Here are some nominal wh-clauses in Greek
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This paper discusses novel empirical evidence from Greek showing that a wh-clause (i.e., a CP) may correspond to a nominal constituent with referential interpretation (just like a DP). The evidence comes from the distribution of wh-clauses with the presentative particle nà (roughly translating to the English here is/are, the Italian ecco, or the French voilà). Nà places two restrictions on the type of complement it may take, one relating to syntax and the other to the semantics: The complement must be ‘nominal’ in nature and must bear a referential reading. After showing that a wh-clause combined with nà is a complement and not an adjunct, I propose that the nominal status of the wh-clause comes from its D-label. This label, in turn, results from the association of the wh-phrase with C, on the following two assumptions (both of which are established elsewhere, while I further elaborate here on the second): (i) Greek wh-phrases, regardless of the grammatical category they belong to (i.e., N, Adj., Adv.), are (bare) indefinite D-elements (and not intrinsically interrogative quantifiers); and (ii) C bears a generalized Op(erator) feature that requires a value and assigns quantificational properties to the element it combines with (here, the wh-phrase). More generally, this analysis raises important, and far-reaching, implications vis-à-vis the syntax and semantics of wh-clauses, clause-typing, and clausal complement selection, discussion of which I mostly leave for a future study.
Source: Journal of Greek Linguistics
Author: Christos Vlachos
Institution: University of Patras
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $533
OpenAlex ID: W4410386071