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In:Existential Constructions across Languages: Forms, meanings and functions
Edited by Laure Sarda and Ludovica Lena
[Human Cognitive Processing 76] 2023
► pp. 1–32

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Chapter 1
Existential constructions

In search of a definition

ORCiD logo with link | LATTICE – CNRS (Ecole Normale Supérieure-PSL and Université Sorbonne Nouvelle)
ORCiD logo with link | Xiamen University, China | CRLAO (INALCO/EHESS/CNRS)
Published online: 5 July 2023
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/hcp.76.01sar
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.On the form of existentials
    • 2.1The expletive
    • 2.2The proform
    • 2.3The copula
    • 2.4The pivot
    • 2.5The coda
  • 3.Existentials: Definitions
  • 4.Semantic and discourse-functional properties of existentials
    • 4.1The polyfunctionality of existentials
    • 4.2Is the existential construction necessarily a morphosyntactically-marked construction?
    • 4.3Extension of the “non-canonicity” criterion
  • 5.Outline of the volume and main research questions
  • 6.Concluding remarks
  • Notes
  • References
References (80)
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