How are Results Represented and Modified? Remarks on Jäger & Blutner's Anti-Decomposition

Arnim von Stechow University ofTübingen amim.steehow@uni-tuebingen.de The paper investigates arecent proposal to resultativity by G. Jäger and R. Blutner (J&B). J&B say that the representation of result states of accomplishments by means of CAUSE and BECOME is not correct and should not be done in the syntax in terms of decomposition. They develop an axiomatic approach where each accomplishmentl achievement is related to its result by a particular axiom. Modification of the result by "again" makes use of these axioms and the restitutive/resultative ambiguity is a matter of lexical ambiguity or polysemy. They argue that the classical decomposition theory cannot treat the restitutive reading of "A De1aware settled in New Jerseyagain" (there had been De1awares in New Jersey but not this particular one; and those earlier Delawares never moved to New Jersey but were borne there). I discuss (and dispute) these data and compare the two theories. J&B's contains an OT -part dealing with the disambiguating role of stress. While the decomposition theory cannot deal with the data mentioned, it can integrate the OTpart of J&B's theory.

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