Event Structure

Working paper · October 2026 · Compare · Beyond Index 2

sell

Six languages. Each card prints that language’s arguments. Recipient, goods, and Price stay labeled on the card.

EN sell JA uru ZH mài ES vender FR vendre IT vendere

Merge ApplHAVE puts Recipient with the goods on every twin. Agree Case cloth is what the cards differ on. Move Only Mandarin 把 fronts that same Theme.

Examples from the micro-entries. Each card quotes one diagnostic already printed on that language’s page. All six flag those frames as constructed. Nothing here is a new elicitation.

Six languages

Six argument lists. Chips name the roles on that card. Color is the derivation-sheet wash. Price is that language’s MeasureP ⟨Amount, Denomination⟩.

EN

sell

Pat sold Chris a lawnmower for twenty dollars / for $20.

constructed · DOC + for-Price

RolesHide roles AgentRecipientThemePrice
Agent Pat Recipient Chris Theme a lawnmower Price for twenty dollars / for $20

Agree ACC on Recipient in the DOC; Price stays inside for

Full micro-entry

JA

売る uru

Pat-ga Chris-ni shibakariki-o ichi-dai nijū-doru-de ut-ta.

constructed · NOM · DAT · ACC · sortal #P · Price INSTR

RolesHide roles AgentRecipientThemePrice
Agent Pat-ga Recipient Chris-ni Theme shibakariki-o Price nijū-doru-de

Agree ni Recipient · o Theme · de Price

Full micro-entry

ZH

卖 mài

帕特没以二十美元把割草机卖给克里斯吗？

constructed · 以-Price + 把-Theme

RolesHide roles AgentRecipientThemePrice
Agent 帕特 Recipient 给克里斯 Theme 割草机 Price 以二十美元

Move 把 fronts this goods QP; Price stays under 以

Full micro-entry

ES

vender

Pat le vendió un cortacésped a Chris por veinte dólares.

constructed · por + MeasureP, not para

RolesHide roles AgentRecipientThemePrice
Agent Pat Recipient le / a Chris Theme un cortacésped Price por veinte dólares

Agree DAT Recipient · ACC Theme

Full micro-entry

FR

vendre

Pat a vendu une tondeuse à Chris pour vingt dollars.

constructed · pour + MeasureP (QP, not Purpose INF)

RolesHide roles AgentRecipientThemePrice
Agent Pat Recipient à Chris Theme une tondeuse Price pour vingt dollars

Agree DAT Recipient (à or lui) · ACC Theme

Full micro-entry

IT

vendere

Pat ha venduto un tosaerba a Chris per venti dollari.

constructed · per + MeasureP (QP, not Purpose INF)

RolesHide roles AgentRecipientThemePrice
Agent Pat Recipient a Chris Theme un tosaerba Price per venti dollari

Agree DAT Recipient (a or gli) · ACC Theme

Full micro-entry

Where they diverge

Only cloth already stated on the six micro-entries. The cards quote one Price-bearing string each; shorter frames and the NegQ maps stay on the micro-entries. Polarity is not the cloth difference.

Case cloth

  • EN DOC applied object (Pat sold Chris a lawnmower) and a to-frame. Recipient is ACC in the DOC; Theme is ACC in the to-frame.
  • JA No English DOC. Theme o. Double-o blocks Price as a second ACC.
  • ZH Theme is the goods QP, often 把-fronted as a whole. *克里斯被卖了一台割草机二十美元 is not a second-ACC twin.
  • ES Theme ACC. No English DOC applied-object ACC. *¿No fue vendido Chris un cortacésped?
  • FR Theme ACC. Recipient is DAT, lui doubling à-PP. *Chris n’a-t-il pas été vendu une tondeuse ? Participle agreement tracks that ACC.
  • IT Theme ACC. Recipient is DAT, gli doubling a-PP. *Chris non è stato venduto un tosaerba?
  • All Not four objects. Price is not a DOC applied object, not a second o, and not the 把-object of 卖 (*把二十卖了割草机).

Recipient marking

  • EN ACC in the DOC. to-PP in the other frame.
  • JA ni.
  • ZH 给.
  • ES DAT le / a.
  • FR DAT lui or à.
  • IT DAT gli or a.

Price packaging

  • All One ⟨Amount, Denomination⟩. Twenty is not dollars, and dollars is not a sister of the verb.
  • EN for + MeasureP (for twenty dollars / for $20). *Pat sold $20 a lawnmower puts Price in the DOC applied-object slot.
  • JA de + #P (nijū-doru-de). *nijū-doru-o as Price of uru is Double-o / pay cloth. Sortal ichi-dai rides the goods, not the Price.
  • ZH 以 / 用 / 卖…多少钱 / a postverbal measure (二十美元). *把二十卖了 is the split.
  • ES por + MeasureP (por veinte dólares). *para is not Price.
  • FR pour + MeasureP (pour vingt dollars). The same letter hosts Purpose when the complement is INF.
  • IT per + MeasureP (per venti dollari). The same letter hosts Purpose when the complement is INF.

Theme packaging

  • EN Goods ACC. The DOC applied object is Recipient, not Theme.
  • JA o. Sortal #P (ichi-dai) rides the goods QP. It is not a fifth argument.
  • ZH Goods QP, often 把-fronted as a whole. The postverbal twin leaves 把 off (卖给克里斯一台割草机). *把二十卖了割草机 puts Price in that seat.
  • ES ACC (un cortacésped). Passive promotes Theme (¿No fue vendido el cortacésped…?).
  • FR ACC (une tondeuse). en resumes the goods QP, not the Price unit. Passive promotes Theme; agreement tracks ACC.
  • IT ACC (un tosaerba). ne resumes the goods QP, not the Price unit. Passive promotes Theme.

sell ≠ payGIVE

On sell, Recipient HAS the goods and the for-type phrase is Price. On payGIVE, Recipient HAS the Amount and that leftover PP is Consideration. Goods are Theme here; money is Theme there. On chargeFEE, the human is Payer-as-Source and the money is the fee MeasureP; that for-type phrase is Consideration, not Price. Shared currency nouns do not merge the roots. payGIVE · compare · chargeFEE · compare.

Index 2 does not list sell. English, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish, French, and Italian sit Beyond Index 2. Hub: sell.