Author(s): Holmberg A; Nikanne U
Abstract: In colloquial Finnish finite clauses the subject can be doubled by a pronoun. This pronoun has number but no person, and therefore can double a 1st or 2nd person pronoun as long as number matches. The doubling pronoun is in spec(Finite)P, the ‘EPP-position’, while the doubled subject remains within the TP, when it is not moved to specCP. Finnish also has subject trebling, with a second doubling pronoun occupying specCP. Doubling of a pronominal subject is shown to follow from the partial copying theory of Barbiers & al. (2007), in conjunction with a particular analysis of the internal structure of pronouns. Cross-dialectal and cross-linguistic variation as regards doubling is ascribed, at least in part, to a lexical difference: whether or not the lexicon includes deficient pronouns.
|
Professor Anders Holmberg
|
|