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More evidence on the primacy of the noun over the verb 215
that system. Once we have two objects, they can be perceived as entering into
many relations represented by verbs, for example:
+human subject and +human object – TEACH, LEARN, LOVE, etc.,
+human subject and -animate object – MAKE, LEND, etc.
It means that a transitive verb needs two nouns with a semantic-syntactic
description permitting specific verbs, or in other words, the frame of nouns
opens a slot for a variety of verbs. Since objects and nouns representing them
have an independent description, it means that the characterization of verbs
depends on the independently characterized nouns.
Thus, a nominal frame below opens up a slot for a number of verbs like
make, take, read, etc.
+ Noun make + Noun
± Common take ± Common
+ Count read ± Count
+ Animate …. – Animate
+ Human – Human
2.2. Conclusions from the properties of nouns in the physical world
– Characterization of nouns is independent of verbs and any other categories;
This is so, because nouns refer to physical objects which exist independently
in the physical world;
– Verb characterization depends on the characterization of nouns;
– The mechanism of selectional restrictions is limited to the world of physical
objects.
3. Sentence stress and category membership
The Functional Sentence Perspective phenomenon has been defined in
terms of word order and focus. Typically, the new information follows the
given information. In addition, in neutral, non-emphatic interpretation, sentence
stress falls within the new information section determined by the context.
In my earlier works (Szwedek 1986, 1987), I argued that in English and in
Polish, neutral sentence stress placement is associated with the category of
nominals. On the basis of tests with English and Polish native speakers I concluded
that: (1) the new information part of the sentence follows the given in-