The 'subject' of a sentence is a concept that presents great challenges to linguists. Most languages have something which looks like a subject, but subjects differ across languages in their nature and properties, making them an interesting phenomenon for those seeking linguistic universals. This pioneering volume addresses 'subject' nature from a simultaneously formal and typological perspective. Dividing the subject into two distinct grammatical functions, it shows how the nature of these functions explains their respective properties, and argues that the split in properties shown in 'ergative' languages (whereby the subject of intransitive verbs is marked as an object) results from the functions being assigned to different elements of the clause. Drawing on data from a typologically wide variety of languages, including English, Hebrew, Tagalog, Inuit and Acehnese, it explains why, even in the case of very different languages, certain core properties can be found.
Author(s): Yehuda N. Falk
Series: Cambridge Studies in Linguistics
Edition: 1
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Year: 2006
Language: English
Pages: 259
Half-title......Page 3
Series-title......Page 4
Title......Page 7
Copyright......Page 8
Dedication......Page 9
Contents......Page 11
Preface......Page 15
Notes on the text......Page 18
Abbreviations used in glosses......Page 19
1.1 Overview......Page 23
1.2.1 First approximation......Page 24
1.2.2 Case and subjects......Page 29
1.2.3 Second approximation......Page 34
1.3.2 Subject as structural position......Page 38
1.3.3 Subject as grammatical relation......Page 41
1.3.4 Subject as grammatical function......Page 43
1.4 The formal framework......Page 46
1.5 A look ahead......Page 50
2.1.1 First approximation......Page 52
2.1.2 Argument structure and hierarchies......Page 54
2.1.3 Most prominent argument......Page 58
2.1.4 Mismatches between argument structure and grammatical functions......Page 61
2.1.5 Mapping in mixed-subject languages......Page 66
2.1.6 Further thoughts on argument mapping......Page 68
2.2.1 Introductory remarks......Page 69
2.2.2.1 The nature of null pronouns......Page 71
2.2.2.2 Null pronouns and the relational hierarchy......Page 78
2.2.3 Imperative addressee......Page 81
2.3.1 Anaphoric prominence......Page 82
2.3.2 Switch-reference......Page 88
2.4 Summary......Page 94
3.1.1 The concept......Page 95
3.1.2 Formalization: the Pivot Condition......Page 98
3.2 Uniform subjects and mixed subjects......Page 100
3.3.1 Types of constructions......Page 105
3.3.2 Distinguishing formal constructions......Page 111
3.3.3 Multiple pivots......Page 114
3.4.1 External position......Page 117
3.4.2 Other clause-internal properties......Page 120
3.5 Some morphology......Page 122
3.6 Forthcoming attractions......Page 127
4.1 About long-distance dependencies......Page 128
4.1.1 Functional uncertainty......Page 129
4.1.2 Pivots and non-pivots......Page 132
4.1.3 Matrix subjects......Page 141
4.2 Across-the-board extraction......Page 144
4.3 The that-trace effect......Page 150
4.4 Summary......Page 156
5.1 Overview of the issues......Page 157
5.2 The semantic basis of control......Page 159
5.3 Syntactic types of control......Page 162
5.4.1 General......Page 164
5.4.2 Case study: Tagalog......Page 169
5.4.3 A non-problem in Balinese......Page 174
5.5.1 Non-complement equi......Page 176
5.5.2 Raising......Page 177
5.6 Conclusion......Page 183
6.1 Non-subject languages......Page 185
6.2 The realization of arguments......Page 188
6.3.1 Case study: Acehnese......Page 192
6.3.2 Topic prominence......Page 197
6.3.3.1 General considerations......Page 200
6.3.3.2 Choctaw/Chickasaw......Page 202
6.3.3.3 Warlpiri......Page 209
6.3.3.4 Speculation on morphological ergativity......Page 215
6.4 Conclusion......Page 217
7.1 Other approaches......Page 219
7.2 Typological approach......Page 220
7.3 Functionalism......Page 223
7.4 Inverse mapping and multistratal subjects......Page 225
7.5 Constituent structure approaches......Page 230
7.6 Final thoughts......Page 241
References......Page 244
Language index......Page 253
Author index......Page 255
General index......Page 257
