The Category P Features, Projections, Interpretation

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(60) dan hifxid et rut
Dan frightened Acc Ruth
(61) dan iyem al rut
Dan threatened on Ruth
The internal role assigned to rut by hifxid in (60) is easy to identify as [-c+m]
(Experiencer). It has the feature /-c since rut is not causing the ‘fright’, but rather feels
it, and it has the feature /+m since rut’s mental state is clearly relevant.
Let us turn now to iyem (‘threatened’). The internal role assigned by iyem is
surely specified as /-c since the argument bearing this role is not causing the ‘threat’.
Crucially, however, whether a mental state should be associated with the relevant
argument or not (/+m or /-m, respectively) is undetermined.
Consider first the contrast in (62):
(62) a. *ha-macav ha-kalkali hifxid et atid ha-medina
the-situation the-economic frightened Acc future the-country
b. ha-macav ha-kalkali iyem al atid ha-medina
the-situation the-economic threatened on future the-country
“The economic situation threatened the future of the country.”
That the Experiencer theta-role cannot be realized by a DP projected from a nonhuman
N is intuitively clear. This intuition is stated explicitly in the Theta System:
/+m feature entails [+human] (or [+animate]). This accounts for the ungrammaticality
of (62a). The grammaticality of (62b) supports the assumption that the internal thetarole
assigned by iyem (‘threatened’) is [-c] rather than [-c+m]. The lack of /+m
specification in the internal cluster of iyem (‘threatened’) allows a non-human DP atid
ha-medina (‘future of the country’) to realize this role.
A [-c] role (Goal), although consistent with the Experiencer interpretation, does
not have to be interpreted as such. It can be interpreted simply as Goal. Thus in (61)
the argument realizing [-c], namely rut, is consistent with Experiencer interpretation if
we perceive rut as being emotionally affected by the threats. However, rut can be
equally viewed as just the recipient of the threats, the goal of threatening. In contrast,
the argument realizing the fully specified [-c+m] role (Experiencer) in (60) can be