Zero person in Finnish
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Lea Laitinen
Abstract
Lea Laitinen’s article deals with the grammar and meaning of Finnish constructions containing the so-called ‘zero person’ subject. In these constructions, there is no overt subject, and the verb is in the 3rd person singular form. The meanings of the construction are investigated in conversational data, and its globally marked non-specific reference is compared to the non-specific use of personal pronouns, used as generic forms referring to humans in many languages. As crystallizations of human experience, the zero person constructions express changes of state, emotions, perceptions, or other processes that affect human beings in particular situations. Laitinen shows how this potentiality of grammar is used in interaction by the speech act participants, and how these constructions which leave the conceptualizer of the situation implicit, provide a more subjective perspective on the experience than explicit personal pronouns. This paper has implications for the understanding of impersonal use of pronouns, non-specific pronominal reference, and zero persons in languages generally.
Abstract
Lea Laitinen’s article deals with the grammar and meaning of Finnish constructions containing the so-called ‘zero person’ subject. In these constructions, there is no overt subject, and the verb is in the 3rd person singular form. The meanings of the construction are investigated in conversational data, and its globally marked non-specific reference is compared to the non-specific use of personal pronouns, used as generic forms referring to humans in many languages. As crystallizations of human experience, the zero person constructions express changes of state, emotions, perceptions, or other processes that affect human beings in particular situations. Laitinen shows how this potentiality of grammar is used in interaction by the speech act participants, and how these constructions which leave the conceptualizer of the situation implicit, provide a more subjective perspective on the experience than explicit personal pronouns. This paper has implications for the understanding of impersonal use of pronouns, non-specific pronominal reference, and zero persons in languages generally.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Abbreviations & transcription symbols vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction 1
- An introduction to Finnish spatial relations 11
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Part I: Space and location
- Spatial axes in language and conceptualisation 21
- “I woke up from the sofa” 41
- Metonymy in locatives of state 67
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Part II: The human perspective
- Body part names and grammaticalization 101
- On distinguishing between ‘recipient’ and ‘beneficiary’ in Finnish 129
- Oblique mentions of human referents in Finnish conversation 153
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Part III: Person
- Person in Finnish 173
- Zero person in Finnish 209
- Passive — personal or impersonal? 233
- References 257
- Index of terms 277
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Abbreviations & transcription symbols vii
- Acknowledgements ix
- Introduction 1
- An introduction to Finnish spatial relations 11
-
Part I: Space and location
- Spatial axes in language and conceptualisation 21
- “I woke up from the sofa” 41
- Metonymy in locatives of state 67
-
Part II: The human perspective
- Body part names and grammaticalization 101
- On distinguishing between ‘recipient’ and ‘beneficiary’ in Finnish 129
- Oblique mentions of human referents in Finnish conversation 153
-
Part III: Person
- Person in Finnish 173
- Zero person in Finnish 209
- Passive — personal or impersonal? 233
- References 257
- Index of terms 277
