Mateu & Gómez-Vázquez (2026). The locative alternation with intransitive verbs in Latin.

2 setembre, 2026

Journal of Latin Linguistics

Autors:

Jaume Mateu & Diana Gómez-Vázquez

Títol:

The locative alternation with intransitive verbs in Latin

Editorial: Journal of Latin Linguistics
Col·lecció:
Data de publicació: 2026

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Abstract

The locative alternation with intransitive verbs, which is quite productive in English, is also shown to be attested in Latin. In the theme/figure subject variant, the location surfaces as an oblique complement: e.g. oculis micat acribus ignis (Verg. Aen. 12.102) and Et resonet tota planctus in Aemilia (Mart. 6.85.6). In contrast, in the location/ground subject variant, the theme is typically expresssed via a nominal phrase in the ablative case (and less frequently in the genitive case): e.g. et crebris micat ignibus aether (Verg. Aen. 1.90) and resonat magnis plangoribus aether (Verg. Aen. 4.668). The two variants are shown to involve a different syntactico-semantic construal, with a different pragmatics as well. The meaning of the location subject variant is shown to go beyond the well-known “holistic effect” (i.e. its subject is “fully affected”): this variant entails theme and event abundance and so-called “dynamic texture”, whereby the events described by the verb happen simultaneously and repetitively throughout all parts of a space. Finally, we also provide a sketch of our syntactic approach to the event structure of some relevant verbs that enter into the intransitive locative alternation in Latin.

Keywords: argument structure alternation; event structure; intransitive verbs; Latin; locative alternation

Mateu (2021). On the argument structure of complex denominal verbs in Latin: A syntactic approach

21 abril, 2021

The Linguistic Review

Autors:

Jaume Mateu

Títol:

On the argument structure of complex denominal verbs in Latin: A syntactic approach

Editorial: The Linguistic Review
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Data de publicació: April 21, 2021

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Abstract

In this paper I offer a syntactic approach to the formation of complex denominal verbs in Latin. Two basic types of prefixed locative denominal verbs can be distinguished in this language: location ones “agglutinate” a PP expressing location, whereas locatum ones contain a noun expressing the locatum object. Assuming a syntactic distinction between Incorporation and Conflation in denominal verb formation, I claim that prefixed location verbs are formed via Incorporation (i.e. Internal Merge), whereas prefixed locatum verbs are formed via Conflation (i.e. External Merge). Unprefixed locative verbs can only be interpreted as locatum predicates, but unlike prefixed locatum verbs, they are analyzed as involving a possessive relation and as being formed via incorporation. The present approach also provides an explanation of why Romance locatum verbs, unlike location ones, are not necessarily prefixed. It is also claimed that unprefixed and prefixed locatum verbs in Romance are formed via incorporation rather than via conflation, its reason being related to the typological shift from the presence of a typical conflation pattern in satellite-framed Latin to a lack of it in verb-framed Romance languages. Finally, I show that Latin prefixed denominal verbs and prefixed deadjectival ones are all telic and project a ResultP in syntax. In contrast, this projection can be argued to be absent from unprefixed denominal and deadjectival verbs.

Keywords: conflation; denominal verbs; incorporation; Latin; locative verbs; syntactic argument structure