This paper aims to show that deverbal nouns preserve the argument structure of the corresponding input verb and that the overt or non-overt expression of their arguments within the term depends on a set of semantic and pragmatic factors, mainly related to the shared short-term information by the speech act participants. As a theoretical implication, this analysis preserves the idea that there is a gradual process of verbal decategorization, which is reflected in the different kinds of grammatical relation markings. As the verbal predicate gradually gains nominal status, the clausal markings (agreement, word order and the like) give way to prepositional marking or some other device, like adjectival modification or the use of possessive pronouns which are perfectly appropriate to follow a nominal head.
nominalization; deverbal noun; verbal decategorization; parts of speech
