On (partially) quirky subjects, numeral subjects, and subject-oriented anaphor binding: Nominal and non-nominal subjects and their structural positions
Zeljko Boskovic
February 2025
 

The paper makes a proposal how to treat certain quirky subjects that pass some but not all subjecthood tests, arguing that they are PPs with a null P. Such quirky subjects are located in a higher subject position than fully quirky subjects, as well as regular agreeing subjects, in line with Bošković’s (2024a) proposal that non-nominal subjects satisfy the EPP in a higher position than nominal subjects. The analysis has consequences for determining what counts as a binder of subject-oriented anaphors. In principle, the element in any of the three derived subject positions where the EPP is satisfied in Bošković (2024a), as well as the element in the external argument theta-position can bind subject-oriented anaphors, with the closest subject being the binder when more than one subject is present. However, the binder crucially must be nominal. What distinguishes subject-oriented and “regular” anaphors is then that the latter can be bound by non-subjects as well as by non-nominal (e.g. PP) subjects. The paper also makes a number of proposals regarding how to treat numeral subjects in Slavic (where the noun following the numeral bears genitive), which show rather complex behavior regarding agreement, case, binding of subject-oriented anaphors and control, the main claim being that with some numeral phrases, in particular, agreeing numeral subjects in Russian and non-agreeing numeral subjects in Serbo-Croatian (non-agreeing numeral subjects in Russian are treated differently), a null noun is present, with that null noun assigning genitive (nouns in these languages quite generally assign genitive). Throughout the discussion, special attention is paid to whether various non-canonical subjects are nominal or non-nominal in nature.
Format: [ pdf ]
Reference: lingbuzz/008346
(please use that when you cite this article)
Published in: to appear in Linguistic Variation (Special issue: Factors in natural language design-- the nominal domain and beyond)
keywords: quirky subjects, subject-oriented anaphors, subject positions, control, case, agreement, syntax
previous versions: v1 [August 2024]
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