Abstract
This article challenges the empirical generalization that the possessed element in the Hebrew possessive dative (PD) construction cannot be an external argument (Borer and Grodzinsky 1986), a generalization that has been leveraged in the use of the PD construction as an unaccusativity diagnostic. An acceptability judgment experiment shows that the PD construction is dispreferred when the possessor is less prominent than the possessee on the animacy or definiteness scale; however, it shows no effect of unaccusativity, raising serious doubts regarding the construction's validity as an unaccusativity diagnostic.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 482-500 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Linguistic Inquiry |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jan 2014 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Animacy
- Dative
- External possession
- Hebrew
- Unaccusativity
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Language and Linguistics
- Linguistics and Language