Figure 1.

Predicted thematic and syntactic reanalysis. Black arrows indicate a default assignment of thematic roles, blue arrows thematic reanalysis, and red arrows syntactic reanalysis. As a default thematic role assignment (A), a phrase with a nominative marker (NOM) is assigned to “Agent” (an actor of an event), one with a dative marker (DAT) “Recipient” of an event, and one with an accusative marker (ACC) “Theme” (an object that undergoes an event). In Causative sentence (B), the causative morpheme sase triggers the second phrase “Mary‐DAT” for thematic reanalysis from “Agent” to “Recipient” and in Passive sentence (C), the passive morpheme rare requires thematic roles for the first two phrases, “John‐NOM” and “Mary‐DAT,” to be interchanged (“Agent” to “Recipient” and vice versa). In addition, Passive sentence (C) undergoes a syntactic reanalysis “movement,” that is, an additional structural change relating the first phrase “John‐NOM” to the syntactic position before the accusative phrase “apple‐ACC.”