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APROPOS pro

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 February 2026

Sabine Iatridou  and
David Embick
Sabine Iatridou*
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania
David Embick*
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania
*
Department of Linguistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104 [iatridou@mit.edu]
[embick@babel.ling.upenn.edu]
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Abstract

Pro-drop languages have restrictions on the reference of pro not found with the overt pronominals of non-pro-drop languages. In particular, while the overt pronouns of non-pro-drop languages may take clausal antecedents, C/IPs, pro may not take these elements as linguistic antecedents. This restriction on the referential properties of pro follows from a mismatch in Phi-features; pro, which is or is licensed by Phi-features, cannot corefer with a clause, which is Phi-featureless. We discuss implications of our analysis for linguistic theory.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Language , Volume 73 , Issue 1 , March 1997 , pp. 58 - 78
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 Linguistic Society of America

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