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THEMES and PATIENTS are rather similar, and not all linguists distinguish between these roles. A THEME typically moves from one location or one person to another, like the letter in (31...
#4: Post edited
by
Keelan
·
2021-12-24T00:23:06Z (almost 3 years ago)
Why did linguisticians choose 'Patient' (noun) to denote this Thematic Role?
- Why did linguists choose 'Patient' (noun) to denote this Thematic Role?
> THEMES and PATIENTS are rather similar, and not all linguists distinguish between these roles. A THEME typically moves from one location or one person to another, like *the letter* in (31). A PATIENT (or undergoer), like *the window* in (35), is physically affected by the verb’s action – so the window gets broken. A subject can also be a PATIENT, as with *the flowers* in (34): by wilting, the fl owers undergo a physical change of state, but they certainly don’t deliberately wilt, so that noun phrase is not the AGENT. Maggie Tallerman, *Understanding Syntax* (2020 5 edn), p 49. 1. How's this sense of Semantic Role related to the lay 2021 English sense of 'patient', i.e. a ["suffering, injured, or sick person under medical treatment"](https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=patient)? 2. Why did linguisticians pick 'patient' to denote this Theta Role? Why not pick 'undergoer' that would be less ambiguous, polysemous, and thus less baffling, than 'patient'?
#3: Post edited
by
Moshi
·
2021-12-23T09:13:25Z (almost 3 years ago)
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#2: Post edited
by
PSTH
·
2021-12-23T05:43:04Z (almost 3 years ago)
What motivated linguisticians' word choice of 'Patient' (noun) in syntax?
- Why did linguisticians choose 'Patient' (noun) to denote this Thematic Role?
- > THEMES and PATIENTS are rather similar, and not all linguists distinguish between
- these roles. A THEME typically moves from one location or one person to another,
- like *the letter* in (31). A PATIENT (or undergoer), like *the window* in (35), is physically
- affected by the verb’s action – so the window gets broken. A subject can also
- be a PATIENT, as with *the flowers* in (34): by wilting, the fl owers undergo a physical
- change of state, but they certainly don’t deliberately wilt, so that noun phrase is not
- the AGENT.
- Maggie Tallerman, *Understanding Syntax* (2020 5 edn), p 49.
1. How's this linguistics sense related to the lay 2021 English meaning of 'patient', i.e. a ["suffering, injured, or sick person under medical treatment"](https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=patient)?2. Why did linguisticians pick 'patient' to denote this concept? Why not pick 'undergoer'?
- > THEMES and PATIENTS are rather similar, and not all linguists distinguish between
- these roles. A THEME typically moves from one location or one person to another,
- like *the letter* in (31). A PATIENT (or undergoer), like *the window* in (35), is physically
- affected by the verb’s action – so the window gets broken. A subject can also
- be a PATIENT, as with *the flowers* in (34): by wilting, the fl owers undergo a physical
- change of state, but they certainly don’t deliberately wilt, so that noun phrase is not
- the AGENT.
- Maggie Tallerman, *Understanding Syntax* (2020 5 edn), p 49.
- 1. How's this sense of Semantic Role related to the lay 2021 English sense of 'patient', i.e. a ["suffering, injured, or sick person under medical treatment"](https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=patient)?
- 2. Why did linguisticians pick 'patient' to denote this Theta Role? Why not pick 'undergoer' that would be less ambiguous, polysemous, and thus less baffling, than 'patient'?
#1: Initial revision
by
PSTH
·
2021-12-23T05:33:56Z (almost 3 years ago)
What motivated linguisticians' word choice of 'Patient' (noun) in syntax?
> THEMES and PATIENTS are rather similar, and not all linguists distinguish between these roles. A THEME typically moves from one location or one person to another, like *the letter* in (31). A PATIENT (or undergoer), like *the window* in (35), is physically affected by the verb’s action – so the window gets broken. A subject can also be a PATIENT, as with *the flowers* in (34): by wilting, the fl owers undergo a physical change of state, but they certainly don’t deliberately wilt, so that noun phrase is not the AGENT. Maggie Tallerman, *Understanding Syntax* (2020 5 edn), p 49. 1. How's this linguistics sense related to the lay 2021 English meaning of 'patient', i.e. a ["suffering, injured, or sick person under medical treatment"](https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=patient)? 2. Why did linguisticians pick 'patient' to denote this concept? Why not pick 'undergoer'?