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A cross-linguistic approach to sentential subjects in Kannada

  • Anuradha Sudharsan
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Trends in South Asian Linguistics
This chapter is in the book Trends in South Asian Linguistics

Abstract

In Kannada, only nominalized clauses can occupy the canonical subject position whereas non-nominalized clauses can occupy only the object position. Nominalized clauses have an overt D head, whereas non-nominalized clauses lack it. Two factors explain this subject/object asymmetry. Firstly, finite T is always +Case, whereas only transitive v has Case. Secondly, the fact that only nominalized clauses can occupy Case positions shows that only an overt nominal head can receive Case. A (Non-)Overt Head Constraint is proposed to exclude non-nominalized clauses from Case positions. Cross-linguistic facts corroborate this claim and also explain why that-clauses in English tend to extrapose.

Abstract

In Kannada, only nominalized clauses can occupy the canonical subject position whereas non-nominalized clauses can occupy only the object position. Nominalized clauses have an overt D head, whereas non-nominalized clauses lack it. Two factors explain this subject/object asymmetry. Firstly, finite T is always +Case, whereas only transitive v has Case. Secondly, the fact that only nominalized clauses can occupy Case positions shows that only an overt nominal head can receive Case. A (Non-)Overt Head Constraint is proposed to exclude non-nominalized clauses from Case positions. Cross-linguistic facts corroborate this claim and also explain why that-clauses in English tend to extrapose.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Preface vii
  3. Contents xi
  4. Acknowledgements xiii
  5. On the syntax of comparative clauses in Vedic Sanskrit … like someone eating the foam off the water 1
  6. Some questions about yád in Vedic 23
  7. A statistical model of syntactic and nonsyntactic factors affecting relative clause placement in Hindi 43
  8. Optionality and variation in agreement in some participles in Hindi-Urdu 77
  9. A cross-linguistic approach to sentential subjects in Kannada 119
  10. Relation between animacy and case marking in Eastern Indo-Aryan languages 173
  11. Participles with a semantic void in Koints 191
  12. Competition between vectored verbs and factored verbs in Hindi-Urdu, Marathi and Gujarati 207
  13. How similarly do Hindi rakhnā and Japanese oku PUT behave as a V2? A corpus-based comparative analysis 243
  14. The use of vector verbs in early modern Tamil 261
  15. Reflexive and reciprocal marking in Mising 291
  16. Reciprocals in Kokborok — A Case of Syntactic Convergence 311
  17. A cognitive semantic analysis of locative and spatial constructions in Bangla 339
  18. Revisiting Pāṇini’s generative power 361
  19. Hindi root allomorphy: Insights from phonological and morphosyntactic theory 381
  20. Lexeme and speech syllables in English and Hindi. A case for syllable structure 415
  21. List of contributors 463
  22. List of contributors 469
  23. Index of languages 477
  24. Index of subjects 479
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110753066-005

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Preface vii
  3. Contents xi
  4. Acknowledgements xiii
  5. On the syntax of comparative clauses in Vedic Sanskrit … like someone eating the foam off the water 1
  6. Some questions about yád in Vedic 23
  7. A statistical model of syntactic and nonsyntactic factors affecting relative clause placement in Hindi 43
  8. Optionality and variation in agreement in some participles in Hindi-Urdu 77
  9. A cross-linguistic approach to sentential subjects in Kannada 119
  10. Relation between animacy and case marking in Eastern Indo-Aryan languages 173
  11. Participles with a semantic void in Koints 191
  12. Competition between vectored verbs and factored verbs in Hindi-Urdu, Marathi and Gujarati 207
  13. How similarly do Hindi rakhnā and Japanese oku PUT behave as a V2? A corpus-based comparative analysis 243
  14. The use of vector verbs in early modern Tamil 261
  15. Reflexive and reciprocal marking in Mising 291
  16. Reciprocals in Kokborok — A Case of Syntactic Convergence 311
  17. A cognitive semantic analysis of locative and spatial constructions in Bangla 339
  18. Revisiting Pāṇini’s generative power 361
  19. Hindi root allomorphy: Insights from phonological and morphosyntactic theory 381
  20. Lexeme and speech syllables in English and Hindi. A case for syllable structure 415
  21. List of contributors 463
  22. List of contributors 469
  23. Index of languages 477
  24. Index of subjects 479
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