1.

Introduction

The aim of this paper is to show the different similarities and differences among
twelve English verbs. These verbs are detect, discover, feel, glance, observe, sense,
notice, perceive, recognize, smell, taste and witness. They are going to be analyzed
according to their lexical entries and the different alternations they allow.
To do this analysis, we have prepared the lexical entries for each verb and run
their characteristics through a list of different alternations we have dealt with during this
course. Our goal, to prove whether they accepted the alternations or not, was reached by
checking and looking for samples that would prove if they allowed certain alternations
and to exemplify them.
Having done this analysis, a comparison to Spanish is going to be carried out.
The verbs and some examples of their alternations are going to be compared to see if
they show similarities between these two different languages.
To end up our paper, we will name some problems and conclusions we faced
while doing the project.

2. Analysis

Throughout this part, the twelve verbs named in the introduction are going to be
analyzed. To start with, all the verbs are two-place predicate; therefore, the minimal
number of arguments they select is two. The verbs feel, notice, perceive, sense, smell
and witness select an experiencer and a theme whilst the verbs detect, discover, glance,
observe, recognize and taste select an agent and a theme. It is important to say that the
agent controls the action (1) I recognized my fault, whereas the experiencer undergoes
some psychological state expressed in the sentence itself (2) I perceived her frustration.
Regarding the categorization of the verbs, it is fair to emphasize that all of them
are transitive since they select at least one object. To be more specific, they are all
monotransitives because they only have one object.
Other classifications deal with the different sub-categorizations allowed by the
verbs. Except glance, all the verbs share the fact that they can be followed by a NP (3)
New machines detect bombs. An AP can be placed after feel, small and taste (4) You
feel defeated and young. After observe, recognize, discover, perceive, feel, detect, notice
and sense a CP can be placed (5) He senses that the air conditioner is cord damaged.
Concerning PP, they can be located after smell, glance, perceive and feel (6) She
glances at the calendar. And finally, a SC and an IP can only be found after the verbs
observe (7a) and recognize (7b) respectively, (7a) I observe the way you act. (7b) I
recognize you to be clever.
Regarding the alternations, we have found that recognize and witness allow the
time subject alternation as in (8a) The world witnessed the beginning of a new era in
1789/ (8b) 1789 witnessed the beginning of a new era. Within the group of possessor
alternations, the possessor object alternation is encountered in perceive, recognize,
detect and notice (9) I noticed his courage/I noticed him for his courage. The verbs
discover, perceive, witness, recognize, feel, detect and notice permit the attribute object
alternation as in (10a) I perceived her anger/ (10b) I perceived the anger in her. In
addition, smell, taste, observe, discover, witness, feel, detect and notice happen to share
the possessor subject alternation (transitive) as in (11a) She smelled the cake with her
nose./ (11b)Her nose smelled the cake. The verbs detect, notice, perceive and discover
can appear in the subject instrument alternation, for example (12a) Martha detected his
2

lies with the truth machine./ (12b) The truth machine detected his lies. As far as middle
constructions, the verbs taste, smell, recognize, discover, perceive, feel, detect and
notice actually do accept this construction as we can see in (13a) I discover other
planets. / (13b) Other planets discover hardly. The cognate object construction can be
found in feel, detect, notice, sense, discover, smell and recognize; for instance, () I felt a
strong feeling. And finally, the unspecified object alternation is found in the verb
smell, as in the following example (14a) Your dog smells. / (14b) Your dog smells the
food. However, the first sentence in (14a) there is a stimulus which consists on the fact
that the dog stinks.

3. Comparison to Spanish
Throughout this part, the alternations mentioned before are going to be
compared to Spanish in order to see if this other language allows them or not. In
addition, we will focus on the structure of both languages in case the alternations are
permitted.
Except two alternations, all the others found above are possible in Spanish. For
instance, one of these alternations is the 'time subject alternation. We have realized that
in Spanish it is also possible with the verb witness (17a) El mundo entero presenci el
comienzo de una nueva era en 1789 / (17b) 1789 presenci el comienzo de una nueva
era. The meaning is exactly the same. This alternation conveys the idea that the real
subject is the whole world.
Another example could be the subject instrument alternation with the verb
detect, in Spanish we could also say (18a) Marta detect sus mentiras con la mquina de
la verdad / (18b) La mquina de la verdad detect sus mentiras. Again, there is no
change in meaning.
The last example concerning similarities to Spanish would be the possessor
object alternation. (19a) Yo not su coraje/ (19b) Yo le not por su coraje. Although
English and Spanish would have the same meaning in this example, the structure is
syntactically different. In Spanish the indirect object goes right before the verb whereas
in English is placed after the verb.
Having provided two examples shared by both languages, the other covered
alternations that can be found in Spanish are: the attribute object alternation, the
possessor subject alternation (transitive), the cognate object construction, and the
unspecified object alternation.
The middle construction is the only alternation that is totally impossible in
Spanish owing to its absence in the Latin language. No matter the verb we use, it is
incorrect, as noticed in the following sentence (20a) Yo descubro planetas / (20b)*Otros
planetas descubren difcilmente.

4. Conclusions

Having done the analysis, it is fair to emphasize we have encountered

many difficulties. For instance, in many occasions, some verbs seemed to fit the
requisites of the alternations, but they do not, to be more specific, one of the sentences
is correct (15a) whilst the other is ungrammatical (15b) when applying the alternation.
An example could be the verb taste in the benefactive alternation (15a) Marta tasted a
cake for the wedding. (15b) *Marta tasted the wedding a cake. Another similar situation
has been found while applying the subject-instrument alternation to the verb observe
(16a) I observed the germs with my magnifying glass / (16b) *The magnifying glass
observed the germs. As it is shown in the last example, the verb observe only takes
facilitating instruments; it never takes an instrumental subject, and that is why it is
ungrammatical. It is also fair to say that although some verbs were easily defined in
terms of accepting the alternations or not, others such as glance or feel were presented
as a challenge. Native speakers have it very easy to rapidly spot which alternations can
be used or not, the same to Spanish speakers with their mother tongue such as
ourselves; we noticed that the middle construction is not used at all, for example.