The typology of valency-increasing causative constructions
What is it about?
This study examines how different languages around the world express valency-increasing causative constructions. It compares 44 languages to investigate the morpho-syntactic means they use, the productivity of these constructions, and their distribution across different areas and language types. The study focuses particularly on how the person being caused to act (the “causee”) is represented in these constructions, identifying four main patterns used across languages. Finally, it explores the factors that influence these patterns, including grammatical constraints and the agency of the causee in the action.
Why is it important?
This study is important for its relatively large-scale, typologically balanced investigation of valency-increasing causative constructions across 44 languages representing isolating, agglutinative, fusional, and polysynthetic types. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how languages structure causative events and adjust argument structure when an additional participant is introduced across different morphological language types.