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In:Linguistic Categories, Language Description and Linguistic Typology
Edited by Luca Alfieri, Giorgio Francesco Arcodia and Paolo Ramat
[Typological Studies in Language 132] 2021
► pp. 367–388

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Chapter 10
Verbal vs. nominal reflexive constructions

A categorial opposition?

 | University of Cagliari
Published online: 9 July 2021
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.132.10pud
Reflexives have been extensively studied from different approaches and perspectives, but no clear consensus has been established on the criteria for their definition. From a morphological point of view, a distinction between nominal reflexives and verbal reflexives has been generally accepted in both functional and generative approaches. However, it is ultimately hard to make a precise distinction between verbal and nominal reflexives which should possibly be viewed as a continuum rather than as a discrete partition. In this paper, I will discuss the opportunity of a categorial distinction between verbal and nominal reflexive constructions, identifying some general principles which allow us to classify a form as “verbal” or “nominal”.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The debate on “reflexives”
    • 2.1The vagueness of “reflexives”
    • 2.2Reflexive constructions in a typological perspective
      • 2.2.1Faltz’s definition
      • 2.2.2“Reflexives” as markers of coreference
      • 2.2.3“Canonical” or “prototypical” reflexives
  • 3.The morphology of reflexives
  • 4.Verbal vs. nominal reflexives
    • 4.1Definitions of “verbal” and “nominal” reflexives
    • 4.2Criteria for distinguishing nominal from verbal reflexives
    • 4.3Problematic cases for the distinction between verbal and nominal reflexives
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Abbreviations
  • Note
  • References
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