1. Postverbal Nominal Subjects and Verb-Second in Middle French: Syntax and Information Structure
- Author
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Scott A. Evans
- Abstract
Although a growing body of research has sought to understand the relationship between word order and information structure, previous information structure (IS) analyses of verb-subject order have produced conflicting results for Medieval French, which have subsequently led to conflicting claims about the importance of IS to its word order as well as its verb-second (V2) nature. The present dissertation explores the syntax and information structure of postverbal nominal subjects in main clause declaratives, as they relate to the V2 constraint, based on an in-depth analysis of examples collected from five Middle French texts (14th to 16th centuries) of various genres. It is argued both quantitatively and qualitatively, based on certain IS and syntactic properties, that although the V2 constraint may be weakening (as it is eventually lost in Modern French), postverbal nominal subjects in Middle French are largely the product of a V2 grammar whether located in the high "Germanic" position (commonly said to resemble V2 languages like Germanic) or the low "Romance" position (commonly believed to occur outside the V2 constraint). In these V2 clauses, the finite verb moves to the left periphery to delineate different IS articulations in which the postverbal nominal subject is never the main topic (where, following Erteschik-Shir's (1997) IS approach, which has also been used by Lahousse (2011) for Modern French, the main topic is more primary than other, subordinate topics). However, the positioning of the nominal subject in the postverbal space is dependent on whether it is a subordinate topic or not, as is reminiscent of Germanic. Nominal subjects, as non-main topics, can remain in the low position in spec-VP or move to the high position in spec-IP where they are formally marked as subordinate topics. Alternatively, nominal subjects can move to clause-final position via right-adjunction to VP if heavy or narrowly focused. It is suggested that although the Germanic/Romance division for postverbal subjects in French may be informative (as to their position in the postverbal space), this binary is misleading, especially when applied to Medieval French where a V2 grammar is still active. Finally, the relevant IS and syntactic changes from Middle to Modern French are discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]syntax
- Published
- 2024