2.2.1.2. Special anaphoric properties for subject and object
Anaphors are noun phrases that refer back to another noun phrase in the same discourse, the so-called antecedent. Reflexive pronouns are such anaphers; we use them indicate that someone performed the verb’s action on themselves rather than on another participant. The antecedent of self in the example below is the subject m-a-x. Reflexives [Lexicon 3.7.4] show a clear subject-object asymmetry: A reflexive object can have a subject antecedent as below, but a reflexive subject cannot have an object antecedent.
m-a-xa selfa hate
‘Max hates himself.’
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