[Lingtyp] Partial pro-drop

Wed Oct 29 15:52:19 UTC 2025

Hello Yiming and Omri
There is extensive literature on variable subject NP presence in a range of spoken and signed languages within the variationist tradition of sociolinguistics that explores a range of language-internal and language-external factors that influence this variation - some of this work might interest you. The pattern in which person interacts with pro-drop has been found across a range of languages, including the language that I worked on Auslan (the majority sign language of the Australian deaf community), but in these cases, it is third person that is more likely to be dropped than first person.
You can read our work from 2011 here - it makes some links to the wider variationist literature on other languages too.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/language-variation-and-change/article/variable-subject-presence-in-australian-sign-language-and-new-zealand-sign-language/73A27C556D71FEBFB0382E55D670A4D5
Thanks,
Adam

--

Adam Schembri (he/him), BA Dip Ed, M.Litt, PhD

Professor of Linguistics

Department of Linguistics and Communication

University of Birmingham

https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/elal/schembri-adam

Personal website: https://sites.google.com/view/adamcschembri/home

Recent publications:

Bisnath, F., Lutzenberger, H., Jaraisy, M., Omardeen, R., & Schembri, A. (2025). Deconstructing notions of morphological 'complexity': Lessons from creoles and sign languages.<https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-linguistics/article/deconstructing-notions-of-morphological-complexity-lessons-from-creoles-and-sign-languages/DD56E0A4F6BDFEC4FE01D3BB14694216>Journal of Linguistics. Published online 2025:1-31. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022226725000180

Hodge, G., Winter, B., Schembri, A. & Cormier, K. (2025). BSL signers combine different semiotic strategies to signal clause negation<https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/opli-2025-0063/html>. Open Linguistics 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1515/opli-2025-0063

Willoughby, L., Kruk, J. & Schembri, A. (2025) Sign language for all? Profile and retention of students in a beginner sign language program. <https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/modl.12987> The Modern Language Journal 109(1): 216-233. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12987

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From: Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org> on behalf of Omri Amiraz via Lingtyp <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
Date: Wednesday, 29 October 2025 at 15:39
To: lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
Subject: [Lingtyp] Partial pro-drop

Dear colleagues,

We are conducting a study on the inverse correlation between the frequency of pro-drop (omission of the subject argument) and syncretism in verbal subject-marking paradigms.

We are particularly interested in partial pro-drop languages, where subject omission is restricted to certain persons or other grammatical conditions. For example, in Hebrew, pro-drop is fairly common in the past tense for first and second person, but relatively rare for third person. This is puzzling, since the past-tense paradigm in Hebrew shows no syncretism, so it is unclear why the third-person pronoun cannot generally be omitted as well.

We would greatly appreciate your input on the following points:

1. Are you aware of other languages that exhibit partial pro-drop?
We are currently aware of Hebrew, Finnish, Yiddish, Brazilian Portuguese, and Russian. This might point to an areal phenomenon, so examples from other areas would be especially valuable.

2. In the languages you are familiar with, does third person indeed tend to be the least likely to allow pro-drop?
If so, are you aware of any proposed explanations for this asymmetry?

Many thanks in advance for your insights,
Yiming and Omri
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