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Nominal arguments and nominal predicates

Author

Editor

  • Jutta M. Hartmann
  • Laszlo Molnarfi

Summary, in English

It is generally assumed that whereas referential nominal phrases are at least of DP size, predicative nominal phrases are structurally smaller. However, this paper argues that at least in Scandinavian, predicative nominal phrases as well as referential nominal phrases can be bigger than, equal to, or smaller than DP. Hence, the only consistent difference between nominal arguments and nominal predicates appears to be a semantic one: predicates but not arguments get a purely intensional interpretation. Some nominal phrases are only good as arguments because their lexical content makes a purely intensional reading hard to get. It is however difficult, if not impossible, to connect the semantic difference between nominal predicates and nominal arguments to any systematic difference in syntactic structure.

Department/s

Publishing year

2006

Language

English

Publication/Series

Comparative Studies in Germanic Syntax: From Afrikaans to Zurich German

Document type

Book chapter

Publisher

John Benjamins Publishing Company

Topic

  • Languages and Literature

Keywords

  • nominal phrases arguments predicates bare nouns

Status

Published

Research group

  • GRIMM

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISBN: 90 272 3361 6