3. dative subjects and nominative...

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Dative Subjects and Nominative Objects

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SOURCESBoeckx,Cedric.2008.AspectsoftheSyntaxofAgreement.London:Routledge.

Jónsson, JóhannesGísli.2003.Notsoquirky:OnsubjectcaseinIcelandic.InE.BrandnerandH.Zinsmeister,eds.,New PerspectivesonCaseandCaseTheory,127-164.Stanford,CA:CSLIPublications.

Jónsson, JóhannesGísli.toappear.Samræmiviðnefnifallsandlög.InÞráinsson,Höskuldur,ÁsgrímurAngantýsson,andEinarFreyrSigurðsson,ritstjórar,Tilbrigði:ííslenskrisetningagerð.Reykjavík:MálvísindastofnumHáskólaÍslands.

Thráinsson,Höskuldur.2007.TheSyntaxofIcelandic.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.

Woolford,Ellen2006.Lexicalcase,inherentcase,andargumentstructure.LinguisticInquiry37(1):111-130.

Zaenen,Annie,JoanMaling,andHöskuldurThráinsson.1985.Caseandgrammaticalfunctions:theIcelandicpassive.NaturalLanguage&LinguisticTheory3(4):441-483.

• Non-nominativesubjectsinIcelandic

• IcelandicvsGerman• Alookatnominative

objects

Ling 222 ~ Fall 2016 ~ C.Ussery


The Big Pictureo KeyPoint:Dative(andothernon-nominatives)thatareinsubject(sentence-initial)positioninIcelandicareactuallysubjects;they’renottopicalizedobjects(cf.German).


Why is this relevant?

oThesefactsforceustodivorcecaseandgrammaticalfunction, whichwassomewhatnovelin1985.

o Nominativedoesnotnecessarilymeansubject.o Dativedoesnotnecessarilymeanindirectobject.

oWeknowthatErgative-Absolutivesystems(andsplitErgativesystems)divorcecaseandgrammaticalfunction, soit’snot soshocking thatNominative-Accusativesystemswouldalso.

oAndweknowthatagreementisdependentoncase,notgrammaticalfunction.VerbstendtoagreewithNominative/Absolutive arguments,notwith“subjects”.

oPassivizationteachesusthatdatives(andothernon-accusativeobjects)“preserve”theircasewhentheymovetosubjectposition.Thisdisprovestheclaimthatsemanticobjects(internalarguments)moveinpassivessolelyforthepurposeofcaseassignment.


These non-nominatives really aren’t objects that have been fronted

TRUE STORY.


(Jónsson 2003: 130)


What are the properties of non-nominative subjects?Ingeneral,non-nominativesubjectsarelessagentivethantheirnominativecounterparts.


So, what makes us believe that these are subjects?

(Jónsson 2003: 131-133)

• (4a): they volitionally agree on something• (4b): they have the experience of not

getting along

• (5a): the children learn to obey either by experience or conscious effort.

• 5b): the children learn to obey by experience.


Topicalization


o (a): The object refinn ‘the fox’ has been topicalizedo (b): The PP cannot be topicalized

a. Refinn skaut Ólafur með þessari byssu.the-fox.Acc shot Olaf.Nom with this shotgun‘The fox, Olaf shot with this shotgun.’

b. *Með þessari byssu skaut refinn Ólafurwith this shotgun shot the-fox.Acc Olaf.Nom‘With this shotgun, the fox Olaf shot.’ (ZMT, EX 19)

o Icelandic is Verb-Second (V2), so if some constituent is topicalized, the subject appears after the verb.

o If an object is topicalized, there can be no additional topicalization.


Topicalization and Questions

a.SiggahafðialdreihjálpaðHaraldi.Sigga.NomhadneverhelpedHarold.Dat‘SiggahadneverhelpedHarold.’

b.HafðiSiggaaldreihjálpaðHaraldi.HadSigga.NomneverhelpedHarold.Dat‘HadSigganeverhelpedHarold?’

c.*HafðiHaraldiSiggaaldreihjálpað.HadHarold.DatSigga.Nomneverhelped‘HadHaroldSigganeverhelped?’

