Possessor-Raising and Figure-Raising Constructions in Persian: a Distributed Morphology Analysis

In Persian, much research focuses on the syntax-morphology interface in DM, but research on the syntax-semantics interface is generally absent from DM literature. The aim of this study is to account for possessor raising and figure raising constructions in Persian which demands the review of the distinction between possessor and figure as thematic roles in double object and ditransitive constructions based on Wood and Marantz (2017). By the former, we mean the double object and to-dative expression of transfer of possession and by the latter, we mean ditransitive predicates that select for a locatume argument and a location argument. If i* combines with DP, it projects a D*P and takes a DP specifier. If i* combines with pP, it projects a p*P and takes a DP specifier. Semantically i* assigns to the DP specifier the theta-role of possessor and figure respectively. They involve one structure, varying in terms of what vP takes as a complement. The thematic interpretation is derived by interpretive rules defined on the syntactic structure and is constrained by “Full Interpretation”. Therefore, the syntactic properties are derived from structural environment and conceptual content of roots. We dealt with possessor raising and figure raising in this paper. Possessor raising generates two other kinds of thematic dependencies, including clausal possession and change-of-state vPs. Figure raising requires the considerations of natural reflexive vPs in ditransitive constructions and their corresponding inchoatives. The interpretation of an external argument depends on a theta-role introduced somewhere lower in the structure. Figure raising involves an external argument that bears a figure role introduced inside a lower pP; clausal possession involves an external or applied argument bearing a possessor role introduced inside a lower DP. This also requires the consideration of change-of-state semantics. The basic structure of a change-of-state vPs involves one v head which takes a DP complement. Possessor raising construction combines properties of both clausal possession and change-of-state semantics.