112 research outputs found
Default person versus default number in agreement
In this paper, we compare the behaviour of the default in the person system (third
person) with the default in the number system (singular). We argue, following
Nevins (2007; 2011), that third person pronouns have person features, while singular
DPs lack number features. The evidence for these claims comes from situations
in which a single head agrees with multiple DPs that have contrasting person and
number specifications. In cases where the number of morphological slots in which
agreement can be realized is lower than the number of agreement relations established
in syntax, such contrasting specification may prove problematic. As it turns
out, conflicts between singular and plural do not result in ungrammaticality, but
conflicts between third person and first or second person do. Such person clashes
can be avoided if the morphological realization of the relevant person features is
syncretic. Alternatively, languages may make use of a person hierarchy that regulates
the morphological realization of conflicting specifications for person. The
argument we present is rooted in, and supports, the theory of person developed in
Ackema & Neeleman (2013; 2018)
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