The complement of reduced parentheticals
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Christian Fortmann
Abstract
This contribution is concerned with a quite frequent type of parenthetical construction in German like Theo kam – sagt Paul – mit seinem Hund (Theo brought – says Paul – his dog). The propositional argument of the parenthetical verb is not saturated within the boundaries of the parenthetical string. However, its interpretative content is provided by the host clause. I argue that the missing argument is nevertheless present in the syntactic representation. Two possible modes of representation, namely by an implicit argument or by a trace/copy of the host, are rejected in favour of a representation by an empty pronominal which is anaphorically linked to the host. Based on this account, I further discuss apparent restrictions on the lexical choice of the parenthetical verb and its co-constituents.
Abstract
This contribution is concerned with a quite frequent type of parenthetical construction in German like Theo kam – sagt Paul – mit seinem Hund (Theo brought – says Paul – his dog). The propositional argument of the parenthetical verb is not saturated within the boundaries of the parenthetical string. However, its interpretative content is provided by the host clause. I argue that the missing argument is nevertheless present in the syntactic representation. Two possible modes of representation, namely by an implicit argument or by a trace/copy of the host, are rejected in favour of a representation by an empty pronominal which is anaphorically linked to the host. Based on this account, I further discuss apparent restrictions on the lexical choice of the parenthetical verb and its co-constituents.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- List of contributors ix
- Parentheticals 1
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SYNTAX AND ITS INTERFACES
- Spoken parenthetical clauses in English 25
- Integrated parentheticals and assertional complements 53
- The complement of reduced parentheticals 89
- Long extraction or parenthetical insertion? Evidence from judgement studies 121
- And -parenthetical clauses 145
- On the syntax and semantics of appositive relative clauses 173
- Invisible constituents? Parentheticals as b-merged adverbial phrases 203
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SEMANTICS/PRAGMATICS AND THEIR INTERFACES
- Reduced parenthetical clauses in Romance languages: A pragmatic typology 237
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PROSODY AND ITS INTERFACES
- The relation between syntactic and prosodic parenthesis 261
- Quieter, faster, lower, and set off by pauses? Reflections on prosodic aspects of parenthetical constructions in modern German 285
- Name Index 309
- Subject Index 311
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- List of contributors ix
- Parentheticals 1
-
SYNTAX AND ITS INTERFACES
- Spoken parenthetical clauses in English 25
- Integrated parentheticals and assertional complements 53
- The complement of reduced parentheticals 89
- Long extraction or parenthetical insertion? Evidence from judgement studies 121
- And -parenthetical clauses 145
- On the syntax and semantics of appositive relative clauses 173
- Invisible constituents? Parentheticals as b-merged adverbial phrases 203
-
SEMANTICS/PRAGMATICS AND THEIR INTERFACES
- Reduced parenthetical clauses in Romance languages: A pragmatic typology 237
-
PROSODY AND ITS INTERFACES
- The relation between syntactic and prosodic parenthesis 261
- Quieter, faster, lower, and set off by pauses? Reflections on prosodic aspects of parenthetical constructions in modern German 285
- Name Index 309
- Subject Index 311
