Null and cognate objects and changes in (in)transitivity: Evidence from the history of English

Abstract

This paper examines the historical development of null objects (e.g., *He took the loaf and held O between his hands) and cognate objects (e.g., He sang a song) in English. We will demonstrate that English lost definite/referential (and indefinite) null objects (only generic null objects are possible in present-day English, e.g., They have the ability to impress and delight O) but extended the range of cognate objects (which is now also possible with activity/event nouns, e.g., He smiled a disarming smile). Cross-linguistic diachronic comparison (using data from the history of the Greek language) reveals that the historical development described is language-specific and that both directions of change (loss or rise) of null and cognate objects are possible. We will test the hypothesis that there is a connection between the availability of such (de)transitivization processes and changes that affect the syntactic representation of aspectual distinctions. More precisely, we will examine the hypothesis that in...