Spelling Out Syntax: A Minimalist Approach to Talmy’s Typology

Abstract Acedo-Matellán & Kwapiszewski (2024) develop an account of Talmy’s typology based on the ability of different languages to spell out the semantic components of path or result in a unit that is phonologically independent from that expressing the event itself, that is, the verb. Languages that can do that are satellite-framed languages (e.g., Germanic, Slavic). Languages that cannot are verb-framed languages (e.g., Romance, Japanese), which feature change of location and change of state verbs but not constructions where the result is encoded independently of the verb. Within the former category, some languages, called strong satellite-framed languages (e.g., Germanic), further allow the result and the verb to form different words, the result being expressed as an adjective or as a group headed by a preposition. Other satellite-framed languages are weak (e.g., Slavic), in that the element expressing result, while being a morpheme independent of the verb, must form a word with it.