Plunkett, B. (2000) What's 'what' in French questions. Journal of Linguistics, 36 (3). pp. 511-530. ISSN 1469-7742
Abstract
The analysis of French ‘what’ questions poses a number of difficulties. These questions exhibit numerous peculiarities, especially when they involve a subject wh-phrase. It is argued that the anomalous paradigm derives from three independent factors. The first is linked to the general status of matrix subject wh-phrases and the position they occupy at the interface levels. The second relates to the status of que ‘what’ as a phonological clitic. The third is argued to derive from the difference between strong quoi ‘what’ and weak que with respect to specificity. Once the interaction of these factors is taken into account, the unusual paradigm is completely explained.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Language and Linguistic Science (York) |
Depositing User: | York RAE Import |
Date Deposited: | 22 Apr 2009 10:47 |
Last Modified: | 22 Apr 2009 10:47 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0022226700008379 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1017/S0022226700008379 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:6725 |