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From: sslyjim@ucl.ac.uk (Mr Jim Tyson)
Subject: Re: Complementizer agreement phenomena?
Sender: news@ucl.ac.uk (Usenet News System)
Message-ID: <1994Nov15.122906.44612@ucl.ac.uk>
Date: Tue, 15 Nov 1994 12:29:06 GMT
References: <11NOV94.13228405.0242@VM1.MCGILL.CA>
Organization: Bloomsbury Computing Consortium
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In article <11NOV94.13228405.0242@VM1.MCGILL.CA> Jacob Brostoff <B7TR000@MUSICB.MCGILL.CA> writes:
>I am doing a little preliminary research for a paper on some
>Scandinavian languages and thought I would start by asking anyone
>out there if they know of languages (preferably Indo-European) that
>have or had complementizer agreement phenomena, i.e. where a
>complementizer agrees with some verb or NP or something else in the
>sentence.  I am told that Icelandic has this and am looking for
>diachronic data in (for example) Old Msc. that would contrast with
>the situation nowadays.  Any information would be greatly
>appreciated.
>

West Flemish has agreement between complementizer and subject NP.
Lilliane Haegeman has described it in a GB framework.  I can't
remember the primary reference off hand but she discusses some aspects
of the phenomenon in her _Introduction to Governement and Binding_
(I am not sure whether the stuff is in both editions, you need to
check).  I am afraid that I cannot remember any examples with any
certainty but...let's stick my neck out.

kpeinzen dan ik moet gaan
[I]think that I must go

or something like it contrasts with

kpeinzen da hij moet gaan
[I] think that he must go

(apologies to all Flemish speakers out there and to Prof. Haegemann for
the inevitable idiocies in my half remembered examples!).

Haegemann's book on the subject is published by Cambridge University
Press.

Jim


>Thanks much,
>Jake
>
>
>
>Jacob Brostoff
>b7tr@musicb.mcgill.ca


