Verbal Agreement and the Grammar behind its 'Breakdown': Minimalist feature checking

Elly van Gelderen

Published by Max Niemeyer Verlag 1997

Verbal Agreement and the Grammar behind its 'Breakdown'

Minimalist feature checking

Elly van Gelderen

Volume 364 in the series Linguistische Arbeiten

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110959994

Overview
Contents

About this book

This book is about what the 'lack' of agreement indicates about the structure of language. Rather than assuming that mistakes occur in languages, disagreement can be seen as an indication of a certain structural relationship. In a Minimalist framework, the partial agreement or complete lack of agreement is determined by when checking of case and agreement takes place and with what nominal element. Earlier work has shown that there may be variation regarding the number of functional categories a language activates. If that account is correct, languages with fewer functional categories (Dutch and Old English) will also have fewer specifiers and therefore less Spec-Head agreement. In these cases, government will play a role in the checking of case and agreement. There are, however, other reasons for the 'breakdown'. For instance, expletives play a major role and they may only be specified for some features (number or person) and when they agree with the verb, the 'real' subject does not. Two additional reasons are discussed: the impact from grammaticalization and from asymmetrical (e.g. coordinate) structures. The focus is on Modern, Old and Middle English and Dutch, but other Germanic languages (German, Swedish, Yiddish), Romance languages (Catalan, French, Italian, Spanish), Arabic, Chamorro, Hebrew, Hopi, Kirundi, O'odham, Navajo, and Urdu/Hindi are discussed as well.

Topics

I-XIV Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	I
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1 Lack of Agreement with Verb Subject I: Empty Expletives Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	17
2 Past Participle Agreement: Lack of Agreement with Verb Object Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	35
3 Lack of Agreement with Verb Subject II: Government Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	47
4 Lack of Agreement in Wh-Structures Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	65
5 The History of There Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	87
6 There-Expletives Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	111
7 Expletive It Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	125
8 Argument It: with and without Features Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	147
9 Indefinites: The Grammaticalization of Nouns Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	161
10 Coordinated Structures Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	171
11 Conclusion: Further Issues Regarding Agreement Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	197
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	205
Index of Authors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	215
Index of Subjects Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	219

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Max Niemeyer Verlag
Pages
- Front matter: 14
- Main content: 222
Keywords: Englisch; Syntaktische Kongruenz

eBook

Published: May 2, 2011
ISBN: 9783110959994

Hardcover

Published: July 2, 1997
ISBN: 9783484303645