How the left-periphery of a wh-relative clause determines its syntactic and semantic relationships

Authors

  • Anke Holler

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21248/zaspil.35.2004.228

Abstract

This paper discusses a certain class of German relative clauses which are characterized by a wh-expression overtly realized at the left periphery of the clause. While investigating empirical and theoretical issues regarding this class of relatives, it argues that a wh-relative clause relates syntactically to a functionally complete sentential projection and semantically to entities of various kinds that are abstracted from the matrix clause. What is shown is that this grammatical behaviour clearly can be attributed to the properties of the elements positioned at the left of a wh-relative clause. Finally, a lexically-based analysis couched in the framework of HPSG is given that accounts for the data presented.

 

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Published

2004

How to Cite

Holler, Anke. 2004. “How the Left-Periphery of a Wh-Relative Clause Determines Its Syntactic and Semantic Relationships”. ZAS Papers in Linguistics 35 (1):243-60. https://doi.org/10.21248/zaspil.35.2004.228.