THE SEMANTICS-SYNTAX ANALYSIS

Abstract

In this paper, the researchers propose that an adjectival-predicate sentencewithoutûpen has a stative interpretation construing a general state; while, a sentence in whichpen co-occurs with an adjective has an inchoative-stative interpretation construing thetemporary state. The researchers examine whether or not pen with an adjectival predicate can be construed an inchoative-stative interpretation by using compatibility with adverbial phrasesof time, the progressive aspectual marker kamlaK and the perfective aspectual marker lÊw. Itreveals that an adjectival-predicate sentence with pen is more compatible and more preferablewith adverbial phrases of time, the progressive aspectual marker kamlaK and the perfectiveaspectual marker lÊw due to its transitory property showing an inchoative-stative alternation.The researchers also argue that pen in Thai syntactically functions both as ameaningless copula mediating the relationship between the DPreferent and its DPpredicate and averb construing an inchoative interpretation. As a meaningless copula, pen takes only a DPpredicate and generates under PredP (Bowers. 1993; & Baker. 2003) as a head Pred.Whereas, pen, as a verb, takes only an AP predicate and moves up to the head V positionto pick up [+V] feature.Keywords: Copula pen Stative Interpretation Inchoative-stative, Interpretation, PredP