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Phrasal verbs between syntax and lexicon
Claudio Iacobini
Phrasal verbs have some structural and semantic characteristics in common with
morphologically complex words, even though they originate from phrasal constructions. Focusing
on the role played by lexicalization and grammaticalization processes in the gradual shift from
syntactic to morphological structures, this paper deals with semantic and morphotactic
characteristics of Italian phrasal verbs. The overlapping between the range of directional meanings
conveyed by prefixed verbs and phrasal verbs is considered as further evidence of the
correspondences between phrasal verbs and clear morphological structures. A constructionist
approach allows us to explain the processes that led to the origin of phrasal verbs, the hybrid
characteristics they display, and their tendency toward the acquisition of lexical status*.
Phrasal verbs between syntax and lexicon
Notes
I would like to thank Jodi Sandford for the English version of this article.
“L’unification du préverbe avec le verbe est un fait relativement tardif, dont
nous voyons la réalisation progressive dans certaines langues indo-européennes”
Pinault (1995:48), “La séparation du préverbe et du verbe est courante en védique, en avestique, en hittite, en grec homérique, et se rencontre encore dans des
formules figées en latin. Et la position du préverbe après le verbe n’est pas exclue,
même si elle est rare” Id.:40. On the gradual shift from independent adverbs to
affixes in Indo-European and Romance languages, cf. Rousseau (1995), Vincent
(1999), Cuzzolin, Putzu & Ramat (2006).
2
Cf. among others, Hiltunen (1983) for English, Dufresne, Dupuis & Tremblay
(2003), Kopecka (2009) for French.
3
For an overview of the different analyses proposed see, Dehé et al. eds. (2002:613).
4
According to the Principle of Lexical Integrity “The syntax neither manipulates
nor has access to the internal structure of words”, Anderson (1992:84).
5
We would like to point out that the post-verbal position of the particle puts it
in direct contact with the inflectional affixes. The richness of Italian verbal suffixal inflection prevents the complete fusion between the verb and the following
element. Cf. Voghera (1994), who notes that, amongst all Italian multi-word phenomena, verbs most strongly resist the loss of lexical autonomy.
6
Cf. Masini (2008) for an analysis of the phenomenon and quantitative data.
7
LIP is a corpus of spoken Italian amounting to about 500.000 tokens that
were recorded in the early 1990s in four large cities (Milan, Florence, Rome and
Naples).
8
The characteristics of Italian verbal prefixes are examined by Iacobini (2004;
2005).
9
Verbal prefixes that can not be productively used with directional meaning
are marked by an underscore. Question marks (?) indicate doubtful ‘productive
prefixes’. The grey cells show meanings that can not be productively expressed via
prefixation.
10
Most of the prefixes listed in Table 7 can be productively employed with spatial
meaning attached to nouns or relational adjectives.
11
The decrease in number of preverbal prefixes, in their productivity, and in the
variety of meanings they may convey, is a well know phenomenon in the passage
from Latin to Romance languages, all the way up to present day language, cf.
Lüdtke (1996).
*
1
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