It
, underspecification and language change
Elisabet EngdahlUniversity of Gothenburg [email protected] I. it
(0) a “It is certainly a novel proposition to say that this is a duty,” said Michael Smyth,
(Guardian 1 July)
b “It is obvious to all that no true peace can ever return amongst cabin crew while the
sanctions on staff travel remain.” (Guardian 3 July)
c Odd that it should take the Australians to install a Welsh-born prime minister, as they
did last week. (Guardian 30 June)
d It would be great if more Afghan forces were available. (Guardian 30 June) * If more Afghan forces were available would be great.
(1) a It is easy to solve this problem. b [To solve this problem] is easy. c This problemi is easy to solve –i. (2) A: And what about this problem?
B: Iti is easy to solve ti.
(3) Teacher to second language Learner: T: Is it easy to understand her?
L: a It is easier than talking. [it eventually interpreted as itref] L: b It is easier to listen than to talk. [it eventually interpreted as itanticipating] II. det
referential use
(4) A. Var är brevet?
where is letter.DEF,NEUT
B. Det lade jag på skrivbordet.
it.NEUT put I on desk.DEF
C. Jag tycker om whisky.
I like whisky
D. Det gör jag med.
it do I with ‘So do I.’
many uses as expletive: cleft constructions
(5) a Det var längesen jag träffade dig [det = expletive] it was long I met you-ACC
b Var det längesen vi träffades? was it long since we met
extraposition constructions (clause-anticipating det)
(6) a Det var trevligt att träffa dig / att du kunde komma it was nice-NEUT to meet you / that you could come
b Därför var det trevligt att träffa dig / att du kunde komma.
therefore was it nice-NEUT to meet you / that you could come
presentational (existential) constructions (7) a Det kan finnas ormar i gräset. it can be-found snakes in the grass ‘There may be snakes in the grass.’
b Kan det finnas ormar i gräset? can it be-found snakes in the grass
A new construction, first heard around 1996:
(8) a Det var dumt att du sa (Engdahl 2007) it was stupid that you said
‘It was stupid that you said that.’
b Deti var det dumt att du sa ti
c [CP Deti var [IP ∅ v dumt att du sa ti]] d Jag hörde att du sa *(det)
I heard that you said
(9) a Deti är klart att du ska göra ti it is clear that you should do
‘Of course you should do it.’
b Jag vill att du ska göra *(det) I want that you shall do
(10) a Deti är ju roligt om hon får ti it is PRT nice if she gets
b Deti är helt nödvändigt att dom gör ti it is absolutely necessary that they do
c Deti kan hända att vi inte har ti it may happen that we not have
(11) a Detär så många som gör det
b Deti är det så många som gör ti it are there so many that do
c Deti är ju så många som gör ti
it is PRT so many that do ‘There are so many that do it.’
d Titta en rund potatis! Deti är inte ofta man ser ti! (M.Cooper 2003) look a round potato it is not often one sees
(12) Expletive det in [Spec,IP] is optional when there is a referential det in [Spec, CP], interpreted as an argument in a subordinate clause.
[CP deti V [IP (det) …[… ti …]…]] III. tough constructions and clause anticipating det
(13) a Är de här problemen [ADJP svår-a [Opj att lösa ej]]?
are these problems hard.PL to solve
b De här problemeni är ti svår-a att lösa these problems are hard to solve
(14) a Är detant svår-t [att lösa de här problemen]? is it hard.NEUT to solve these problems
b De här problemeni är det svår-t att lösa ti these problems is it hard to solve
c * De här problemeni är det svår-a att lösa ti these problems is it difficultPLUR to solve
d De här problemeni är Ø svår-t att lösa ti these problems is hard to solve
(15) a Du är ti svår att behaga ti
you.NOM are hard to please
b Dig är Ø svår-t att behaga ti
you.ACC is hard to please
(16) a Tre barn brukar vara omöjlig-a att ta hand om, (nämligen A,B och C) three children use be impossible to look after (viz. A, B and C)
b Tre barn brukar vara omöjlig-t att ta hand om, (*nämligen A, B och C) three children use be impossible to look after
(17) a Båda hoten är svår-a att parera. (Malmgren 1990:104f.) both threats are hard to counter
‘Each of the threats is hard to counter’ distributive
b Båda hoten är svår-t att parera collective ‘It is hard to counter both threats at the same time.’
c Varför är båda hoten svår-a att parera? distributive why are both threats hard to counter
d *Varför är båda hoten svår-t att parera? collective why is both threats hard to counter
e Varför är det svår-t att parera båda hoten? why is it hard to counter both threats
(18) a Det är svårt att lösa.
it is hard to solve
b Deti är ti svårt att lösa ti b’ Deti är ti [svårt [Opj att lösa ej]] c Deti är ∅ svårt att lösa ti
back to new construction
(19) a. Det var dumt att du sa
it was stupid that you said
b. Deti var ∅dumt att du sa ti (20) a * Var deti dumt att du sa ti?
was it stupid that you said
b * Därför var deti dumt att du sa ti.
thereforewas it stupid that you said
c Var det dumt att du sa det? (21) a Domi var längesen jag såg ti.
them was long I saw [dom NOM or ACC]
‘It was a long time since I saw them.’
b Tandborsteni är bra om du tar med ti the tooth brush is good if you bring
‘It’s good if you (remember to) bring your toothbrush.’
c Dettai är bra om man kan gå på ti. (e-mail from HoD 2/3 2010)
this is good if one can go to
(22) a * Dom var rolig-a att jag såg ti.
them was funny.PL that I saw
b. *Tandborstar är lämplig-a om du tar med ti.
IV. Prerequisites for the new construction
• expletive subject and referential pronoun are homonymous • temporal ambiguity, cf. (18)
• object det frequently fronted
• V2 language with two “subject positions” English
(23) a Although it is hard to believe, in 1984, Kenneth J. Hsii received the highest award of
the American Geological Society (Google)
b If It's Hard To Say, It Must Be Risky (Google)
c It is hard to say that England's chances of winning the World Cup have been
significantly dented by [Rio's injury]
(24) BNC spoken dialogue [it is <AJ0 to>] 149 hits, only one fronted itref: Richard<unclear> That's just the right size for Guy's mouth.
He likes Anon 4 It's his dummy
Richard It is nice to chew on though isn't it? Anon 4 Yeah.
(25) BNC Medical consultation:
Anon 2 And secondly she's actually recently had one so we need to make sure we completelyeradicate it.
I suppose this could be a flare up of the last one.
9 Which occasionally happens, some of them are difficult to get rid of. Anon 1 Yeah.
Anon 2 So it's four times a day for ten days, it's not Amoxil [sic] Anon 1 Right.
References
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Engdahl, Elisabet (1997) Relative Clause Extraction in Context. Working Papers in Scandinavian Syntax 60, Dept of Scandinavian Languages, Lund, 59–86.
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