Null Objects in Recipe Context

Öz

In English, null objects are generally considered ungrammatical, except in certain registers such as recipes, user manuals, and sports reports. The present study examines null objects in the context of recipes using a corpus-based methodology, specifically focusing on five target verbs: bake, let, place, put, and serve. Utilizing a curated version of the FoodBase corpus and AntConc 3.5.9, the study investigates the syntactic features and limitations of these omissions. The findings demonstrate that null objects are significantly favored over direct objects (59.51%) and frequently precede prepositions. Crucially, while null objects are predominantly tied to subjectless imperatives, the study identifies rare instances of co-occurrence with overt subjects (e.g., in 'as you stir' constructions), challenging traditional syntactic assumptions. Furthermore, the results indicate that null objects avoid inflected verb forms but are relatively common in non-finite and participial constructions like 'until serving'. The study contributes to the understanding of argument omission in specialized discourse and underscores the role of corpus-driven analysis in refining theoretical models of English syntax.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Null objects
• zero anaphora
• argument omission
• corpus

Etik Beyan

Since all data utilized in this study were retrieved from publicly available, open-access sources and do not involve human subjects, this research is exempt from ethics committee approval.

Yemek Tarifi Bağlamında Boş Nesneler

Öz

İngilizcede boş nesneler (null objects), yemek tarifleri, kullanım kılavuzları ve spor raporları gibi belirli söylem alanları dışında genellikle dilbilgisine uymayan yapılar olarak kabul edilir. Bu çalışma, derlem tabanlı bir yöntem kullanarak yemek tarifi bağlamındaki boş nesneleri bake, let, place, put ve serve fiilleri bağlamında incelemektedir. FoodBase derleminin düzenlenmiş versiyonu veri olarak kullanılmış ve AntConc 3.5.9 yazılımı aracılığıyla boş nesnelerin sözdizimsel özellikleri ve sınırlılıkları incelenmiştir. Araştırma bulguları, boş nesnelerin düz nesnelere kıyasla belirgin şekilde daha fazla tercih edildiğini (%59,51) ve bu nesnelerin sıklıkla edatlardan önce geldiğini göstermektedir. Çalışmanın en dikkat çekici sonucu, boş nesnelerin genellikle gizli özneli emir kipleriyle ilişkilendirilmesine rağmen, nadir durumlarda açık öznelerle de (örneğin 'as you stir' gibi yapılarda) bir arada kullanılabildiğinin saptanmasıdır. Bu bulgu, geleneksel sözdizimsel varsayımlarını esnetmektedir. Ayrıca, boş nesnelerin çekimli fiillerle birlikte çok az kullanıldığı, ancak 'until serving' gibi eylemsi yapılarla birlikte görece yaygın olduğu görülmüştür. Çalışma, özel söylemde argüman eksiltimi konusunun anlaşılmasına katkıda bulunmakta ve dilbilim kuramlarının geliştirilmesinde derlem tabanlı analizin rolünü vurgulamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Boş nesneler
• sıfır anafor
• argüman düşmesi
• derlem

Etik Beyan

Bu çalışmada kullanılan verilerin tamamı kamuya açık, açık erişimli kaynaklardan elde edildiği ve insan denek içermediği için bu çalışma etik kurul onayı gerektirmemektedir.

Kaynakça

1. Allerton, D. J. (1975). Deletion and proform reduction. Journal of linguistics, 11(2), 213-237.
2. Anthony, L. (2020). AntConc (version 3.5.9) (computer software). Tokyo, Japan: Waseda University. Retrieved from https://www.laurenceanthony.net/software
3. Bender, E. (1999). Constituting context: Null objects in English recipes revisited. University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics, 6(1), 5.
4. Bergs, A. (2021). Complements and adjuncts. In B. Aarts, A. McMahon, and L. Hinrichs (Eds.), The handbook of English linguistics (pp. 145-162). Wiley-Blackwell. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470753002
5. Campos, H. (1986). Indefinite object drop. Linguistic inquiry, 17(2), 354-359.
6. Chang, H. and Zheng, L. (2018). Asymmetries of null subjects and null objects in L1-English and L1-Japanese learners’ Chinese. Linguistics, 56(5), 1141-1166. https://doi.org/10.1515/ling-2018-0021
7. Cole, P. (1987). Null objects in universal grammar. Linguistic Inquiry, 18(4), 597-612.
8. Cote, S. A. (1996). Grammatical and discourse properties of null arguments in English. Doctoral dissertation, University of Pennsylvania.

