Automatic translation of support verb constructions
Morris Salkoff · 1990
ot be translated into French with a simple verb: (5) Max alluded to the crime = Max (*alludait + a fait une allusion) au crime Conversely, there are French support constructions which c;m more easily be translated into English by a simple verb than by a support construction: (6) Max fait une bcuvcrie chaque samedi' = Max carouses every Saturday (ii) A support verb can be zeroed, leaving behind an elliptical construction that cannot be translated as it stands. Consider the following sentences: (7) People who are on drugs (are..) = Les gens qui prennent des drogues (sont..) The English support construction be on drags is related to the sentence Mar drugs himself. In French, the support verb must be prendre (take). When who are is deleted in (7), we obtain: (8) People on drugs (are...) But this sentence can .only bc translated into French as (7) was, since the French support qtdtrennent (who take) is not &letable. Note that it is not a question here of on having a different meanin