeShiftTree : Minimalist.PlanarSyntacticObject

The double object construction's tree, [John [Mary [a letter [send [to t]]]]].

Equations

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

theorem Larson1988.doc_io_ccommands_do : (↑docDativeShiftTree).CCommands DP_mary DP_letter

In the double object construction the indirect object c-commands the theme.

theorem Larson1988.doc_do_not_ccommands_io : ¬(↑docDativeShiftTree).CCommands DP_letter DP_mary

And the theme does not c-command the indirect object.

theorem Larson1988.dativeShift_has_one_im : docDativeShift.movedItems = [DP_mary]

Dative shift is one internal merge, of the indirect object.

Passive

The ball was kicked by John is the same internal-merge step applied in the clausal domain: the object is promoted above the subject.

def Larson1988.standardPassive : Minimalist.Derivation

Equations

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

def Larson1988.standardPassiveTree : Minimalist.PlanarSyntacticObject

The passive's tree, [the ball [John [kicked t]]].

Equations

• Larson1988.standardPassiveTree = ↑Larson1988.tok_ball * (↑Larson1988.tok_john * (↑Larson1988.tok_kick * Minimalist.PlanarSyntacticObject.trace))

theorem Larson1988.passive_object_ccommands_subject : (↑standardPassiveTree).CCommands DP_ball DP_john

theorem Larson1988.passive_subject_not_ccommands_object : ¬(↑standardPassiveTree).CCommands DP_john DP_ball

theorem Larson1988.passive_has_one_im : standardPassive.movedItems = [DP_ball]

Passive is one internal merge, of the object.

Recoverability (§5.2)

Dative shift requires the content of to to be recoverable from the verb: both the verb and to assign a role to the indirect object, and when the verb's roles include the goal role that to contributes, to reduces to a case marker that Passive can absorb; a verb that assigns only a beneficiary role leaves to's contribution unrecoverable, and dative shift is blocked.

structure Larson1988.DativeVerbEntry : Type

A dative verb with the roles it assigns to its indirect object.

• verb : String
• ioRoles : List ArgumentStructure.ThetaRole

@[instance_reducible]

instance Larson1988.instReprDativeVerbEntry : Repr DativeVerbEntry

Equations

• Larson1988.instReprDativeVerbEntry = { reprPrec := Larson1988.instReprDativeVerbEntry.repr }

def Larson1988.instReprDativeVerbEntry.repr : DativeVerbEntry → ℕ → Std.Format

Equations

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

def Larson1988.instBEqDativeVerbEntry.beq : DativeVerbEntry → DativeVerbEntry → Bool

Equations

• Larson1988.instBEqDativeVerbEntry.beq { verb := a, ioRoles := a_1 } { verb := b, ioRoles := b_1 } = (a == b && a_1 == b_1)
• Larson1988.instBEqDativeVerbEntry.beq x✝¹ x✝ = false

@[instance_reducible]

instance Larson1988.instBEqDativeVerbEntry : BEq DativeVerbEntry

Equations

• Larson1988.instBEqDativeVerbEntry = { beq := Larson1988.instBEqDativeVerbEntry.beq }

def Larson1988.toRole : ArgumentStructure.ThetaRole

The role to contributes.

Equations

• Larson1988.toRole = ArgumentStructure.ThetaRole.goal

def Larson1988.recoverable (e : DativeVerbEntry) : Bool

The verb's roles subsume the contribution of to.

Equations

• Larson1988.recoverable e = e.ioRoles.contains Larson1988.toRole

def Larson1988.give_entry : DativeVerbEntry

Equations

• Larson1988.give_entry = { verb := "give", ioRoles := [ArgumentStructure.ThetaRole.goal] }

def Larson1988.send_entry : DativeVerbEntry

Equations

• Larson1988.send_entry = { verb := "send", ioRoles := [ArgumentStructure.ThetaRole.goal] }

def Larson1988.promise_entry : DativeVerbEntry

Equations

• Larson1988.promise_entry = { verb := "promise", ioRoles := [ArgumentStructure.ThetaRole.goal] }

def Larson1988.donate_entry : DativeVerbEntry

I donated money to charity, not I donated charity money.

Equations

• Larson1988.donate_entry = { verb := "donate", ioRoles := [] }

def Larson1988.distribute_entry : DativeVerbEntry

Equations

• Larson1988.distribute_entry = { verb := "distribute", ioRoles := [] }

def Larson1988.contribute_entry : DativeVerbEntry

Equations

• Larson1988.contribute_entry = { verb := "contribute", ioRoles := [] }

def Larson1988.allDativeVerbs : List DativeVerbEntry

Equations

• Larson1988.allDativeVerbs = [Larson1988.give_entry, Larson1988.send_entry, Larson1988.promise_entry, Larson1988.donate_entry, Larson1988.distribute_entry, Larson1988.contribute_entry]

theorem Larson1988.recoverability : recoverable give_entry = true ∧ recoverable send_entry = true ∧ recoverable promise_entry = true ∧ recoverable donate_entry = false ∧ recoverable distribute_entry = false ∧ recoverable contribute_entry = false

give, send, and promise assign a goal and shift; donate, distribute, and contribute do not.

The indirect passive (§4)

Mary was sent a letter promotes the indirect object to subject: dative shift followed by passive, each an internal merge leaving a trace, so the promoted indirect object c-commands the stranded theme.

def Larson1988.V_sent : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Larson1988.V_sent = Minimalist.SyntacticObject.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.V [Minimalist.Cat.D] "was-sent" 320

def Larson1988.DP_mary2 : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Larson1988.DP_mary2 = Minimalist.SyntacticObject.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.D [] "Mary" 321

def Larson1988.DP_letter2 : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Larson1988.DP_letter2 = Minimalist.SyntacticObject.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.D [] "a letter" 322

def Larson1988.P_to2 : Minimalist.SyntacticObject

Equations

• Larson1988.P_to2 = Minimalist.SyntacticObject.mkLeafPhon Minimalist.Cat.P [Minimalist.Cat.D] "to" 323

def Larson1988.tok_sent : Minimalist.LexicalItem.Token

Equations

• Larson1988.tok_sent = { item := Minimalist.LexicalItem.of Minimalist.Cat.V [Minimalist.Cat.D] "was-sent", id := 320 }

def Larson1988.tok_mary2 : Minimalist.LexicalItem.Token

Equations

• Larson1988.tok_mary2 = { item := Minimalist.LexicalItem.of Minimalist.Cat.D [] "Mary", id := 321 }

def Larson1988.tok_letter2 : Minimalist.LexicalItem.Token

Equations

• Larson1988.tok_letter2 = { item := Minimalist.LexicalItem.of Minimalist.Cat.D [] "a letter", id := 322 }

def Larson1988.tok_to2 : Minimalist.LexicalItem.Token

Equations

• Larson1988.tok_to2 = { item := Minimalist.LexicalItem.of Minimalist.Cat.P [Minimalist.Cat.D] "to", id := 323 }

def Larson1988.indirectPassive : Minimalist.Derivation

Equations

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

def Larson1988.indirectPassiveTree : Minimalist.PlanarSyntacticObject

The indirect passive's tree, [Mary [t [a letter [sent [to t]]]]], with a trace at each extraction site.

Equations

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

theorem Larson1988.indirect_passive_io_ccommands_do : (↑indirectPassiveTree).CCommands DP_mary2 DP_letter2

theorem Larson1988.indirect_passive_two_im : indirectPassive.movedItems.length = 2

The indirect passive is two internal merges.