(ZMT,EX20)


o In questions, the subject follows the tensed verb.

o (a): ‘help’ is a verb that has a nominative subject and a dative object.

o (b) is the question counterpart to (a). The tensed verb inverts with the subject.

o Topicalization is not possible with a question.

o (c): the topicalized object cannot follow the verb. The dative cannot follow the verb.


Non-nominatives and Questions

a.Hefurhenni alltafþóttÓlafurleiðinlegur?

hasshe.DatalwaysthoughtOlaf.Nomboring.Nom

‘HasshealwaysthoughtOlafboring?’

b.Ólafurhefurhennialltafþóttleiðinlegur?

Olaf.Nomhasshe.Datalwaysthoughtboring.Nom

‘Olaf,hasshealwaysthought boring?’

c.*HefurÓlafurhenni alltafþóttleiðinlegur?

hasOlaf.Nomshe.Datalwaysthought boring.Nom

‘HasOlaf,shealwaysthought boring?’(ZMT,EX21)


o Non-nominative subjects, unlike topics, can follow the verb in a question = a

o The nominative object is topicalized= b

o The nominative cannot invert with the finite verb = c

o The Dative patterns like a subject and the Nominative patterns like an object.


Reflexivization

a.Siggabarðimigmeðdúkkunni sinni/*hennar.

Sigga.Nomhitme.Accwithdoll.Dather(refl)/*-refl

‘Siggahitmewithherdoll.’

b.ÉgbarðiSiggu meðdúkkunni hennar/*sinni.

I.NomhitSigga.Accwithdoll.Dather/*refl

c.Henni þykirbróðir sinn/*hennar leiðinlegur.

her.Dat thinksbrother.Nom her(refl)/*-reflboring

‘Shefindsherbrotherboring.’

d.Hverjum þykirsinn fuglfagur.

everyone.Dat thinkshis(refl) bird.Nombeautiful

(ZMT,EX18)Ling 222 ~ Fall 2016 ~ C.Ussery

o a: the subject is the antecedent for the reflexive.

o b: the object cannot be the antecedent for the reflexive.

o c/d: the dative is the antecedent. If these datives were topicalized objects, we would expect them to behave like the object in b.

. In general, only a subject can be the antecedent of a reflexive (but see the ZMT paper for a more nuanced description of reflexives).


Coreference with PROa.Ḗg vonast til að fara heim.

I.Nomhope.1sg forthattogohome

‘Ihopetogohome.’

b.Mig vantar peninga.

me.Acc lack.3sgmoney.Acc

‘Ilackmoney.’

c.Ḗg vonast til að vanta ekki peninga.

I.Nom hope.1sgforthattolacknotmoney.

‘Ihopenottolackmoney.’(ZMT,EX28-29)

d.Krökkunum áskotnuðust/áskotnaðist nýir litir.

kids.the.dat got.3pl/3sg newcrayons.nom

‘Thekidsgotnewcrayons.’

e.Krökkunum líkar/líka til að áskotnast nýir litir.

kids.the.dat like.3pl/3sgforthattogetnewcrayons.nom.

‘Thekidsliketogetnewcrayons.’Ling 222 ~ Fall 2016 ~ C.Ussery

In subject control, PRO is coreferential with the matrix subject, irrespective of case. PRO is accusative in (c) and dative in (e).

PRO is not coreferential with objects in subject control. (Icelandic does have object control and it patterns like English.)


Indefinite Subject Postposing

a.Þjófur hefur stoliðhjólinu mínu

athief.Nomhasstolenbicycle.Datmy.Dat

‘Athiefhasstolenmybicycle.’

b.Þaðhefurþjófur stolið hjólinu mínu

therehasathief.Nomstolenbicycle.Datmy.Dat

‘Athiefhasstolenmybicycle.’

c.Hjóli hefurþjófurrinn stolið

abicycle.dathasthief.the.Nomstolen

‘Abicycle,thethiefhasstolen.’

d.*Þaðhefurhjóliþjófurrinn stolið

therehasabicycle.Datthief.the.Nomstolen

‘Abicycle,thethiefhasstolen.’

e.*Þaðhefurhjóli stoliðþjófurrinn

therehasabicycle.Datstolenthief.the.Nom

‘Abicycle,thethiefhasstolen.’(ZMT,EX24)

IcelandicallowsforexpletiveconstructionsmuchforwidelythanEnglishdoes.

b:Whenasubjectisindefinite,anexpletivesentencecanbeused.Theexpletiveþað comesatthebeginningofthesentence,followedbytheverb,whichisfollowedbythesubject.

c:Thedativeobjecthasbeentopicalized.

d/e:Theexpletivesentenceisnotallowedwithtopicalization.



