International Journal of Language & Linguistics

Syntactic Causative Constructions in Vietnamese: A Typological Perspective
Nguyễn Hồng Cổn

Abstract
Causative constructions in Vietnamese has been mentioned by several Vietnamese researchers (Nguyễn Kim Thản 1964, Nguyễn Thị Quy 1995, Diệp Quang Ban 2005, Nguyễn Thị Thu Hương 2010, Nguyễn Hoàng Trung 2014). However, their opinions on how to define it varies based on how to differentiate causative construction with other syntactic constructions such as manipulative or agentive. Using the typological theory of causative constructions and syntactic/periphrastic causative construction (in particular Comrie 1981/89, Song 1996, Dixon 2000, Song 2013), this article will establish the criteria for identifying Vietnamese syntactic causative constructions and distinguishing typical syntactic causative construction from less-typical syntatic causative construction in Vietnamese. The article will cover three main contents:
- Providing an overview of previous studies on syntactic causative constructions in Vietnamese.
- Establishing a theoretical background for studying Vietnamese syntactic causative constructions from the typological perspective.
- Proposing a new approach for identification and classification of syntactic causative constructions in Vietnamese.


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