Argument structure

Level 6

With a subject-control verb such as försöka, the subject is a participant in the main predicate and also the understood subject of the infinitive. With a raising verb such as verka, its semantic role comes from the lower predicate. The distinction concerns semantic roles, not necessarily deliberate actions.

How It Works

In linguistics, the distinction between raising and control verbs is fundamental to understanding argument structure, particularly in sentences containing an infinitive phrase. It's about how the subject of the main clause relates to the main verb and the infinitive.

1. Control Verbs (Kontrollverb)
With control verbs, the subject of the main verb is also the understood subject of the infinitive verb. It 'controls' the infinitive's action. The subject is a true semantic argument of the main verb, such as the person attempting something or experiencing a hope.

  • Example: Jag försöker att förstå. (I am trying to understand.)
  • Analysis: The subject Jag names both the person trying and the person who would understand. Understanding is not itself an agentive physical action.

Common control verbs include: försöka (try), lova (promise), vägra (refuse), besluta (decide), planera (plan), hoppas (hope).

2. Raising Verbs (Höjningsverb)
With raising verbs, the subject of the main verb is not a semantic argument of that verb. Instead, it has been 'raised' from its original position as the subject of the infinitive clause. The main verb often expresses modality, aspect, or appearance.

  • Example: Han verkar vara intelligent. (He seems to be intelligent.)
  • Analysis: The subject 'Han' is NOT the agent of 'verkar' (seems). He isn't performing an act of 'seeming'. The sentence is a statement about the proposition 'he is intelligent'. The underlying structure is closer to 'It seems that he is intelligent' (Det verkar som om han är intelligent).

Common raising verbs include: verka (seem), tyckas (seem), råka (happen to), and aspectual verbs like börja (begin), fortsätta (continue), and sluta (stop).

Diagnostic Tests to Distinguish Them:

  • Expletive 'det': Raising verbs can take a non-referential, 'dummy' subject like det. Subject-control constructions of the kind shown here cannot use weather det in their ordinary literal meaning; personification or a different sense of a verb is a separate matter.
    - ✓ Det verkar snöa. (It seems to be snowing.) - Raising
    - ✗ *Det försöker snöa. (*It is trying to snow.) - Control

  • Idiom Chunks: Raising verbs can take idiomatic phrases as subjects and preserve their meaning, because the verb doesn't interfere with the idiom's internal logic.
    - ✓ Måttet verkar vara rågat. (The measure seems to be full / It seems to be the last straw.) - Raising. The idiom 'måttet är rågat' is preserved.
    - ✗ *Måttet lovade att vara rågat. (*The measure promised to be full.) - Control. Nonsensical because 'the measure' cannot make a promise.

This distinction is crucial for advanced analysis of sentence structure and meaning.

The discussion above concerns subject control. In object control, another participant supplies the understood subject: Jag bad henne att gå means that she should go. Also, verbs such as börja, fortsätta, and sluta have both subject-oriented and subject-independent uses. Classify the construction and meaning in context rather than assuming that a verb has only one analysis.

Examples (5)

  1. Hon försöker att lära sig svenska.

    She is trying to learn Swedish.

    Word by Word: She tries to learn herself Swedish.

    This is a 'control' structure. 'Hon' (she) is the agent performing both actions: trying and learning.

  2. Hon verkar lära sig svenska snabbt.

    She seems to learn Swedish quickly.

    Word by Word: She seems to learn herself Swedish quickly.

    This is a 'raising' structure. 'Hon' (she) is the one learning, but she is not performing an act of 'seeming'. The verb 'verkar' just describes the appearance of the situation.

  3. Statsministern lovade att sänka skatterna.

    The prime minister promised to lower the taxes.

    Word by Word: The-prime-minister promised to lower the-taxes.

    Control verb: 'Statsministern' is the agent who makes the promise.

  4. Statsministern råkade vara på fel plats vid fel tidpunkt.

    The prime minister happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

    Word by Word: The-prime-minister happened to be at wrong place at wrong time.

    Raising verb: 'Statsministern' did not perform an action of 'happening'. The verb 'råkade' describes the coincidental nature of the event.

  5. Det börjar bli mörkt ute.

    It's starting to get dark outside.

    Word by Word: It begins to become dark out.

    The aspectual verb 'börjar' (starts) is a raising verb. The impersonal subject 'det' is raised from the lower clause 'bli mörkt' (get dark).

Common Mistakes

  • Using a control verb with an impersonal 'det' subject where someone experiencing hope is required.

    Det hoppas att bli soligt imorgon.
    Det verkar bli soligt imorgon.

    The verb 'hoppas' (to hope) is a control verb that requires someone experiencing hope. You can say 'Jag hoppas...' (I hope...). The verb 'verkar' (to seem) is a raising verb that can take an impersonal 'det' subject to describe a situation.

  • Using a finite verb instead of an infinitive after verkar.

    Han verkar är trött.
    Han verkar vara trött.

    The complement in this raising construction has the infinitive vara. The subject is the person who is tired; it does not name someone performing an act of seeming.