The Category P Features, Projections, Interpretation

78
b. dan [he’if mabat] be-rina
Dan threw a look in-Rina
Importantly, such paraphrases with verbs assigning an Experiencer theta-role are
ungrammatical: 44
(71) a. dan hifxid/hix’is et rina
Dan frightened/angered Acc Rina
b. *dan šalax hafxadot/ke’asim le-rina
Dan sent frights/angers to-Rina
In sum, the [-c] role, although often consistent with an Experiencer
interpretation, is distinct from the Experiencer ([-c+m]) theta-role.
3.4.3.2 [-c] vs. [-c-m]: The following pair of sentences exemplifies the [-c]
(Goal)/[-c-m] (Theme) distinction. The verbs in (72) are canonical transitive verbs:
haras/risek (‘destroyed’/‘crushed’) in (72a) are assumed to assign the Theme/Patient
role to their object; the theta-role of the internal argument in (72b) assigned by
hafax/he’if (‘turned over’/‘threw’) is referred to as an affected Theme. 45 The verbs in
(73) are the verbs classified here as [-c] verbs (halam/xavat, ‘hit’/‘stroke’):
(72) a. ha-gal haras/risek et ha-sfina
the-wave destroyed/crushed Acc the-ship
b. ha-gal hafax/he’if et ha-sfina
the-wave turned over/threw Acc the-ship
(73) ha-gal halam/xavat ba-sfina
the-wave hit/stroke in+the-ship
44 Experiencer verbs can be paraphrased as [V+DP]. For instance, dan nata paxad be-rina (‘Dan
planted fear in Rina’). Note, however, that the verb in the paraphrase is not a verb of motion/transfer.
Consequently, the Experiencer argument is interpreted as a (metaphoric) location, rather than as a
Recipient (see Landau 2002 for the locative account of Experiencer verbs).
45 I am not distinguishing between Theme and Patient theta-roles. To my best knowledge, it has never
been established that this distinction is indeed motivated. As for the ‘affected’/‘non affected’ Theme
distinction, note that while Themes can be affected or non-affected, the object of P is never affected
(see also Neeleman 1997, fn. 10).