Knowledge Bank

Against the standard feature approach to theta roles, this squib argues that theta roles are assigned in logical form (LF). The empirical phenomenon under discussion is a special subtype of external possession where the possessum must be body part expressions. Following Zhong (2024), this possessum restriction is considered an epiphenomenon of a thematic assignment to the possessor where the possessor takes on an additional theme role. As such, both the possessor and the possessum serve as theme in the same event, a scenario that is possible only with body part expressions. As I further argue, this assignment of theme role is not mediated through any (applicative) head bearing a thematic feature, but is assigned by a possessive head. Specifically, a possessive head has displaced into the verb; a possessive head is capable of assigning thematic role by thematically identifying with a thematic relation in its sister head. In a sisterhood with a verb, the possessive head identifies with that verb and assigns its possessor argument a 2nd theme role. In this process, the thematic assignment shows strong context sensitivity and is best understood as a post-syntactic operation.