Date: Sun, 19 Nov 1995 23:53:02 EST

From: Larry Horn LHORN[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]YALEVM.CIS.YALE.EDU

Subject: Re: Don Nelson puts behind



In connection with the Great (Haas/Preston) Debate on clausemate

non-reflexives--there's another factor here. At least since G. Lakoff's Pro-

nouns and Reference (1968 or so), there has been a recognition that not all

nominals coreferential with a clausemate end up reflexive, even optionally.

Lakoff's example (one of them, anyway) was "John saw a snake near

him/*himself." One variable is whether the second (target) NP is an argument

of the verb, as objects are but locatives like 'near NP' aren't. Kuno has an

extensive helpful treatment from the point of view of (one brand of)

functional syntax in his book of the same name (Functional Syntax, that is,

1987), trying to work out the conditions under which we say "He pulled the

coat around him" and those under which we say "...around himself", both of

course taken as involving coference between puller and pullee. In this

perspective, Coach Nelson's putting his Warrior days behind him (and not behind

himself) is fine.

Incidentally, one variety of clausemate non-argument non-reflexive was

discussed on our list not that long ago:

I'm gonna get me a beer.

I bought me a new guitar.

Get you a copper kettle, get you a copper coil...

Of course, justifying the description of these benefactives as non-arguments

is another can of worms, one far be it from me to open.



--Larry