Source As A Semantic Role
Source is the semantic role of the following referents:
- The place of origin (with verbs of motion, locomotion, and propulsion)
- The entity from which a physical sensation emanates (with verbs of sensation, attention, and speech)
- The original owner in a transfer (with verbs of acquisition, transfer, and grab)
(English)
- As the place of origin:
-
John fell off the chair.(with a motion verb)
-
The baby crawled from the kitchen to the door. (with a locomotion verb)
-
John threw the knife into the box. (with a propulsion verb)
-
NOTE: With propulsion verbs, the source is coreferential with the agent.
-
-
As the entity from which a physical sensation emanates:
-
John smelled the odor of onions. (with a sensation verb)
-
The people watched the performance of the dancers. (with an attention verb)
-
The mother told her child a story. (with a speech verb)
- NOTE: With speech verbs, the source is coreferential with the agent.
-
-
As the original owner in a transfer:
-
John obtained an application form from the office. (with an acquisition verb)
-
John bought the book from Tom. (with a transfer verb)
-
John grabbed the book from Tom. (with a grab verb)
-
This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library. Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003.