English Verb Classes and Alternations: A Preliminary Investigation
Search in google:
In this rich reference work, Beth Levin classifies over 3,000 English verbs according to shared meaning and behavior. Levin starts with the hypothesis that a verb's meaning influences its syntactic behavior and develops it into a powerful tool for studying the English verb lexicon. She shows how identifying verbs with similar syntactic behavior provides an effective means of distinguishing semantically coherent verb classes, and isolates these classes by examining verb behavior with respect to a wide range of syntactic alternations that reflect verb meaning. The first part of the book sets out alternate ways in which verbs can express their arguments. The second presents classes of verbs that share a kernel of meaning and explores in detail the behavior of each class, drawing on the alternations in the first part. Levin's discussion of each class and alternation includes lists of relevant verbs, illustrative examples, comments on noteworthy properties, and bibliographic references. The result is an original, systematic picture of the organization of the verb inventory. Easy to use, English Verb Classes and Alternations sets the stage for further explorations of the interface between lexical semantics and syntax. It will prove indispensable for theoretical and computational linguists, psycholinguists, cognitive scientists, lexicographers, and teachers of English as a second language.
PrefaceIntroduction: The Theoretical Perspective1The Layout of the Book21Pt. 1Alternations1Transitivity Alternations252Alternations Involving Arguments Within the VP453"Oblique" Subject Alternations794Reflexive Diathesis Alternations845Passive856Alternations Involving Postverbal "Subjects"887Other Constructions958Verbs Requiring Special Diatheses107Pt. 2Verb Classes9Verbs of Putting11110Verbs of Removing12211Verbs of Sending and Carrying13212Verbs of Exerting Force: Push/Pull Verbs13713Verbs of Change of Possession13814Leans Verbs14415Hold and Keep Verbs14516Verbs of Concealment14617Verbs of Throwing14618Verbs of Contact by Impact14819Poke Verbs15420Verbs of Contact: Touch Verbs15521Verbs of Cutting15622Verbs of Combining and Attaching15923Verbs of Separating and Disassembling16424Verbs of Coloring16825Image Creation Verbs16926Verbs of Creation and Transformation17227Engender Verbs17928Calve Verbs18029Verbs with Predicative Complements18030Verbs of Perception18531Psych-Verbs (Verbs of Psychological State)18832Verbs of Desire19433Judgment Verbs19534Verbs of Assessment19635Verbs of Searching19736Verbs of Social Interaction20037Verbs of Communication20238Verbs of Sounds Made by Animals21239Verbs of Ingesting21340Verbs Involving the Body21741Verbs of Grooming and Bodily Care22742Verbs of Killing23043Verbs of Emission23344Destiny Verbs23945Verbs of Change of State24046Lodge Verbs24847Verbs of Existence24948Verbs of Appearance, Disappearance, and Occurrence25849Verbs of Body-Internal Motion26150Verbs of Assuming a Position26251Verbs of Motion26352Avoid Verbs27053Verbs of Lingering and Rushing27154Measure Verbs27255Aspectual Verbs27456Weekend Verbs27557Weather Verbs276References277Verb Index313
