[Lingtyp] demotion

[Christian Lehmann]

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:

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".

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:

  * There is no sharp boundary between syntax and morphology, so a
    gradience that starts in the syntax might end in the morphology.
  * 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.
  * 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.

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?
-- 

Prof. em. Dr. Christian Lehmann
Rudolfstr. 4
99092 Erfurt
Deutschland

Tel.: 	+49/361/2113417
E-Post: 	christianw_lehmann at arcor.de
Web: 	https://www.christianlehmann.eu
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