3. Objects
-
Ioanna Sitaridou
Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of objects in Romance, presenting descriptions and proposals for formal analyses of particular Romance object(-related) properties, which reveal a great deal of variation. After having given some basic definitions and properties of objects in all languages, the chapter presents some “object markers” in a broad sense, which never coexist in a single variety, but which enable different subgroups of Romance languages to be distinguished - only Romanian, for example, has maintained morphological case distinctions for some lexical categories to date; most Romance varieties have developed Differential Object Marking (DOM) for a subset of DOs whose properties are (mainly) semantically defined, and Romance varieties can also mark DOs by (overt marking of) past participle agreement. The agreement triggering conditions differ across the varieties, but often agreement on the participle marks some kind of “special”, i. e., non canonical (= lexical, postverbal) DO. In contrast to most Romance varieties, Romanian does admit Double Object Constructions (DOC), and much variation is observed for clitic doubling and clitic climbing. Furthermore, object drop is frequently found in Romance varieties (especially for non-human and non-specific object referents), with Brazilian Portuguese also admitting object drop for definite, specific referents. Subject-object asymmetries are finally observed with respect to the distribution of bare nouns, wh-extraction asymmetries being confined to non-pro-drop languages such as French and some Rhaeto-Romance varieties.
Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of objects in Romance, presenting descriptions and proposals for formal analyses of particular Romance object(-related) properties, which reveal a great deal of variation. After having given some basic definitions and properties of objects in all languages, the chapter presents some “object markers” in a broad sense, which never coexist in a single variety, but which enable different subgroups of Romance languages to be distinguished - only Romanian, for example, has maintained morphological case distinctions for some lexical categories to date; most Romance varieties have developed Differential Object Marking (DOM) for a subset of DOs whose properties are (mainly) semantically defined, and Romance varieties can also mark DOs by (overt marking of) past participle agreement. The agreement triggering conditions differ across the varieties, but often agreement on the participle marks some kind of “special”, i. e., non canonical (= lexical, postverbal) DO. In contrast to most Romance varieties, Romanian does admit Double Object Constructions (DOC), and much variation is observed for clitic doubling and clitic climbing. Furthermore, object drop is frequently found in Romance varieties (especially for non-human and non-specific object referents), with Brazilian Portuguese also admitting object drop for definite, specific referents. Subject-object asymmetries are finally observed with respect to the distribution of bare nouns, wh-extraction asymmetries being confined to non-pro-drop languages such as French and some Rhaeto-Romance varieties.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Manuals of Romance Linguistics V
- Table of Contents VII
- Abbreviations XI
- 1. Introduction 1
-
The verbal domain
- 2. Subjects 27
- 3. Objects 89
- 4. Argument structure and argument structure alternations 154
- 5. Clitic pronouns 183
- 6. Voice and voice alternations 230
- 7. Auxiliaries 272
- 8. Causative and perception verbs 299
- 9. Copular and existential constructions 332
-
The clausal and sentential domains
- 10. Infinitival clauses 369
- 11. Tense, aspect, mood 397
- 12. Negation and polarity 449
- 13. Dislocations and framings 472
- 14. Focus Fronting 502
- 15. Cleft constructions 536
- 16. Interrogatives 569
- 17. Exclamatives, imperatives, optatives 603
- 18. Coordination and correlatives 647
-
The nominal domain
- 19. Gender and number 691
- 20. Determination and quantification 727
- 21. Adjectival and genitival modification 771
- 22. Relative clauses 804
-
Typological aspects
- 23. Syntheticity and Analyticity 839
- 24. Basic constituent orders 887
- List of Contributors 933
- Index 941
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Manuals of Romance Linguistics V
- Table of Contents VII
- Abbreviations XI
- 1. Introduction 1
-
The verbal domain
- 2. Subjects 27
- 3. Objects 89
- 4. Argument structure and argument structure alternations 154
- 5. Clitic pronouns 183
- 6. Voice and voice alternations 230
- 7. Auxiliaries 272
- 8. Causative and perception verbs 299
- 9. Copular and existential constructions 332
-
The clausal and sentential domains
- 10. Infinitival clauses 369
- 11. Tense, aspect, mood 397
- 12. Negation and polarity 449
- 13. Dislocations and framings 472
- 14. Focus Fronting 502
- 15. Cleft constructions 536
- 16. Interrogatives 569
- 17. Exclamatives, imperatives, optatives 603
- 18. Coordination and correlatives 647
-
The nominal domain
- 19. Gender and number 691
- 20. Determination and quantification 727
- 21. Adjectival and genitival modification 771
- 22. Relative clauses 804
-
Typological aspects
- 23. Syntheticity and Analyticity 839
- 24. Basic constituent orders 887
- List of Contributors 933
- Index 941
