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Syntax of natural and accidental coordination: Evidence from agreement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 February 2026

Mary Dalrymple and
Irina Nikolaeva
Mary Dalrymple*
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
Irina Nikolaeva*
Affiliation:
University of Oxford
*
Centre for Linguistics and Philology, University of Oxford, Walton Street, Oxford OX1 2HG, United Kingdom [mary.dalrymple@ling-phil.ox.ac.uk]
[irina_a_nikolaeva@yahoo.com]
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Abstract

Adjective agreement with coordinated nouns in Finnish presents a puzzling pattern: in some cases, a plural adjective is required with coordinated singular nouns, while in other cases that seem to be syntactically identical, a plural adjective is disallowed. The key to this puzzle lies at the syntax-semantics interface: plural adjectives are required in cases of NATURAL COORDINATION, where a salient close relation holds between the conjuncts, but disallowed in cases of ACCIDENTAL COORDINATION. The semantic distinction between natural and accidental coordination has a syntactic reflex in Finnish, where only the features of the natural-coordination structure are compatible with the agreement requirements of plural adjectives. We show that the distinction between natural and accidental coordination is syntactically reflected not only in Finnish, but in other languages as well, including Tundra Nenets, Russian, and Kurdish.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Language , Volume 82 , Issue 4 , December 2006, pp. 824 - 849
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 Linguistic Society of America

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