Dative Subjects and Semi-Expletive Pronouns in Russian
Anton Zimmerling
June 2024 

This paper discusses Russian sentence patterns without overt nominative subjects and analyses them in a framework with syntactic zero categories and oblique subjects. These are subclassified into 'strong' non-nominative subjects, cf. the patterns with the so called Mel'cuque's zeros (ULICU ZASYPALO PESKOM, V SVOEM DOME NE GAD’AT) and Dative-Infinitive Structures (GRUZOVIAM ZDES’ NE PROEXAT’) and 'weak' non-nominative subjects, cf. Dative-Predicative Structures (EJ BYLO STYDNO, EMU STALO KHOLODNO). A prominent feature of Dative-Predicatives Structures is that the predicates capable of taking oblique dative NPs specified as [+animate], can also take clausal subjects (INTERESNO that P), and semi-expletive stressless pronoun ETO (ETO BYLO INTERESNO) but cannot take three weak subjects simultaneously.

Format:	[ pdf ]
Reference:	lingbuzz/008239 (please use that when you cite this article)
Published in:	Studies in Formal Slavic Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, Semantics and Discourse Structure /Gerhild Zybatow, Uwe Junghanns, Denisa Lenertova, Petr Biskup (eds.). Peter Lang, 2009, 253-268. CGN: OBV:990081895390203331
keywords:	dative case, expletive pronouns, strong subjects, weak subjects, russian, syntax, phonology, semantics, morphology
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