Argument Structure

Definition

Argument structure refers to the way in which a verb or predicate organizes its arguments, specifying the roles and relationships of entities involved in an action or state. This concept is crucial for understanding how meaning is constructed in sentences, as it encompasses the participants (like subjects and objects), their thematic roles, and how these roles are marked grammatically.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Argument structure specifies the number and type of participants required by a verb, impacting how sentences are formed.
2. Each argument in an argument structure can fulfill different thematic roles that define its relation to the action described by the predicate.
3. Some verbs may have more complex argument structures, allowing for additional participants like indirect objects or oblique arguments.
4. Understanding argument structure is essential for analyzing sentence meaning, as it helps clarify how different elements interact within a given context.
5. Argument structure can vary across languages, affecting how meaning is conveyed and requiring different grammatical constructions.

Review Questions

• How do thematic roles contribute to our understanding of argument structure?
  • Thematic roles are integral to argument structure because they define the specific functions that each participant plays within an event described by a verb. For example, in a sentence like 'The chef cooked dinner,' 'the chef' takes on the agent role while 'dinner' serves as the theme. By identifying these roles, we can better understand the relationships among participants and how they are represented in sentences.
• In what ways does case grammar enhance our analysis of argument structure?
  • Case grammar enhances our analysis of argument structure by linking grammatical relations to thematic roles through case markings. For instance, the subject may be marked with nominative case while the object may take accusative case. This relationship clarifies how verbs interact with their arguments and provides insights into the syntactic patterns that emerge across different languages, allowing for a deeper understanding of meaning construction.
• Evaluate the implications of variations in argument structure across different languages on cross-linguistic communication.
  • Variations in argument structure across languages can significantly impact cross-linguistic communication by creating challenges in translation and interpretation. For example, some languages may require more explicit marking of arguments or employ different syntactic orders that influence how meaning is understood. These differences necessitate careful consideration when conveying ideas in multilingual contexts, as what works in one language may not directly translate to another. Understanding these variations helps speakers navigate potential misunderstandings and fosters clearer communication between cultures.

Related terms

Thematic Roles: Thematic roles are labels that describe the function of a noun phrase within the context of an event or action, such as agent, patient, experiencer, and theme.

Case Grammar:

Case grammar is a framework that analyzes how the grammatical relations between verbs and their arguments are represented through case markers, highlighting the syntactic and semantic connections.

Predicate:

A predicate is a part of a sentence that expresses something about the subject, often including verbs and their accompanying arguments.