Bihurkari eta elkarkari iragangaitzak inpertsonal eta inkoatiboekiko konparazioan

In this paper we explore intransitive reflexive and reciprocal constructions and compare them to impersonals and inchoatives. All these constructions have the same surface morphology in Basque: their sole argument is marked with absolutive case and agreement and the auxiliary selected is izan ‘be’. Nevertheless, they have different syntactic distribution. In this paper, we apply the tests that are used to characterize impersonals and inchoatives —and some others— to intransitive reflexives and reciprocals. Some of these tests suggest that intransitive reflexives and reciprocals have an external argument, patterning in this respect with impersonals and not with inchoatives. Nevertheless, in other contexts, reflexives and reciprocals depart from impersonals and behave like inchoatives. For instance, the overt absolutive argument is not subject to the person restriction observed in impersonal constructions. Finally, unlike in impersonals and inchoatives, the overt absolutive argument of reflexives and reciprocals behaves in certain tests like an external argument.