Agents

Abstract

This paper examines the syntactic operations taking place in ASL that encode the additionof an agent argument to intransitive motion predicates. Previous studies had showna structural correlation between, on the one hand, handling classifiers and agents incontinuous contact with the undergoer and, on the other hand, body part classifiersand agents in non-continuous contact with the undergoer. Here, a syntactic operationis identified, head movement of π-GO to ν-AG, whose presence yields the continuouscontactinterpretation, while its absence yields the non-continuous contact interpretation.We also find that the body part classifier correlation with non-continuous contactinterpretation constitutes a frequency effect and not a grammar effect: though infrequent,structures with body part classifiers can undergo π-GO to ν-AG, which results, aspredicted, in a continuous interpretation. Thus, this works illustrates the differencesbetween frequency and grammar: grammar provides the range of potential structuresexisting in the language, while frequency reflects either personal or context choice orpreference.