Null Directional Prepositions in Romanian and Spanish
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Jonathan E. MacDonald
Abstract
This paper is concerned with non-reflexive non-argumental clitic pronouns of Spanish and reflexive non-argumental clitic pronouns of Romanian. These two clitics pattern together when contrasted with reflexive non-argumental clitic pronouns of Spanish with respect to the following properties: 1. the ability to elicit a telic interpretation of the predicate; 2. the ability to express an on/with entailment; 3. the ability to express temporary relations; 4. the ability to prevent idiomatic interpretation; and 5. the ability to be modified by adjectival secondary predicates. Considering these properties, it is shown that Spanish reflexives pattern with goal PPs (e.g. to)and that Spanish non-reflexives and Romanian reflexives pattern with directional PPs (e.g. toward). Based on these patterns, it is argued that each of these clitics is introduced as the complement of a null preposition that merges as a complement of the verb; the low merger of the null PP accounts for properties 4. and 5. Variation comes from the presence or absence of the properties in 1.-3 on the null prepositions themselves.
Abstract
This paper is concerned with non-reflexive non-argumental clitic pronouns of Spanish and reflexive non-argumental clitic pronouns of Romanian. These two clitics pattern together when contrasted with reflexive non-argumental clitic pronouns of Spanish with respect to the following properties: 1. the ability to elicit a telic interpretation of the predicate; 2. the ability to express an on/with entailment; 3. the ability to express temporary relations; 4. the ability to prevent idiomatic interpretation; and 5. the ability to be modified by adjectival secondary predicates. Considering these properties, it is shown that Spanish reflexives pattern with goal PPs (e.g. to)and that Spanish non-reflexives and Romanian reflexives pattern with directional PPs (e.g. toward). Based on these patterns, it is argued that each of these clitics is introduced as the complement of a null preposition that merges as a complement of the verb; the low merger of the null PP accounts for properties 4. and 5. Variation comes from the presence or absence of the properties in 1.-3 on the null prepositions themselves.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction ix
- A Polarity-Sensitive Disjunction 1
- Taking a Closer Look at Romance VN Compounds 13
- Beyond Descriptivism 27
- Do Subjects Have a Place in Spanish? 51
- On the Conceptual Role of Number 67
- The Diachronic Development of a French Indefinite Pronoun 83
- A Syntactic Analysis of Italian Deverbal-Nouns 97
- V-N Compounds In Italian 113
- A Reinterpretation of Quirky Subjects and Related Phenomena in Spanish 127
- Cognitive Constraints on Assertion Scope 143
- Avant que - or Avant de -Clauses 155
- Null Directional Prepositions in Romanian and Spanish 169
- A Unified Account for the Additive and the Scalar Uses of Italian Neppure 187
- Default Morphology in Second Language Spanish 201
- Early Object Omission in Child French and English 213
- Agreement Paradigms Across Moods and Tenses 229
- Italian Volerci 247
- Restructuring of Reverse Psychological Predicate 263
- Subject Index 279
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Acknowledgements vii
- Introduction ix
- A Polarity-Sensitive Disjunction 1
- Taking a Closer Look at Romance VN Compounds 13
- Beyond Descriptivism 27
- Do Subjects Have a Place in Spanish? 51
- On the Conceptual Role of Number 67
- The Diachronic Development of a French Indefinite Pronoun 83
- A Syntactic Analysis of Italian Deverbal-Nouns 97
- V-N Compounds In Italian 113
- A Reinterpretation of Quirky Subjects and Related Phenomena in Spanish 127
- Cognitive Constraints on Assertion Scope 143
- Avant que - or Avant de -Clauses 155
- Null Directional Prepositions in Romanian and Spanish 169
- A Unified Account for the Additive and the Scalar Uses of Italian Neppure 187
- Default Morphology in Second Language Spanish 201
- Early Object Omission in Child French and English 213
- Agreement Paradigms Across Moods and Tenses 229
- Italian Volerci 247
- Restructuring of Reverse Psychological Predicate 263
- Subject Index 279
