earticle

영어

Theta-role plays many important roles in syntax. Theta-criterion, regulating the number of arguments in a sentence, and UTAH, regulating the order of arguments in a sentence, are among them. Also we can appreciate that the passivization and raising construction is governed by the same grammatical rule by means of theta-roles. However, it seems that the role of the theta-role is not restricted to the syntax. Theta-roles might play an important role in connecting syntax and semantics/pragmatics. The role in connecting syntax and semantics/pragmatics played by the theta role can be seen in resultative secondary predicate construction and subject control promise-construction. In both constructions, we can encounter problematic syntactic phenomenon, which can not be accounted for only in syntax. However, such problems can be easily explained in semantics and pragmatics, respectively. Especially, some predicates can not coexist in a resultative secondary predicate construction can be explained by contradiction in semantics and subject control property in promise-construction can be explained by speech act theory in pragmatics. To this end, there must be a grammatical apparatus connecting syntactic component and semantic/pragmatic component. And theta-role might fulfill that role.