The Dative here can appear in an expletive sentence

a.Einhverjum hefurþóttÓlafurleiðinlegur.someone.Dathasthought Olaf.Nomboring‘Someone hasfound Olafboring.’

b.Þaðhefureinhverjum þóttÓlafurleiðinlegur.therehassomeone.Datthought Olaf.Nomboring‘SomeonehasfoundOlafboring.’

c.Ólafurhefureinhverjum þóttleiðinlegur.Olaf.Nomhassomeone.Datthought boring‘Olaf,someonehasfoundboring.’

d.*ÞaðhefurÓlafureinhverjum þóttleiðinlegur.therehasOlaf.Nomsomeone.Datthoughtboring‘Olaf,someonehasfoundboring.’

b:Thedativecanbepost-posed.

c:Thenominativehasbeentopicalized.

d:Thenominativecannotbepost-posed.

The dative is a subject and the nominative an object.



Ellipsis

d.Nemendurnir sátuálöngumfyrirlestrum ogleiddist/leiddust þaúóskaplega.

students.the.nomsatinlonglecturesandbored.3sg/3pl them.nom immensely

‘Thestudentssatinlong lecturesand(they) feltimmenselyboredbythem.’


o The elided subject in the second clause is coreferential with the overt subject in the first clause.

o The object in the second clause is nominative because the elided subject is dative.

o AND, we see that the verb optionally agrees with the nominative.

o If the second nominative were a subject, the verb would necessarily agree.

a. Þeir fluttu líkið og þeir grófu það.they.Nom moved.3pl corpse.the and they.Nom buried.3pl it ‘They moved the corpse and they buried it.’

b. Þeir fluttu líkið og grófu það.they.Nom moved.3pl corpse.the and buried.3pl it ‘They moved the corpse and (they) buried it.’

c. *Líkið hræddi þá og grófu það.corpse.the.Nom scared them.Acc and buried it‘The corpse scared them and (they) buried it.’

The elided subject in the second clause cannot be coreferential with the object in the first clause.


Interim Summary 1

• Topicalization• QuestionFormation• Reflexivization• Co-referencewithPRO• Indefinitesubjectpost-posingandexpletivesentences

• Ellipsis

Several pieces of evidence point to the conclusion that subjects in Icelandic need not be nominative



Overview of Icelandic Passivesa.Einhveropnaði skápinn.someone.Nomopened.3sgcupboard.the.Acc.sg.masc‘Someoneopened thecupboard.’

b.Skápurinn varopnaður.cupboard.the.Nom.sg.mascwas.3sgopened.Nom.sg.masc‘Thecupboardwasopened.’ (Thráinsson2007:10)


• When a sentence with a nominative and accusative object is passivized, the syntactic subject/semantic object surfaces as nominative.

• The auxiliary agrees with the nom is person and number.

• The participle agrees with the nom in case, gender, and number.


a.Éghjálpaðiþeim.I.Nomhelped.1sgthem.Dat‘Ihelpedthem.’

b.Þeimvarhjálpað.them.Datwas.3sghelped.Nom.neut.sg‘Theywerehelped.’

c.ÉgmunsaknaþeirraI.Nomwill.1sgmissthem.Gen‘Iwillmissher.’

d.Þeirravarsaknað.them.Genwas.3sgmissed.Nom.neut.sg‘Theyweremissed.’

• BUT,whentheunderlyingobjectisnotaccusativeintheactive,thesemanticobjectkeepsitscase.

• Neithertheauxiliarynortheparticipleagreewiththenon-nominative.



