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Universal 1593: internal relative clause ⇒ null anaphora

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 1593: internal relative clause ⇒ null anaphora

Original
Internally headed relative clauses occur only in languages manifesting null anaphora (that is, the use of null NPs in place of lexical pronouns etc. in most argument positions).
Standardized
IF there are internally headed relative clauses, THEN there will be null anaphora (i.e., pro drop).
Keywords
relative clause, internal (= replacive), anaphora, pro drop
Domain
syntax
Type
implication
Status
achronic
Quality
absolute
Basis
?
Source
Cole 1987: 282
Counterexamples

One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    In INTERNALLY HEADED relative clauses, the nominal which is understood as the head occurs, on the surface, in a position internal to the modifying clause. Downing (#679) calls such relative clauses ‘replacive’, Keenan (#1595) calls them ‘internal RelCs’, Gorbet (#1601) refers to them as to ‘headless relative clauses’ Gil (2000) and Cole himself refer to them as to ‘internally-headed’.

    1. May 2020

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