On Causee in Sason Arabic

This paper aims to understand the syntax of causative constructions in Sason Arabic. We show that in geminate causatives and ‘give’-causatives, the causee is introduced in CauseeP, unlike the embedded agent in ‘make’-causatives, which embed a thematic VoiceP. Despite differing from Voice0 in several respects, Causee0 also exhibits an active-passive-like alternation, providing independent evidence for Legate’s (2014) analysis of the passive. We further distinguish between geminates and ‘give’-causatives on the basis of the (in)compatibility of the causee with an applicative argument. In geminates, Causee and Appl are bundled, and the same argument bears two T-roles, whereas in other causative constructions, Causee and Appl remain separate.