Adjunction and filler

[Detmar Meurers]

Hi,

Tibor wrote:
> > Some tentative remarks: The interesting point is that you *cannot* adjoin to
> > a head filler phrase in German (i.e. to a verb-second clause). But you can

If the Dutch examples Frank just mentioned in his email are analyzed
as adjunction in the sense Tibor is interested in, then Tibor's
generalization is equally false for German. How about prolepsis and
nominativus pendens, for example?

Diese unendlichen Mühen, sie durfte gar nicht darüber nachdenken.
Einem reichen Mann, dem wurde seine Frau krank.
Ein solches Scheusal, das würde ich nie heiraten.

or something like

Also wenn de mich fragst, ich halte da garnichts von.

But I don't think these cases are parallel to the English examples
which Bob Levine mentioned earlier

  Ok, but *usually* who does she go drinking with.

where an adjunct (that isn't duplicated in the clause) precedes the
sentence.

So Tibor, I think we'll need a more precise characterization in
empirical terms of what you mean by adjunction to a v2 sentence.

Lieben Gruß,
Detmar


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