Recomplementation as a paratactic phenomenon: Evidence from Spanish and English

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We provide a variety of empirical arguments in favor of a paratactic account of recomplementation constructions, in which a left-dislocated element appears in between two complementizers. Contrary to integrated analyses assuming Complementizer Phrase (CP) recursion or Rizzi’s split periphery, we assume that the dislocated phrase is structurally independent from the embedded clause it precedes, which in turn is an elliptical sentence fragment. The juxtaposed fragmentary sentences are linked by the doubled complementizer, which serves to overtly flag a ‘restart’ in discourse. We show that this account makes a range of welcome predictions while sidestepping non-trivial problems that arise for integrated/cartographic analyses, which assume that dislocated XPs are in left-peripheral positions (such as Spec-TopicP) and that the doubled complementizer spells out Topic0. A further advantage of the approach is that it provides a handle on recomplementation constructions beyond the core cases involving left-dislocation, which reduce to a mere subcase of the general phenomenon of elliptical ‘restarts’ in discourse.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)213-244
Number of pages31
JournalJournal of Linguistics
Volume60
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 6 Feb 2024

Keywords

  • syntax
  • parataxis
  • complementizers
  • restarts
  • dislocations

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Recomplementation as a paratactic phenomenon: Evidence from Spanish and English'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this