Question

The following data from Sinhala contains TWO pairs of sentences, 1 and 2. Each member of the pair is marked A and B and they differ in specific ways from each other. Identify the changes that are observed across each pair. \begin{center} \begin{tabular}{|c|l|l|} \hline 1. & A: \textit{lamea kataawa ahanəwa} & B: \textit{lameəṭə kataawa əhenəwa}
& child story hear & child story hear
& (The) child listens (actively) to the story. & (The) child hears the story (despite himself).
\hline 2. & A: \textit{malli nitərəmə aɳdənəwa} & B: \textit{malliṭə nitərəmə aɳdənəwa}
& brother always cries & brother always cries
& Brother always cries. & Brother always bursts into tears (despite himself).
\hline \end{tabular} \end{center}

• A. \textbf{The grammatical form of the subject NP changes from A to B.}
• B. \textbf{The thematic grid of the verb changes from A to B.}
• C. \textbf{The verb exhibits change in phonological shape from A to B.}
• D. \textbf{The valency of the verb changes from A to B.}

Hint:

When analyzing such language data, check for (i) case-marking changes, (ii) thematic role shifts, (iii) phonological alternations, and (iv) argument structure. Often, case shifts correlate with thematic reinterpretations.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A, B, C

Step 1: Grammatical form of subject NP. In (1A) the subject NP is in the nominative form \textit{lamea} (child), while in (1B) it is marked with the dative case \textit{lameəṭə}. Similarly, in (2A) \textit{malli} (brother) is nominative, while in (2B) \textit{malliṭə} is dative. \(\Rightarrow\) Clear grammatical change in NP form. Hence (A) is True. Step 2: Thematic grid of the verb. In A-type sentences, the subject NP is an agent (active experiencer) – "child listens", "brother cries". In B-type sentences, the subject NP becomes an experiencer with less control, indicating involuntary action – "hears despite himself", "bursts into tears despite himself". Thus the verb's thematic roles shift from agentive to experiencer/involuntary. \(\Rightarrow\) (B) is True. Step 3: Phonological shape of verb. Compare: \textit{ahanəwa} vs. \textit{əhenəwa} (phonological alternation). \textit{aɳdənəwa} vs. \textit{aɳdənəwa} (with slight alternation in onset). \(\Rightarrow\) Verbs exhibit phonological variation. So (C) is True. Step 4: Verb valency. Valency refers to the number of arguments a verb requires. In both A and B sentences, the verbs still take the same number of arguments (subject + object for (1), subject for (2)). There is no change in valency, only in case-marking and thematic interpretation. \(\Rightarrow\) (D) is False. \[ \boxed{Correct Answer: (A), (B), (C)} \]