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In:Null or Nothing: Zero elements in Romance syntax and morphology
Edited by Peter Herbeck and Natascha Pomino
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 291] 2026
► pp. 334–367

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Spatial expressions with implicit (and overt) arguments

A comparative study of French and Spanish

ORCiD logo with link | University of Graz
ORCiD logo with link | University of Toronto Mississauga
Published online: 27 February 2026
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/la.291.12hei
Abstract
Implicit arguments in the prepositional domain are a lesser-studied context of NULL or NOTHING, yet much like in the inflectional and verbal domains, micro-variation within Romance reveals different types of implicit arguments and illuminates properties of the structures within which they are licensed. This chapter focuses on the null pronouns of orphan prepositions in French and Spanish and scrutinizes their licensing through the lens of a three-way typology of spatial expressions. It is shown that French and Spanish converge in more ways than they differ in terms of orphaning, and that the typology of spatial expressions is highly predictive for the licensing of null pronouns.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Types of implicit arguments in PPs
  • 3.Orphan prepositions
    • 3.1French
      • 3.1.1Decomposing P
      • 3.1.2Weak prepositions
      • 3.1.3Strong prepositions
      • 3.1.4Axial part complexes
    • 3.2Spanish
  • 4.SPEX
    • 4.1French
      • 4.1.1Simple prepositions: Weak and strong
      • 4.1.2Axial part complexes
      • 4.1.3Obligate orphans
    • 4.2Spanish
      • 4.2.1Simple prepositions: Weak and strong
      • 4.2.2Axial part complexes
      • 4.2.3The a- series
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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