9. Culy, C. (1996). Null objects in English recipes. Language Variation and Change, 8(1), 91-124.
10. Cummins, S., and Roberge, Y. (2004). Null objects in French and English. Amsterdam Studies in the Theory and History of Linguistic Science Series 4, 258, 121-138. https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.258.07cum
11. Ebeling, S. O. (2021). To score or to score a goal: Transitivity in football match reports. English Studies, 102(2), 243-266. https://doi.org/10.1080/0013838X.2021.1886676
12. Fillmore, C. J. (1986). Pragmatically controlled zero anaphora. Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society (95-107).
13. Glass, L. (2022). English verbs can omit their objects when they describe routines. English Language and Linguistics, 26(1), 49-73. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1360674321000022
14. Groefsema, M. (1994). Understood arguments: A semantic/pragmatic approach. Lingua 96, 139-161.
15. Haegeman, L. (1987). The interpretation of inherent objects in English. Australian Journal of Linguistics, 7(2), 223-248.
16. Huang, C. T. J. (1984). On the distribution and reference of empty pronouns. Linguistic inquiry, 531-574.
17. Huang, C. T. J. (1991). Remarks on the status of the null object. In R. Freidin (Ed.), Principles and parameters in comparative grammar (pp. 56-76). MIT Press.
18. Keller, F. and Lapata, M. (1998). Object drop and discourse accessibility. In K. Shahin, S. Blake, and E.-S. Kim (Eds.), Proceedings of the 17th West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics (362-374). CSLI Publications.
19. Li, X. (2025). Sociolinguistic competence by L2 Chinese learners through the lens of null object use. Languages, 10(4), 66.
20. Martínez-García, C. (2025a). Generic Null Objects in Spanish. Revista Española de Lingüística (RSEL), 55, 130-168
21. Martínez-García, C. (2025b). Null objects in Spanish recipes. Verba, 52, 1-37.
22. Martínez-García, C., Rinke, E. and Kerezova, N., (2025). Indefinite object drop is lexically constrained. Glossa: A journal of general linguistics 10(1). https://doi.org/10.16995/glossa.17889
23. Martín-Villena, F., Gharibi, K., and Rothman, J. (2024). Null and overt pronouns. In The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition, morphosyntax, and semantics (pp. 489-501). Routledge.
24. Massam, D. (1987). Middles, tough, and recipe context constructions in English. In North East Linguistics Society 18(3), 4.
25. Massam, D. (1992). Null objects and non-thematic subjects. Journal of Linguistics, 28(1), 115-137.
26. Massam, D., and Roberge, Y. (1989). Recipe context null objects in English. Linguistic Inquiry, 20(1),134-139.
27. Ohara, M. (2007). Object drop in English and Japanese. Gaikokugaku Kenkyu, 67, 69-80.
28. Popovski, G., Seljak, B. K., and Eftimov, T. (2019). FoodBase corpus: A new resource of annotated food entities. Database, 2019, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1093/database/baz073
29. Ruda, M. (2014). Missing objects in special registers: The syntax of null objects in English. The Canadian Journal of Linguistics/La Revue Canadienne De Linguistique, 59(3), 339-372. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0008413100000396
30. Ruppenhofer, J., and Michaelis, L. A. (2010). A constructional account of genre-based argument omissions. Constructions and Frames, 2(2), 158-184. https://doi.org/10.1075/cf.2.2.02rup
31. Ruppenhofer, J., and Michaelis, L. A. (2014). Frames and the interpretation of omitted arguments in English. In K. Beeching and U. Detges (Eds.), Perspectives on linguistic structure and context (57-86). John Benjamins Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.244.04rup?locatt=mo de:legacy
32. Sigurðsson, H. Á. (2011). Conditions on argument drop. Linguistic Inquiry, 42(2), 267-304.
33. Sigurðsson, H. Á., and Maling, J. (2007). On null arguments. Proceedings of the XXXII Incontro di Grammatica Generativa, 167-180. Edizioni dell’Orso.
34. Walkden, G. (2013). Null subjects in old English. Language Variation and Change, 25(02), 155-178. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954394513000070
35. Yankes, A. (2021). Object drop in English: A statistical and optimality theoretical analysis Doctoral dissertation, Carnegie Mellon University.
36. Zengin, F., and Dinar, T. (2023). Türkiye Türkçesinde Boş Artgönderim. Disiplinler Arası Dil Araştırmaları, 6(6), 14-38.