| It has been difficult to explain the structural organization of psych-verb arguments because one class of psych-verbs has a structural organization that is apparently opposite to the other. Therefore psych-verbs seem to rule out the possibility of predicting the mapping of Theta roles into D-structures. I propose to solve this apparent contradiction by combining a Syntactic and a Semantic approach. Semantically, the label Theta role Theme lumps together other Theta roles such as Cause, Target and Subject Matter, which must be distinguished. Syntactically, the Experiencer argument has parametrized Case alternations, which are correlated with eventiveness and affectedness.;Case alternations, Aspect and a hierarchy on Theta role selection explain why psych-verbs project different D-structures.;I demonstrate that affectedness implies change. Change is only possible with eventive verbs because they are temporally complex. With stative verbs, (+affected) objects are impossible because stative verbs are temporally and aspectually simple. Their internal and external temporal reference is the whole interval which characterizes the state.;I show that Spanish, like Icelandic, has "Quirky Subjects" in examples like A Juan le molestan/gustan las fiestas 'To John please/bother the parties', "The parties please/bother John". The Experiencer is optionally preposed as a result of Psych movement, an instance of NP movement. I propose that the Experiencer moves to an adjoined position to IP in the case of the molestar verbs and to the spec of IP in the case of the gustar verbs.;Psych movement is a consequence of the following general principles proposed by Pesetsky (1990): (a) A Cause argument is the highest argument of its predicate, (b) An Experiencer is the highest argument of its predicate. |
