Abstract
Aside from word order perhaps, there are very few aspects of linguistic typology that have been as closely studied as the null subject property, especially from the perspective of recent theoretical work within the principles and parameters framework initiated by Chomsky (1981). The appeal of the parametric perspective is that a variety of language typological characteristics can be linked, if the account is successful, merely by selecting appropriate value settings (provided by Universal Grammar) for formal properties of grammar that are permitted to vary (parameters). Within a principled theory of grammar, the formal setting will have predictable effects which may then be examined in detail. In a wide variety of studies informed by this perspective (see Jaeggli and Safir (1989) for discussion and references) the null subject property has been linked to a range of other properties, or else the parametric perspective has provided a stimulus to distinguish the effects of a positive setting of Null Subject Parameter (i.e., a setting that results in null subjects) from independent sorts of linguistic variation.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Berwick, R. (1986) The Acquisition of Syntactic Knowledge, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
Chomsky, N. (1981) Lectures on Government and Binding, Foris, Dordrecht.
Dell, F. (1981) “On the Learnability of Optional Rules,” Linguistic Inquiry 12.1.
Jaeggli, O. (1986) “Arbitrary Plural Pronominals,” Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 4; 43–76.
Jaeggli, O. and K. Safir, eds., (1989) The Null Subject Parameter, Kluwer, Dordrecht.
Lebeaux, D. (1984) “Anaphoric Binding and the Definition of PRO.” in The Proceedings of NELS 14, U. of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Raposo, E. (1987) “Case Theory and Infl-to-Comp: The Inflected Infinitive in European Portuguese,” Linguistic Inquiry 18;85–110.
Raposo, E. (1989) “Prepositional Infinitival Constructions in European Portuguese,” in K. Safir and O. Jaeggli, eds., The Null Subject Parameter, Kluwer, Dordrecht.
Rizzi, L. (1986) “Null Objects in Italian and the Theory of pro,” Linguistic Inquiry 17; 501–558.
Safir, K. (1985) Syntactic Chains, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York.
Thrainsson, H. (1979) On Complementation in Icelandic, Ph. D. dissertation, Harvard University.
Wexler, K and M.-R. Manzini (1987) “Parameters and Learnability,” in T. Roeper and E. Williams, eds., Parameter Setting, Kluwer, Dordrecht.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1996 Kluwer Academic Publishers
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Safir, K. (1996). PRO and pro: Comments on Quicoli. In: Freidin, R. (eds) Current Issues in Comparative Grammar. Studies in Natural Language and Linguistic Theory, vol 35. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0135-3_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0135-3_3
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-0-7923-3779-9
Online ISBN: 978-94-009-0135-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive