BibTeX
@MISC{_anote,
author = {},
title = {A Note on Expletive Split*},
year = {}
}
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Abstract
This paper discusses the word order difference between past participle (=ppt) and associate NP (=NP) in the passive expletive constructions across languages. It is claimed that “expletive split ” in terms of locative/ pronominal distinction is more plausible than Boeckx’s (1998) existential/ presentational distinction in explaining the apparent word order problem in English passive expletive construction. Boeckx (1998) stipulated that the English past participle is immobile, while that of other European languages is not, to explain the fact that the English passive expletive construction allows only NP + ppt order. However, by taking locative/ pronominal distinction, the stipulation that only English past participle is immobile could be dispensed with. On top of it, “expletive split ” in terms of locative/pronominal distinction explains why the word order contrast disappears if the locative PP moves in front of there. It is suggested that if a locative phrase is preposed, it occupies the Spec-TopP as the topic of the whole sentence and that the preposed locative PP optionally changes the properties of there from locative to pronominal. * I would like to thank Howard Lasnik for his valuable comment on earlier versions of this paper. His page-by-page comment was of great help for improvement of this paper. I have been greatly indebted to Myung-Kwang Park and Yoshihisa Goto for their interest and comments. I also thank Dong-Sin Choi, Sei-Rang Oh, and Bum-Sik Park for their comments at an informal talk, UConn, Storrs, Fall 2001. Special thanks go to two anonymous Studies
Keyphrases
expletive split locative pronominal distinction english passive expletive construction english past participle word order difference passive expletive construction bum-sik park existential presentational distinction locative phrase myung-kwang park valuable comment european language yoshihisa goto anonymous study informal talk whole sentence apparent word order problem dong-sin choi word order contrast page-by-page comment special thanks great help past participle associate np np ppt order sei-rang oh howard lasnik preposed locative pp locative pp move
