In:The Determinants of Diachronic Stability
Edited by Anne Breitbarth, Miriam Bouzouita, Lieven Danckaert and Melissa Farasyn
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 254] 2019
► pp. 39–68
Chapter 3Apparent competing agreement patterns in Middle Low German non-restrictive relative clauses with a first or second person head
Published online: 20 March 2019
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.254.03far
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.254.03far
Abstract
This paper updates Farasyn (2017), who charted the agreement patterns found in Middle Low German (non-restrictive) relative clauses with a first or second person head. In related West Germanic languages, these clauses show different types of agreement patterns. This study presents new corpus data illustrating how Middle Low German compares to these. Expanding on Farasyn (2017), it investigates the historical development and elements introducing the relative clause, showing that φ-features in older stages of the West Germanic languages are always encoded in the non-restrictive relative clause, though often in different positions. Middle Low German displays a remarkable stability in retaining a covert resumptive pronoun bearing φ-features. An apparent competing pattern with an overt resumptive is a later innovation, as are structures with third person agreement found in neighboring languages.
Article outline
- 1.Background
- 2.Corpus and methodology
- 3.Syntactic distribution
- 3.1Types of heads and agreement patterns
- 3.1.1Relative clauses modifying a nominative/vocative (‘Anredenominativ’)
- 3.1.2Relative clauses modifying an object
- 3.1.3Relative clauses modifying a complement of a preposition
- 3.1.4Relative clauses modifying a possessive
- 3.1.5Relative clauses modifying the (unexpressed) subject/agent of an imperative
- 3.2Elements introducing the (non-restrictive) relative clause
- 3.3Special cases
- 3.3.1Long distance agreement/no binding
- 3.3.2Postcopular relative clauses
- 3.1Types of heads and agreement patterns
- 4.Analysis
- 5.Diachronic development
- 6.Conclusion
Notes Primary sources References
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