From think to remember: how CPs and NPs combine with attitudes in Buryat

Abstract

In this paper I investigate a case of factivity alternation in Barguzin Buryat (Mongolic): the verb hanaxa is naturally translated as ‘think’ when it combines with finite CP clauses, but as ‘remember’ when it combines with nominalized clauses. I argue that the ‘remember’ meaning is a result of a pre-existence presupposition associated with the verb’s Theme argument: it is presupposed that the Theme exists prior to the event described by the verb. I propose that the factivity alternation arises due to the different ways in which CPs and nominal expressions combine with the verb semantically: while nominals saturate the Theme argument which has the pre-existence presupposition associated with it, CPs combine by modifying the event argument of the verb (Kratzer 2013, 2016; Elliott 2017).