Licensing Theory and French Parasitic Gaps

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Language Arts, Grammar, Foreign Languages
Cover of the book Licensing Theory and French Parasitic Gaps by C.R. Tellier, Springer Netherlands
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: C.R. Tellier ISBN: 9789401135962
Publisher: Springer Netherlands Publication: December 6, 2012
Imprint: Springer Language: English
Author: C.R. Tellier
ISBN: 9789401135962
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Publication: December 6, 2012
Imprint: Springer
Language: English

The study of parasitic gap constructions (e. g. these are the reports; which you corrected _; before filing _i) has been a very lively area of research over the last decade. The impetus behind this lies mostly in the margi­ nality of the construction. Clearly, the intuitions that native speakers have about parasitic gaps do not stem from direct instruction; hence, it is reasoned, such knowledge follows from the restrictions imposed by Universal Grammar. Furthermore, it is unlikely that any principle of Universal Grammar refers specifically to parasitic gap constructions; their syntactic and interpretive properties must instead follow entirely from independent principles. My own interest in the phenomenon was sparked a few years ago, when, in a novel, I came across a sentence like the following: Chait un armateur; dont Ie prestige _; reposait largement sur la fortune _;, 'he was a shipbuilder of whom the prestige was largely based on the wealth'. As the indices indicate, the interpretation of the French sentence is un­ ambiguous: both the prestige and the wealth necessarily pertain to the same individual. In this aspect, the sentence much resembles the English parasitic gap construction above: in the former case too, the comple­ ments of correct and file must corefer with the noun phrase heading the relative (the reports). Yet, there is an important difference between the two constructions. Verbs like correct and file subcategorize their com­ plements.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The study of parasitic gap constructions (e. g. these are the reports; which you corrected _; before filing _i) has been a very lively area of research over the last decade. The impetus behind this lies mostly in the margi­ nality of the construction. Clearly, the intuitions that native speakers have about parasitic gaps do not stem from direct instruction; hence, it is reasoned, such knowledge follows from the restrictions imposed by Universal Grammar. Furthermore, it is unlikely that any principle of Universal Grammar refers specifically to parasitic gap constructions; their syntactic and interpretive properties must instead follow entirely from independent principles. My own interest in the phenomenon was sparked a few years ago, when, in a novel, I came across a sentence like the following: Chait un armateur; dont Ie prestige _; reposait largement sur la fortune _;, 'he was a shipbuilder of whom the prestige was largely based on the wealth'. As the indices indicate, the interpretation of the French sentence is un­ ambiguous: both the prestige and the wealth necessarily pertain to the same individual. In this aspect, the sentence much resembles the English parasitic gap construction above: in the former case too, the comple­ ments of correct and file must corefer with the noun phrase heading the relative (the reports). Yet, there is an important difference between the two constructions. Verbs like correct and file subcategorize their com­ plements.

More books from Springer Netherlands

Cover of the book Macromolecular Crystallography by C.R. Tellier
Cover of the book Bio-aggregates Based Building Materials by C.R. Tellier
Cover of the book Learning in Graphical Models by C.R. Tellier
Cover of the book Mathematicians as Enquirers by C.R. Tellier
Cover of the book Arterial and Venous Systems in Essential Hypertension by C.R. Tellier
Cover of the book Waste Management by C.R. Tellier
Cover of the book International Perspectives on Competence in the Workplace by C.R. Tellier
Cover of the book Electricity Transmission Pricing and Technology by C.R. Tellier
Cover of the book What Every Woman Should Know about Cervical Cancer by C.R. Tellier
Cover of the book Phenomenology and Treatment of Psychiatric Emergencies by C.R. Tellier
Cover of the book The Future of the Defence Firm: New Challenges, New Directions by C.R. Tellier
Cover of the book Advances in Water Treatment and Pollution Prevention by C.R. Tellier
Cover of the book Late Cenozoic Climate Change in Asia by C.R. Tellier
Cover of the book Translational Bioinformatics and Its Application by C.R. Tellier
Cover of the book Cancer Chemoprevention and Treatment by Diet Therapy by C.R. Tellier
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy