Greek deponent verbs and their nominalizations

Abstract

Abstract This chapter examines nominalizations derived from two classes of deponent verbs in Greek: psych and non-psych. It is first argued that the presence of non-active morphology in the psych class is indeed canonical, while in the agentive one is the result of internal Merge of the argument. While the subject in the case of psych verbs is an experiencer generated low in the vP structure, the subject in the case of agentive deponents bears a bundle thematic role (Oikonomou 2011). It is then argued that nominalizations derived from deponent verbs provide evidence for two structural representations: low nominalizations, in the case of psych deponent verbs, and vP derived ones in the case of the agentive semantic class. Also, the passive interpretation of the deponent nominals is related to the fact that these realize an ergative structure, i.e. lack VoiceP. Finally, genitive in the nominal domain is argued to be unmarked case and not dependent case, unlike dative/genitive in the verbal domain.