Date:  Tue, 6 Feb 1996 11:09:26 -0700

From:  Rudy Troike <RTROIKE[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]CCIT.ARIZONA.EDU>

Subject: Re: spitten image [was: The skinny on PROVE]



Larry,

    Your (only slightly) speculative reconstruction makes very good sense.

The earlier citations show that <image> must be the OBJECT of <spit>, which

makes the present participle more unlikely, given that the derivation (if one

is still a transformational believer, which I find it plausible to be) would

more likely require <image> to be the underlying SUBJECT. The derivation from

a passivized underlying structure <an image which has been spit(ten)> makes

much more likely sense.

    Rudy

    --Rudy Troike (rtroike[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]ccit.arizona.edu)