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Towards a unified theory of resumption

Abstract

This paper presents a unified theory of resumptive pronouns, based on the Resource Management Theory of Resumption. It identifies a common basis for puzzlingly different resumptive pronouns in languages such as Irish, in which resumptive pronouns do not behave syntactically like gaps (syntactically active resumptives), versus languages such as Vata, in which resumptive pronouns do behave syntactically like gaps (syntactically inactive resumptives). The Resource Management Theory of Resumption is based on the Resource Sensitivity Hypothesis, which holds that natural language is resource-sensitive – as captured through the use of a resource logic for semantic composition – and the empirical observation that resumptive pronouns are morpho-lexically ordinary pronouns – languages do not employ special paradigms or special items in resumptive-only uses. The unification of the two kinds of resumption is captured in semantic composition, but Vata-type resumptives also involve an additional syntactic mechanism, which is captured through an operation on feature-value pairs in a constraint-based, non-transformational theory of syntax.

Abstract

This paper presents a unified theory of resumptive pronouns, based on the Resource Management Theory of Resumption. It identifies a common basis for puzzlingly different resumptive pronouns in languages such as Irish, in which resumptive pronouns do not behave syntactically like gaps (syntactically active resumptives), versus languages such as Vata, in which resumptive pronouns do behave syntactically like gaps (syntactically inactive resumptives). The Resource Management Theory of Resumption is based on the Resource Sensitivity Hypothesis, which holds that natural language is resource-sensitive – as captured through the use of a resource logic for semantic composition – and the empirical observation that resumptive pronouns are morpho-lexically ordinary pronouns – languages do not employ special paradigms or special items in resumptive-only uses. The unification of the two kinds of resumption is captured in semantic composition, but Vata-type resumptives also involve an additional syntactic mechanism, which is captured through an operation on feature-value pairs in a constraint-based, non-transformational theory of syntax.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Foreword vii
  4. Some issues in the theory of resumption: 1
  5. Part I. Syntactic uniformity/diversity of resumption
  6. Resumptive pronouns, A-binding,and levels of representations in Irish 65
  7. Towards a unified theory of resumption 121
  8. The limits of resumption in Welsh wh -dependencies 189
  9. Last resort and no resort: 223
  10. Building and interpreting nonthematic A-positions 241
  11. Part II. Issues in the semantics of resumptive pronouns and epithets
  12. On the syntax and semantics of resumptive pronouns 289
  13. Some notes on the ‘specificity effects’of optional resumptive pronouns 319
  14. Bare resumptives 343
  15. Resumptives, movement and interpretation 367
  16. Weak versus strong resumption 395
  17. Index of languages 425
  18. Index of notions 427
Resumptive Pronouns at the Interfaces
This chapter is in the book Resumptive Pronouns at the Interfaces
https://doi.org/10.1075/lfab.5.03asu

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Foreword vii
  4. Some issues in the theory of resumption: 1
  5. Part I. Syntactic uniformity/diversity of resumption
  6. Resumptive pronouns, A-binding,and levels of representations in Irish 65
  7. Towards a unified theory of resumption 121
  8. The limits of resumption in Welsh wh -dependencies 189
  9. Last resort and no resort: 223
  10. Building and interpreting nonthematic A-positions 241
  11. Part II. Issues in the semantics of resumptive pronouns and epithets
  12. On the syntax and semantics of resumptive pronouns 289
  13. Some notes on the ‘specificity effects’of optional resumptive pronouns 319
  14. Bare resumptives 343
  15. Resumptives, movement and interpretation 367
  16. Weak versus strong resumption 395
  17. Index of languages 425
  18. Index of notions 427
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