A Study of Thematic Roles in English Language

Abstract

This paper investigates the thematic roles in English language. Thematic roles account for the conventional linkage between the participant roles and the grammatical relations. Thematic roles are used to explain the relationship between semantics and syntax and capture the similarities and differences in verb meaning that are reflected in argument expression. Thematic roles are powerful tools for understanding the meaning of sentences. They can also be used to identify the participants in a sentence and the relationships between them. The paper argues that as part of its inherent lexical specification, a verb or preposition requires its arguments (which are usually nouns) to be in specific thematic roles because where there is one argument, there is one thematic function; and the semantic interpretation of a particular object is the determining factor for the type of thematic role the argument will be assigned. It is noted however, that, one of the problems with thematic roles is how and where to establish the boundary between role types. This paper shows that verbs and prepositions assign roles to arguments. Thematic role assignment by the verb is direct while role assignment by the preposition is indirect.