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Subject Values

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 March 2026

Susan Steele
Susan Steele*
Affiliation:
University of Arizona
*
Department of Linguistics Douglass 200 East University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona 85721
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Abstract

On one view of syntactic structure, the expression of the grammatical relation subject is associated with an NP position. On another, this grammatical relation is expressed by a bound pronominal form. Discussion of the choice of one or the other of these has focused exclusively on the reflex of what is traditionally termed ‘subject/verb agreement’ and an ‘agreeing’ NP. This paper offers a theory, exemplified through an analysis of Luiseño, which accommodates a range of ‘subject agreement’ forms. The analysis is based on the idea that subject information can flow from a number of distinct sources. Languages might differ in regard to how many of these sources are used. One consequence of this idea is to deny a simple bifurcation into subject-pro-drop / non-subject-pro-drop or pronominal-subject / nominal-subject languages. The Luiseño analysis, therefore, forces a reconsideration of the roles of subject/verb agreement and the agreeing NP in grammatical composition.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Language , Volume 65 , Issue 3 , September 1989 , pp. 537 - 578
Copyright
Copyright © 1989 Linguistic Society of America

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