Thematic relation

The term thematic relation is used (especially in Ray Jackendoff’s work and work influenced by him) for semantic role.

Synonyms

Alongside thematic role, Θ-role, thematic relation is perhaps the most common term in current American linguistics (e.g. Wilkings (ed.) 1988).

• semantic role
• thematic role
• Θ-role (Theta role)
• case: deep case, case role, case relation
• semantic function
• kāraka

Origin

The term thematic relation was introduced by Jackendoff (1972:29) (who attributed it to Richard Stanley), basing his theory on Gruber's (1965) work. According to Jackendoff, the centrality of the Theme in Gruber's analysis justifies this term.

References

• Jackendoff, Ray S. 1972. Semantics and cognition. Cambridge/MA: MIT Press
• Gruber, Jeffrey S. 1965. Studies in lexical relations. Ph.D. dissertation, MIT. (Revised version published in Gruber 1976)
• Wilkins, Wendy (ed.) 1988. Thematic relations. (Syntax and Semantics, xx) New York: Academic Press.