On Mismatched Middle Constructions

This article will attempt to solve two intricate problems about middle constructions: to reanalyze the middle formation conditions and to unravel the mysteries about the mismatched argument structure. The semantic function selects the argument structure; in turn it derives some specific restrictions on the construction as a whole as well as the individual lexical items in it. The proto-roles hypothesis enlightens us much as to the paradoxical language phenomenon. Middles involve a complex interplay between syntax, semantics and lexicon, and thus provide a rich source of data with which grammatical theories can be tested.