Ditransitives in Icelandic• Thesubjectisalwaysnominative.

• Theindirectanddirectobjectscancomeindifferentcombinations.

• Forsomecaseframes,onlythefirstNPcanbepassivized.

• FortheNom-Dat-Acc pattern(e),eitherNPcanpassivizeandinterestingthingshappen.


Free Powerpoint Templates Ling 222 ~ Fall 2016 ~ C.Ussery

The auxiliary and the participle both have to agree with the nominative

a. Konunginum voru gefnar ambáttirking.the.Dat was.3pl given.Nom.fem.pl maidservants.Nom.fem.pl‘The king was given maidservants.’

b. Ambáttin var gefin konunginum.maidservant.the.Nom.fem.sg was.3sg given.Nom.fem.sg king.the.Dat‘The maidservant was given to the king.’ (ZMT, EX 44)

c. Öllum börnunum voru /*var gefnar/*gefið kökur. all.Dat children.the.Dat.pl were.3pl/*sg given.pl.Nom.fem/*sg.Nom.neut. cakes.Nom.pl.fem‘All the children were given cakes.’


When passivized, dative objects pattern like syntactic subjects - except for agreement

Inquestionformationofpassives,eitherthedativeorthenominativecaninvertwiththeverb.


Question Formation


Theexpletiveconstructionisallowedwithpassives,andeitherthedativeornominativecanimmediatelyfollowtheverb.


Það (Expletive) Constructions


• Thesubjectinthefirstconjunctisnominative.

• TheelidedNPinthesecondconjunctcanbenominativeordative.


Subject Ellipsis


Another Way of Thinking About Case Assignment: an Algorithmic Approach


TheBasicIdea:

• Eachverbhasatheta/thematicgridwhichspecifiesthesemanticcontributionoftheverb’sarguments.(Thisapproachassumesthatthesubject isanargumentoftheverb.)

• Thematicrolesaremappedtogrammaticalfunction.

• Sometimescasestickswiththethematicroleandsometimescaseisassignedbasedongrammaticalfunction.

• Idiosyncraticcasemarkingisassociatedwithaparticularthematicroleandispreservedunderpassivization.

• Othercasesareassignedbasedonthe“default”scenario.


German≠ Icelandic

• Sentence-initialdativesinGermandonotpatternlikesubjects.

• Germanhassubjectcontrol=(80)

• Passivescanbeformedwithverbsthattakeaccusativeobject– e.g.,‘admitted’.

• In(81a),theobjectbecomesnominativeandcontrolsPRO.

• (81b)iscompletelyungrammatical.

• Ifthedativecaseispreserved, itcannotcontrolPRO.

• Thedativeobjectcannotbecomenominative.


Datives can’t control PRO


Subject Ellipsis in German

a:Thesubject inthesecondconjunctcanbeelided…

b:…evenifthesecondconjunctispassive– andthepassivizednounisnominative.

c.TheNPinthesecondconjunctcannotbeelided.Thepassivizednounisdative.

d/e.ThedativeNPcannotbeelidedinanactivesentence–eitherclause-initiallyorclause-finally.



Interim Summary 2InIcelandic,argumentsthathavea”special”caseretainthatcasewhenpassivized.TheseNPssyntacticallybehavelikesubjects.Sentence-initialdativesinGermandonotbehavelikesubjects.



NOMINATIVE OBJECTS IN ICELANDIC



a. Non-shifted Accusative ObjectHún hefur því sennilega ekki hitt þa um kvödið.she.Nom has thus probably not met them.Acc in evening.the‘She has probably not met them in the evening.’

b. Shifted Accusative ObjectHún hitt þa því sennilega ekki um kvödið.she.Nom met them.Acc thus probably not in evening.the‘She probably did not meet them in the evening.’

The Nominatives in (c/d) pattern the same way as the Accusatives in (a/b).

c. Non-shifted Nominative Object Henni hafa því sennilega ekki leiðst þeir um kvödið.her.Dat have thus probably not bored they.Nom in evening.the‘She has probably not felt bored by them in the evening.’

d. Shifted Nominative ObjectHenni leiddust þeir því sennilega ekki um kvödið.her.Dat bored they.Nom thus probably not in evening.the‘She has probably not been felt by them in the evening.’

