The structure of stative verbs - Rothmayr, Antonia (John Benjamins Pub., 2009)
Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-212) and indexes
Introduction -- Theoretical considerations -- Stative/eventive ambiguities -- Non-ambiguous statives -- Verbs of position -- Verbs of internal causation -- Event structure and theta features -- Conclusion
This book explores the nature of stative verbs, their eventuality structure, and the patterns of argument realization. The study shows that there is no single class of stative verbs. Rather, several distinct groups of verbs are found: Verbs that undergo a systematic stative/eventive ambiguity; verbs that allow for a stative reading only; and verbs that seem to have an intermediate status (verbs of position and verbs of internal causation). The study concludes that there is a discrete boundary between stative and eventive verbs, excluding any intermediate status. Stativity arises because the as