Syntactic dissimilation: cognate verbs replaced by pro-verbs¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

Syntactic dissimilation is a transformational process operating on cognate constructions, in which the object holds the same meaning as the verb. As the paper states, "In the transformational processof dissimilation theverb is replacedby 'have' or 'do,' so that verband object areless alike." The paper uses this process to explain alternations such as 'I drank a drink of water' versus 'I had a drink of water,' deriving dissimilated sentences from underlying cognate constructions.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• An underlying cognate construction with a generic cognate object under F or O

Constraints¶

• Applies to generic cognate nouns; the objects in sentences like 'Mary sang Ave Maria well' cannot be deleted

Target Learners¶

• students of English grammar
• linguistics students

Target Learning Objectives¶

• understanding verb-object alternations in English syntax

Claims¶

Related Theories¶

• Case-grammar framework for analyzing dissimilation

Examples¶

-

Key Sources¶

• Babcock, Sandra Scharff. (1967). Syntactic Dissimilation. ERIC. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED024020