(Boeckx 2008)

In a lot of Scandinavian languages, objects can move higher than their initial positions.(You can look up Holmberg’s Generalization for more info.)

Object Shift


ECM

Mérfinnst/finnastskot afBrennivínibragðgóðenvinummínumfinnst/finnastþaú sterk.

me.datfind.3sg/3plshots.nom ofBrennivíntasty but friends.datmy.datfind.3sg/3plthem.nomstrong

‘IfindshotsofBrennivintastybutmyfriendsfindthemstrong.’


o We’ve seen that verbs optionally agree with nominative objects.

o In ECM, the matrix verb optionally agrees with the embedded nominative subject.

o This subject is behaving like an object.


Word order isn’t the problem (remember Standard Arabic?)

Post-verbal Unaccusative

Þaðopnuðu/*opnaði allirbankarogkaffihús íKringlunni klukkantíu.

explopen.3pl/*3sg all banks.nom.plandcoffeehouses.nom.pl atKringlunni clockten

‘Allbanksandcoffeehouses inKringlanopenat10.’

Post-verbal Unergative

Þaðdönsuðu/*dansaði þrírbræður

expldanced.3pl/*3sg threebrothers.nom.pl

‘Threebrothersdanced.’


o Icelandicalsoallowsexpletiveconstructionswithintransitiveswithnominativesubjects.

o BUT,agreementwiththeverbisobligatory.o Optional agreement affects nominative objects, not just

post-verbal nominatives.


A long-standing part of the grammar of Icelandic(1) a.Honumlíkaði stórillaaðgerðirþeirra(Svarfdælasaga,1794)

he.datliked.3sgbadlyoperations.their.nom‘Hereallydidn’tliketheiroperations./Hewasverydissatisfiedwiththeiroperations.’

b.Þórðilíkaði illahennarmálsemdir(BjarnarsagaHítdælak.,120)Þórði.sg.datliked.3sgbadlyher.speech.nom‘Þórðurdidn’tlikeherspeech.’

c.Þálíkuðu honumgerðireigibeturenfyrrasumar(Sturlunga,75)thenliked.3plhe.datoperationsnotbetterthanearlier.summer.nom‘Thenheliked”theoperations”notbetterthantheearliersummer.’

d.Báðumkonungunumlíkuðu þessiandsvör(HrólfssagaGautr.,47)both.datkings.datliked.3plthese.answers/protests.nom‘Bothofthekingslikedtheseanswers/protests’(Jónsson,toappear,EX27.8)


Optional agreement in monoclausal sentences in the Sagas.


(1) a. Þeim þótti [ þau tíðindi mikil vera ] (Fóstbræðra saga, 778)they.dat found.3sg those.news.nom big to be‘They found these news to be big.’

b. Þótti mönnum [ þettamikil fádæmi ] (Hrólfs saga Gautr., 140) found.dft men.dat this big exceptional.nom‘They found this to be a big exception.’

c. Oddi þóttu [ þettamikil tíðindi ] (Bandamanna saga, 7)Oddur dat found.3pl this big news.nom‘Oddur found this to be big news.’

d. Gretti þóttu [ illar spár hans ] (Grettis saga, 1003) Grettir.sg.dat found.3pl bad his.prophecies.nom‘Grettir found his prophecies to be bad.’ (Jónsson, to appear, EX 27.9)

Optional agreement in biclausal sentences in the Sagas.


Summmary

• Icelandicactivesentencesillustratethatwecannot(necessarily)paircaseandgrammaticalfunction.

• Subjectsneednotbenominative.• Inpassives,“non-structural”caseisretained.• InIcelandic,thepassivizedobjectbehaveslikenon-structurallycase-markedNPsinactives.

• NotsoinGerman• NominativeobjectsinIcelandicsyntacticallypatternlikeaccusativeobjects.

• NominativeobjectsandembeddednominativesubjectsinECMbothallowforoptionalagreement.


3. dative subjects and nominative...

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