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The cleft pronoun and cleft clause in English

  • Matthew Reeve
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Cleft Structures
This chapter is in the book Cleft Structures

Abstract

In this paper I argue against both ‘specificational’ and ‘expletive’ analyses of English clefts. I provide new evidence that the cleft pronoun it is non-expletive, and that the cleft clause is interpreted as a discontinuous definite description with it, as under specificational analyses. On the other hand, I argue that specificational analyses are mistaken in positing a syntactic modification relationship between the cleft clause and it. Rather, the evidence shows that the cleft clause behaves in all relevant ways as if it is a syntactic modifier of the clefted XP. Keywords: cleft constructions; relative clauses; copular sentences; definite descriptions.

Abstract

In this paper I argue against both ‘specificational’ and ‘expletive’ analyses of English clefts. I provide new evidence that the cleft pronoun it is non-expletive, and that the cleft clause is interpreted as a discontinuous definite description with it, as under specificational analyses. On the other hand, I argue that specificational analyses are mistaken in positing a syntactic modification relationship between the cleft clause and it. Rather, the evidence shows that the cleft clause behaves in all relevant ways as if it is a syntactic modifier of the clefted XP. Keywords: cleft constructions; relative clauses; copular sentences; definite descriptions.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of contributors vii
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Specificational/predicational clefts
  6. Predication and specification in the syntax of cleft sentences 35
  7. Wh -clefts and verb-initial word order in Austronesian languages 71
  8. (Pseudo)clefts at the syntax-prosody-discourse interface 97
  9. Part II. Monoclausal/biclausal analyses
  10. Clefts in Durban Zulu 141
  11. The cleft pronoun and cleft clause in English 165
  12. The morphosyntax of wolof clefts 187
  13. Part III. The focus potential of clefts
  14. Multiple focus and cleft sentences 227
  15. Recursion of FocP in Malayalam 251
  16. Multiple Wh-questions and the cleft construction in Malayalam 269
  17. Cleft partitionings in Japanese, Burmese and Chinese 285
  18. Italian clefts and the licensing of infinitival subject relatives 319
  19. Language index 343
  20. Subject index 345
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.208.06rev

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. List of contributors vii
  4. Introduction 1
  5. Part I. Specificational/predicational clefts
  6. Predication and specification in the syntax of cleft sentences 35
  7. Wh -clefts and verb-initial word order in Austronesian languages 71
  8. (Pseudo)clefts at the syntax-prosody-discourse interface 97
  9. Part II. Monoclausal/biclausal analyses
  10. Clefts in Durban Zulu 141
  11. The cleft pronoun and cleft clause in English 165
  12. The morphosyntax of wolof clefts 187
  13. Part III. The focus potential of clefts
  14. Multiple focus and cleft sentences 227
  15. Recursion of FocP in Malayalam 251
  16. Multiple Wh-questions and the cleft construction in Malayalam 269
  17. Cleft partitionings in Japanese, Burmese and Chinese 285
  18. Italian clefts and the licensing of infinitival subject relatives 319
  19. Language index 343
  20. Subject index 345
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