In languages with an initial marker of subordination, sentential NPs cannot occur in clause-internal position, but such is the case in languages without initial subordinators.
Standardized
IF there is an initial marker of subordination, THEN sentential NPs occur in clause-peripheral positions only. IF sentential NPs occur in clause-internal position, THEN there is no initial marker of subordination (i.e. there is no subordination marker at all, or there is a final marker).
Keywords
order, clause, sentential NP, subordinator
Domain
inflection, syntax
Type
implication
Status
achronic
Quality
statistical
Basis
primarily English, but the facts from a number of other languages are used. A clearly incomplete list includes German, Spanish, Rumanian, French, Modern Persian, Afrikaans (all IE), Modern Hebrew (Semitic), Malagasy, Tagalog (both Austronesian), Japanese (Japanese-Ryukyuan), Korean (Altaic), Nama (Khoisan), Mojave (Hokan), and others
1. Dryer (1980: 142) mentions, that “Grosu & Thompson would also appear to be generally correct claiming that clause-internal sentential NPs with initial complementizers are almost invariably unacceptable. They are less accurate, however, in their implication […] restricting the tendency to avoid clause-internal position to sentential NPs with initial comlementizers”. According to Dryer’s data, the tendency applies to all sentential NPs, but is stronger for sentential NPs with initial marker of subordination. 2. See Dryer’s Sentential NP position Hierarchy: #1654.
1. Dryer (1980: 142) mentions, that “Grosu & Thompson would also appear to be generally correct claiming that clause-internal sentential NPs with initial complementizers are almost invariably unacceptable. They are less accurate, however, in their implication […] restricting the tendency to avoid clause-internal position to sentential NPs with initial comlementizers”. According to Dryer’s data, the tendency applies to all sentential NPs, but is stronger for sentential NPs with initial marker of subordination. 2. See Dryer’s Sentential NP position Hierarchy: #1654.