We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Predication vs. aboutness in copy raising.
- Authors
Landau, Idan
- Abstract
Copy raising sentences ( Charlie looks like his prospects are bright) are ambiguous between a thematic and a nonthematic reading for the subject, corresponding to whether or not it is the perceptual source. On the basis of Hebrew and English data, this paper motivates a novel generalization: a pronominal copy in the complement is necessary if and only if the matrix subject is not thematic. This follows if (i) a nonthematic DP must be licensed by predication, (ii) the clausal complement is turned into a predicate by merging with a null operator, and (iii) the pronominal copy is the variable required by the operator. Contra previous analyses, I argue that the complement in copy raising may be propositional, forming an 'aboutness' relation with the subject. When it is predicative, however, a null operator is necessary, since CPs are not natural predicates. The dichotomy between propositional and predicative CPs cuts across the gap/copy distinction, and is manifested in other constructions, also discussed (hanging topic vs. left dislocation, rationale vs. purpose clauses, and proleptic object constructions).
- Subjects
ABOUTNESS (Library science); BINARY principle (Linguistics); COMPUTATIONAL linguistics; GENERATIVE grammar; LINGUISTIC analysis
- Publication
Natural Language & Linguistic Theory, 2011, Vol 29, Issue 3, p779
- ISSN
0167-806X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11049-011-9134-4