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E-book
Author Zimmermann, Michael

Title Expletive and Referential Subject Pronouns in Medieval French
Published Berlin : De Gruyter, 2014

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Description 1 online resource (256 pages)
Series Linguistische Arbeiten ; v. 556
Linguistische Arbeiten
Contents 1 Introduction; 2 The development of subject pronouns in Medieval and Classical French; 2.0 Overview; 2.1 Survey of the literature; 2.1.1 Expletive subject pronouns; 2.1.1.1 Preliminaries; 2.1.1.2 Old French; 2.1.1.3 Middle French; 2.1.1.4 Classical French; 2.1.1.5 Conclusion; 2.1.2 Referential subject pronouns; 2.1.2.1 Preliminaries; 2.1.2.2 Old French; 2.1.2.3 Middle French; 2.1.2.4 Classical French; 2.1.2.5 Conclusion; 2.2 A new data corpus; 2.2.1 General information; 2.2.2 Results; 3 Discussion of previous approaches to subject pronouns in Medieval French; 3.0 Overview
3.1 Approaches to both expletive and referential subject pronouns3.1.1 The 'root V2 approach'; 3.1.2 The '(root and) embedded V2 approach'; 3.1.3 The 'clitic (and auxiliary) (root) V2 approach'; 3.1.4 The 'borrowing approach'; 3.1.5 The 'disambiguation approach'; 3.2 Approaches to expletive subject pronouns; 3.2.1 The 'analogy approach'; 3.2.2 The 'balance approach'; 3.2.3 The 'grammaticalization approach'; 3.2.4 The 'right dislocation approach'; 3.3 Approaches to referential subject pronouns; 3.3.1 The 'agent action approach'; 3.3.2 The 'differential parsing approach'
3.3.3 The 'pragmatico-rhetorical approach'3.3.4 The 'inducement approach'; 3.4 Conclusion; 4 An alternative approach to subject pronouns in Medieval French; 4.0 Overview; 4.1 Old and Middle French as non-null subject languages; 4.2 Contexts for non-expressed subject pronouns; 4.3 Conditions on non-expressed subject pronouns; 4.4 Non-expressed subject pronouns in 'V>1' declaratives; 4.4.1 Information-structural properties of preverbal constituents; 4.4.1.1 'V2' declaratives; 4.4.1.2 'V>2' declaratives; 4.4.2 Correlation of non-expressed subject pronouns with focalization
4.4.3 Fulfillment of the conditions on non-expressed subject pronouns4.5 Non-expressed subject pronouns in 'V1' declaratives; 4.5.1 Focalization of the finite verb; 4.5.2 Non-focalization of the finite verb; 4.5.2.1 Coordination; 4.5.2.2 Topicalization; 4.5.2.3 Scene setting topicalization; 4.5.3 A special case of verbal focalization ; 4.5.4 Evidence for the movement of the finite verb beyond I°; 4.6 Variation in the non-expression of subject pronouns; 4.7 Conclusion; 5 Outlook: The general loss of non-expressed subject pronouns in Classical French; References; Index
Summary This book is an empirical study on the expression of subject pronouns in Medieval French, usually analyzed as a null subject language. In light of the frequent expression of expletives, i.e. subject pronouns in impersonal constructions, as well as of referentials, it is argued that rather than from a null subject property, the non-expression of subject pronouns generally follows from conditions pertaining to left-peripheral focalization
Analysis Historical Morpho-syntax
Medieval French
Null-Subjects
Subject Pronouns
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes English
Print version record
Subject Linguistics and Semiotics -- Languages of Europe -- Latin and Romance Languages -- French
Linguistics and Semiotics -- Levels of Linguistic Analysis -- Syntax
Linguistics and Semiotics -- Theoretical Frameworks and Disciplines -- Historical Linguistics
Literary Studies -- Romance Literature -- French Literature -- 8th-15th Century
FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDY -- French.
French language -- Pronoun
Mittelfranzösisch
Pronomen
Altfranzösisch
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9783110394306
3110394308
3110373378
9783110373370