Existential constructions

• Autores: Delia Bentley, Silvio Cruschina
• Localización: Manual of Grammatical Interfaces in Romance / coord. por Susann Fischer, Christoph Gabriel, 2016, ISBN 9783110311785, págs. 487-516
• Idioma: inglés
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• Dialnet Métricas: 1 Cita
• Resumen

  • In this chapter we analyse the main characteristics of Romance existential constructions, placing particular emphasis on the interfaces of morphosyntax with semantics and discourse. Starting with a description of the primary types of existential construction attested in Romance, we claim that, regardless of the superficial variation in the morphosyntactic features of these types, existentials share a predicative structure whereby the pivot is the predicate of an abstract argument expressing the spatial and temporal coordinates of the existential proposition. This predicative structure is unique to existentials and does not characterize other related constructions, namely locatives and possessives. The morphosyntactic properties of existentials, such as the post-copular position of the pivot and number agreement on the copula, or lack thereof, are captured in terms of the intersection of morphosyntax with semantics and discourse.