On Tense, agreement, and the syntax of null and overt subjects
In this paper I argue that the position and realization of subjects in adverbial non-finite clauses in Italian, Spanish, Galician, and European Portuguese can provide valuable insight into the licensing conditions for pro and postverbal subjects in finite clauses in these pro-drop languages. I firs...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Isogloss |
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| Online Access: | https://revistes.uab.cat/isogloss/article/view/416 |
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| _version_ | 1832583860287700992 |
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| author | Gerardo Fernández-Salgueiro |
| author_facet | Gerardo Fernández-Salgueiro |
| author_sort | Gerardo Fernández-Salgueiro |
| collection | DOAJ |
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In this paper I argue that the position and realization of subjects in adverbial non-finite clauses in Italian, Spanish, Galician, and European Portuguese can provide valuable insight into the licensing conditions for pro and postverbal subjects in finite clauses in these pro-drop languages. I first provide evidence that Tense and Agreement constitute separate syntactic heads in these languages, as argued by Belletti (1990) among others, and also apply this analysis to non-finite clauses in Spanish, Galician, and Portuguese. I will also argue, after analyzing the syntactic variation exhibited by subjects in non-finite clauses (containing regular and inflected infinitives) in Spanish, Galician, and European Portuguese, that (i) postverbal overt subject DPs are licensed by a full set of φ-features in Agr (overt or covert), (ii) pro is licensed by an Agr head that is overtly realized by either overt φ-features or verb movement, and (iii) preverbal overt subject DPs are licensed by verb movement to Agr.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a3ea5c00bfde4069984b184a468f7d8e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2385-4138 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Isogloss |
| spelling | doaj-art-a3ea5c00bfde4069984b184a468f7d8e2025-01-28T03:01:56ZengUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaIsogloss2385-41382024-12-0110710.5565/rev/isogloss.416On Tense, agreement, and the syntax of null and overt subjectsGerardo Fernández-Salgueiro0National Taiwan Normal University In this paper I argue that the position and realization of subjects in adverbial non-finite clauses in Italian, Spanish, Galician, and European Portuguese can provide valuable insight into the licensing conditions for pro and postverbal subjects in finite clauses in these pro-drop languages. I first provide evidence that Tense and Agreement constitute separate syntactic heads in these languages, as argued by Belletti (1990) among others, and also apply this analysis to non-finite clauses in Spanish, Galician, and Portuguese. I will also argue, after analyzing the syntactic variation exhibited by subjects in non-finite clauses (containing regular and inflected infinitives) in Spanish, Galician, and European Portuguese, that (i) postverbal overt subject DPs are licensed by a full set of φ-features in Agr (overt or covert), (ii) pro is licensed by an Agr head that is overtly realized by either overt φ-features or verb movement, and (iii) preverbal overt subject DPs are licensed by verb movement to Agr. https://revistes.uab.cat/isogloss/article/view/416null subjectspro-dropinfinitivesagreementRomance languages |
| spellingShingle | Gerardo Fernández-Salgueiro On Tense, agreement, and the syntax of null and overt subjects Isogloss null subjects pro-drop infinitives agreement Romance languages |
| title | On Tense, agreement, and the syntax of null and overt subjects |
| title_full | On Tense, agreement, and the syntax of null and overt subjects |
| title_fullStr | On Tense, agreement, and the syntax of null and overt subjects |
| title_full_unstemmed | On Tense, agreement, and the syntax of null and overt subjects |
| title_short | On Tense, agreement, and the syntax of null and overt subjects |
| title_sort | on tense agreement and the syntax of null and overt subjects |
| topic | null subjects pro-drop infinitives agreement Romance languages |
| url | https://revistes.uab.cat/isogloss/article/view/416 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT gerardofernandezsalgueiro ontenseagreementandthesyntaxofnullandovertsubjects |