[Syntax] 1. Thematic roles (Theme roles)

 

[Syntax] 1. Thematic roles (Theme roles)

 

 

Thematic roles (Theta roles, semantic roles)

 

Bas Aarts의 분류: Agent, Patient, Theme, Experiencer, Goal, Benefactive, Source, Instrument, Locative, Proposition

 

Andrew Radford의 분류: Theme(or Patient), Agent(or Actor), Experiencer, Benefactive, Instrument, Locative, Goal, Source

 

 

Consider the sentences below and determine which thematic roles the bracketed phrases can be said to carry. (a) [His mother] sent [David] [a letter]. (b) [David] smelled [the freshly baked bread]. (c) [We] put [the cheese] [in the fridge]. (d) [Frank] threw [himself] [onto the sofa]. (e) [Greg] comes [from Wales].

 

 

Theme role은 아직 학자들 사이에서 정확한 개수와 부여 방법이 정확한 합의가 이루어지지 않았기 때문에 책마다 차이가 있을 수 있다. (e)에서 Greg의 경우, 기존 role 중 theme role을 부여하거나, 새로운 role인 topic을 부여하기도 한다.

 

 

 

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그렇다면 왜 thematic role을 알아야 할까? 

 

(1) David smashed the window.

(2) The window was smashed by David.

(3) A brick smashed the window.

(4) David used a brick to smash the window.

 

 

위의 문장들은 모두 동사 smash가 쓰인 문장들이다. 이 문장들에서 각각 David, the window, a brick 은 문장에서의 위치(문법적 범주, grammatical function)는 모두 다르지만, 같은 thematic role을 지닌다. (David는 Agent, the window는 Theme, a brick은 instrument)

 

 

이를 통해 grammatical function은 주로 통사적 개념, thematic role은 주로 의미적 개념을 나타낸다고 볼 수 있다.

 

 

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Thematic Function은 특정 타입의 Adverbial, Prepositional Phrases를 쓰임을 결정짓는 역할을 한다.

 

(4) (a) John (=AGENT) deliberately rolled the ball down the hill.

      (b) *The ball (=THEME) deliberately rolled down the hill.

 

(5) (a) Personally, I (=EXPERIENCER) don’t like roses.

      (b) Personally, your proposal doesn’t interest me (=EXPERIENCER).

      (c) *Personally, I (=AGENT) hit you.

      (d) *Personally, you hit me (= THEME).

 

(4) 에서와 같이, deliberately는 agent를 필요로 하고, (5)에서 알 수 있듯이 personally는 experiencer를 필요로 한다.

 

 

⇒ The Adverbs like deliberately can co-occur only with agent phrases.
⇒ The adverb personally can only co-occur with experiencer arguments

 

 

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또한, agent subjects와 함께 쓰이는 verb만이 by-phrase와 함께 쓰이는 nominal counterparts를 허용한다.

 

(6) (a) The mayor (= AGENT) protested

       (b) the protest by the mayor

 

(7) (a) The mayor (= THEME) died

      (b) *the death by the mayor

 

⇒ Only Verbs with agent subjects permit by-phrase nomial counterparts.

 

 

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같은 Thematic roles를 가진 논항끼리만 결합될 수 있다.

 

(7) (a) The mayor (= THEME) died

      (b) *the death by the mayor

 

(8) (a) John (= AGENT) broke the window

      (b) A hammer (= INSTRUMENT) broke the window

 

(9) ?? John and a hammer broke the window

 

 

⇒ Only Constituents with the same Thematic Function can be conjoined.