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In:Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 15: Selected papers from 'Going Romance' 30, Frankfurt
Edited by Ingo Feldhausen, Martin Elsig, Imme Kuchenbrandt and Mareike Neuhaus
[Romance Languages and Linguistic Theory 15] 2019
► pp. 199–218

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Chapter 10
On Romanian preverbal subjects

 | The “Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” Institute of Linguistics, Bucharest
Published online: 9 October 2019
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https://doi.org/10.1075/rllt.15.10giu
Abstract
In the generative literature on Romanian, there is disagreement on the status of preverbal subjects: some researchers consider that they are always fronted by topicalization or focalization, whereas others hold that preverbal subjects that are neither topics nor foci can be found. Based on an analysis of the conditions for topicalization, I argue that the latter view is correct. On the other hand, there are configurations in which a preverbal subject must be a topic (if it is not focus-fronted). I offer a prosodic account for the ban on SV with non-topical S in this type of examples. Moreover, I show that oblique experiencers in non-canonical argument structures behave like nominative subjects with respect to the availability of an unmarked preverbal position.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction: The status of preverbal subjects in Romanian
  • 2.The issue of non-topical preverbal subjects
  • 3.Constraints on SV with non-topical S: A prosodic account
  • 4.Non-topical preverbal subjects are not ‘Last resorts’
  • 5.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
  • Appendix
References (48)
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