Resultative

Resultatives appear as predicates of sentences, and are generally composed of a verb (denoting the event), a post-verbal noun phrase (denoting the entity that has undergone a change) and a so-called resultative phrase (denoting the state achieved as the result of the action named by the verb[1]) which may be represented by an adjective, a prepositional phrase, or a particle, among others.

[2] For example, in the English sentence The man wiped the table clean, the adjective clean denotes the state achieved by the table as a result of the event described as the man wiped.

Within these structures, the object NP is viewed as having undergone some change of state, and the change is viewed as a result achieved through the action expressed by the combination of the verb and the result phrase.

[4] Semantically, resultative constructions can be part of one of four major classes, defined by two attributes: causative vs. non-causative, and property vs. path.

Defining the role and category of resultatives has inspired numerous approaches from linguists.

Namely, the present perfect aspect is pointed to in explaining resultative constructions like I have written them a letter.

The task does not require successful completion as found in the example He has not passed his exam.

However, this analysis does not account for phrases such as I turned this offer down, which uses the active rather than the passive voice.

Sign-oriented analyses present an aspectual contrast, in which the approach is based on the boundaries of predication within a time-field.

[9] Yet another approach to resultativeness views it as “a fundamental semantic distinctive feature which cuts across almost all traditional categories: verb, noun, adjective, infinitive, gerund, participle, particle, auxiliary”.

[10] It is claimed that the resultative should be a distinctive feature in language instead of being a subcategory within the verbal aspect realm.

[3] It suggests that the resultativeness is expressed by oppositions of marked/unmarked forms throughout all language levels and subsystems.

[3] Markedness is a system that contrasts two language forms as distinguished based on simplicity and frequency of usage.

-ed, on the other hand, is unmarked form of affix, thus making the following sentence express resultativeness: "I wiped the table".

This verbal construction type of resultative is usually considered part of the field of aspect.

It is widely accepted that the be-perfects of various European languages (e.g. French, Italian, German, and Dutch) began as resultative constructions.