Dwarf-Class Verbs, Theta-Theory and Argument Linking

This paper investigates a class of English verbs that pose a challenge for theories of the relation between thematic roles and syntactic structure. The search for principles that govern this relation is a central task of linguistic theory, and the problem of formulating these principles—the so-called “linking problem”—provides the background for the present study. Traditional solutions to the linking problem have taken a common form: The grammar is assumed to include a thematic hierarchy (e.g., Agent > Theme > Goal > Oblique [Larson 1988]) and a linking principle (e.g., the UTAH [Baker 1988]) that makes reference to structural positions. (See, inter multa alia, Baker 1997, Dowty 1991, Fillmore 1968, Grimshaw 1990, Jackendoff 1987, Perlmutter and Postal 1984, and Speas 1990.) 1