CONLANG Digest - 31 Aug 2002 to 1 Sep 2002 (#2002-234)

<< First, it refers to core arguments as those which are "subcategorized"
by the verb.  I don't understand this. >>

>    If I'm understanding this correctly, subcategorized arguments are
>arguments which the verb can't exist without.  So, "to put", in English,
has
>three, the putter, the put, and the place where something's put.  Taking
>another verb, "to hug", it has two, the hugger and the hugged.  You can say
>"I hugged him *on a boat*", "I hugged him *with my arms*", or "I hugged
with
>*while he wasn't looking*", and you can add an argument, but these are
>non-subcategorized arguments, since the verb itself doesn't explicitly call
>for them.  (Does this sound right, everyone else?)
If I remember right, sub-categorization also determines what type of element
can be used within the argument structure (i.e., some verbs require that
their
complement be a NP or infinitive clause while others can take any NP or
clause as
a complement).

Dandy