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Is dative Subject a Viable Syntactic Notion?

Dubravko Kučanda ; University of Osijek, Osijek

Sažetak

The so-called dative subjects are characterized by two anomalous coding properties: oblique
case marking and lack of agreement. On the other hand, dative subjects show two syntactic
properties typical of nominative subjects: control of reflexivization and the ellipsis of the
implicit subjects of the infinitive. These two properties are taken as crucial evidence for the
subjecthood of the dative NP.
This paper argues against the claim that datives are subjects at a more abstract level of
syntactic analysis. Croatian evidence shows that unlike typical nominative subjects putative
dative subjects cannot antecede the possessive-reflexive svoj and that the control of the implicit
subject of the infinitive can be accounted for in pragmatic terms. Semantically, the
dative encodes Experiencer to whom things involuntarily happen.

Ključne riječi

dative subject; syntax; reflexivization; control; pragmatics; Croatian language

Hrčak ID:

23637

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/23637

Datum izdavanja:

27.5.1998.

Posjeta: 1.725 *