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I have a partly conceptual, partly terminological question: Do you
know of any substantive arguments to decide the question whether
incorporation may be considered a form of demotion? To explain:<br>
<br>
A hierarchy of syntactic functions along the lines of 'subject -
direct object - indirect object - other complement - adjunct' is
assumed. Demotion is by definition the shift of an actant (some
people prefer 'argument') from its (relatively high) position to a
lower position on this hierarchy.The shift is generally accompanied
by occupying the freed position by something else, so the demoted
actant is "ousted".<br>
<br>
Since the incorporated position of a nominal expression is not a
syntactic function (but rather a morphological one), the
straightforward answer to the introductory question would be 'no'.
However:<br>
<ul>
<li>There is no sharp boundary between syntax and morphology, so a
gradience that starts in the syntax might end in the morphology.</li>
<li>Something occupying a relatively low hierarchical position
generally becomes optional. If it is omitted, it somehow
disappears from the syntactic structure. This could also be said
of an incorporated nominal.</li>
<li>An incorporated nominal often frees its syntactic position -
generally, the direct-object or absolutive position -, so this
may be occupied by something else. Thus, in ergative syntax, if
the undergoer is incorporated, the actor does not remain in the
ergative, but becomes the absolutive actant.</li>
</ul>
So there would at least seem to be some similarity between demotion
(of a direct object or absolutive actant) and its incorporation. If
demotion is not the appropriate cover term, should I subsume both
phenomena under something else?<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
<p style="font-size:90%">Prof. em. Dr. Christian Lehmann<br>
Rudolfstr. 4<br>
99092 Erfurt<br>
<span style="font-variant:small-caps">Deutschland</span></p>
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