Work

Polar response particles in French as remnants of ellipsis

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: Polar response particles have been at the center of lively debates in the recent and not so recent literature. One of these debates concerns the syntax of these particles, in particular whether they are pure sentential proforms or involve ellipsis. This paper examines the syntax of the French polar response particles oui, non, and si in embedded contexts. On the basis of these particles’ sensitivity to finiteness, obviation, and antilogophoricity in embedded clauses, it argues that they are better analyzed as remnants of ellipsis.

Source: Glossa a journal of general linguistics

DOI: 10.5334/gjgl.1064

Author: Jérémy Pasquereau

Institutions: University of Surrey, Université de Poitiers, Formes et Représentations en Linguistique, Littérature et dans les arts de l’Image et de la Scène

Language: English

Topic: Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation

Subfield: Language and Linguistics

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $551

Funder: Arts and Humanities Research Council