Simple Event Nominals, Referring Nominals, and allosemy

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter discusses readings beyond the Complex Event Nominal (CEN) reading. The claim is that these divide into two groups. In the first group, v is semantically expletive, and n is semantically contentful, so n combines semantically with the root. In this case, the alloseme inserted in n can interact directly with the meaning of the root in an unpredictable, idiosyncratic way that may need to be listed. In the second group, v is semantically contentful, like it is in CENs, but unlike in CENs, n is semantically contentful too. In this case, the alloseme inserted in n cannot interact directly with the root, so the result is a compositional, non-idiosyncratic meaning. This distinction is illustrated and supported with case studies of verbal prefixes and a class of verbs argued to have the structure of compounds. This chapter also discusses the distinction between allosemy and ’semantic readjustment’ of a root.