Noun phrase structure and movement
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Johanna L. Wood
Abstract
We investigate the etymologically related words so and such (English); så and sådan (Danish); and so and solch (German). Similarities and differences that have to be accounted for cross-linguistically are i. position (pre- or post- indefinite article), ii. agreement morphology (in Danish and German), and iii. semantics (whether an AdjP or a DP/NP is modified). English and Danish so/så may only modify an AdjP, while German so may also modify the DP/NP. English such may only modify the DP/NP (Bolinger 1972, Wood 2002) and may only precede the indefinite article. Danish and German allow inflected sådan/solch to follow the article. We discuss two possible syntactic derivations, predicate raising (e.g. Corver 1998, Bennis, Corver & den Dikken 1998) and XP movement from an attributive adjective position within the nominal (e.g. Matushansky 2002). The analysis links up with the morphological agreement facts of predicate and of attributive adjectives in Danish and German (Vikner 2001).
Abstract
We investigate the etymologically related words so and such (English); så and sådan (Danish); and so and solch (German). Similarities and differences that have to be accounted for cross-linguistically are i. position (pre- or post- indefinite article), ii. agreement morphology (in Danish and German), and iii. semantics (whether an AdjP or a DP/NP is modified). English and Danish so/så may only modify an AdjP, while German so may also modify the DP/NP. English such may only modify the DP/NP (Bolinger 1972, Wood 2002) and may only precede the indefinite article. Danish and German allow inflected sådan/solch to follow the article. We discuss two possible syntactic derivations, predicate raising (e.g. Corver 1998, Bennis, Corver & den Dikken 1998) and XP movement from an attributive adjective position within the nominal (e.g. Matushansky 2002). The analysis links up with the morphological agreement facts of predicate and of attributive adjectives in Danish and German (Vikner 2001).
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword vii
- The noun phrase in Germanic and Romance 1
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Part I. Variation
- Scaling the variation in Romance and Germanic nominalizations 25
- What all happens when a universal quantifier combines with an interrogative DP 41
- Micro-diversity in Dutch interrogative DPs 57
- Noun phrase structure and movement 89
- A unified structure for Scandinavian DPs 111
- A semantic approach to noun phrase structure and the definite – indefinite distinction in Germanic and Romance 127
- Definite determiners in two English-based creoles 141
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Part II. Change
- Form-function mismatches in (formally) definite English noun phrases 159
- The emergence of the definite article in English 175
- On the syntax of Romanian definite phrases 193
- Coexisting structures and competing functions in genitive word order 223
- Anaphoric adjectives becoming determiners 241
- From N to D 257
- Index 281
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Foreword vii
- The noun phrase in Germanic and Romance 1
-
Part I. Variation
- Scaling the variation in Romance and Germanic nominalizations 25
- What all happens when a universal quantifier combines with an interrogative DP 41
- Micro-diversity in Dutch interrogative DPs 57
- Noun phrase structure and movement 89
- A unified structure for Scandinavian DPs 111
- A semantic approach to noun phrase structure and the definite – indefinite distinction in Germanic and Romance 127
- Definite determiners in two English-based creoles 141
-
Part II. Change
- Form-function mismatches in (formally) definite English noun phrases 159
- The emergence of the definite article in English 175
- On the syntax of Romanian definite phrases 193
- Coexisting structures and competing functions in genitive word order 223
- Anaphoric adjectives becoming determiners 241
- From N to D 257
- Index 281
