It, underspecification and language change

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1 I. it It, underspeifiation and language hange Elisaet Engdahl University of Gothenurg (0) a It is ertainly a novel proposition to say that this is a duty, said Mihael Smyth, (Guardian 1 July) It is ovious to all that no true peae an ever return amongst ain rew while the santions on staff travel remain. (Guardian 3 July) Odd that it should take the Australians to install a Welsh-orn prime minister, as they did last week. (Guardian 30 June) d It would e great if more Afghan fores were availale. (Guardian 30 June) * If more Afghan fores were availale would e great. (1) a It is easy to solve this prolem. [To solve this prolem] is easy. This prolem i is easy to solve i. (2) A: And what aout this prolem? B: It i is easy to solve t i. (3) Teaher to seond language Learner: T: Is it easy to understand her? L: a It is easier than talking. [it eventually interpreted as it ref ] L: It is easier to listen than to talk. [it eventually interpreted as it antiipating ] II. det referential use (4) A. Var är revet? where is letter.def,neut B. Det lade jag på skrivordet. it.neut put I on desk.def C. Jag tyker om whisky. I like whisky D. Det gör jag med. it do I with So do I. many uses as expletive: left onstrutions (5) a Det var längesen jag träffade dig [det = expletive] it was long I met you-acc It was long sine I met you last 1

se (0) a It is ertainly a novel proposition to say that this is a duty, said Mihael Smyth, (Guardian 1 July) It is ovious to all that no true peae an ever return amongst ain rew while the santions on

2 Var det längesen vi träffades? was it long sine we met extraposition onstrutions (lause-antiipating det) (6) a Det var trevligt att träffa dig / att du kunde komma it was nie-neut to meet you / that you ould ome Därför var det trevligt att träffa dig / att du kunde komma. therefore was it nie-neut to meet you / that you ould ome presentational (existential) onstrutions (7) a Det kan finnas ormar i gräset. it an e-found snakes in the grass There may e snakes in the grass. Kan det finnas ormar i gräset? an it e-found snakes in the grass A new onstrution, first heard around 1996: (8) a Det var dumt att du sa (Engdahl 2007) it was stupid that you said It was stupid that you said that. d Deti var det dumt att du sa ti [CP Deti var [IP v dumt att du sa ti]] Jag hörde att du sa *(det) I heard that you said (9) a Deti är klart att du ska göra ti it is lear that you should do Of ourse you should do it. Jag vill att du ska göra *(det) I want that you shall do (10) a Deti är ju roligt om hon får ti it is PRT nie if she gets Deti är helt nödvändigt att dom gör ti it is asolutely neessary that they do Deti kan hända att vi inte har ti it may happen that we not have (11) a Det är så många som gör det it is so many that do it There are so many that do it. 2

trevligt att träffa dig / att du kunde komma. therefore was it nie-neut to meet you / that you ould ome presentational (existential) onstrutions (7) a Det kan finnas ormar i gräset.

3 Deti är det så många som gör ti it are there so many that do Deti är ju så många som gör ti it is PRT so many that do There are so many that do it. d Titta en rund potatis! Deti är inte ofta man ser ti! (M.Cooper 2003) look a round potato it is not often one sees (12) Expletive det in [Spe,IP] is optional when there is a referential det in [Spe, CP], interpreted as an argument in a suordinate lause. [CP deti V [IP (det) [ ti ] ]] III. tough onstrutions and lause antiipating det (13) a Är de här prolemen [ ADJP svår-a [Opj att lösa ej]]? are these prolems hard.pl to solve De här prolemeni är ti svår-a att lösa these prolems are hard to solve (14) a Är det ant svår-t [att lösa de här prolemen]? is it hard.neut to solve these prolems De här prolemeni är det svår-t att lösa ti these prolems is it hard to solve * De här prolemeni är det svår-a att lösa ti these prolems is it diffiultplur to solve d De här prolemeni är Ø svår-t att lösa ti these prolems is hard to solve (15) a Du är t i svår att ehaga t i you.nom are hard to please Dig är Ø svår-t att ehaga t i you.acc is hard to please (16) a Tre arn rukar vara omöjlig-a att ta hand om, (nämligen A,B oh C) three hildren use e impossile to look after (viz. A, B and C) Tre arn rukar vara omöjlig-t att ta hand om, (*nämligen A, B oh C) three hildren use e impossile to look after (17) a Båda hoten är svår-a att parera. (Malmgren 1990:104f.) oth threats are hard to ounter Eah of the threats is hard to ounter distriutive 3

Cooper 2003) look a round potato it is not often one sees (12) Expletive det in [Spe,IP] is optional when there is a referential det in [Spe, CP], interpreted as an argument in a suordinate lause.

4 d e Båda hoten är svår-t att parera olletive It is hard to ounter oth threats at the same time. Varför är åda hoten svår-a att parera? distriutive why are oth threats hard to ounter *Varför är åda hoten svår-t att parera? olletive why is oth threats hard to ounter Varför är det svår-t att parera åda hoten? why is it hard to ounter oth threats (18) a Det är svårt att lösa. it is hard to solve Det i är t i svårt att lösa t i Det i är t i [ svårt [Opj att lösa ej]] Det i är svårt att lösa t i ak to new onstrution (19) a. Det var dumt att du sa it was stupid that you said. Det i var dumt att du sa t i (20) a * Var det i dumt att du sa t i? was it stupid that you said * Därför var det i dumt att du sa t i. therefore was it stupid that you said Var det dumt att du sa det? (21) a Dom i var längesen jag såg t i. them was long I saw [dom NOM or ACC] It was a long time sine I saw them. Tandorsteni är ra om du tar med ti the tooth rush is good if you ring It s good if you (rememer to) ring your toothrush. Detta i är ra om man kan gå på t i. ( from HoD 2/3 2010) this is good if one an go to (22) a * Dom var rolig-a att jag såg t i. them was funny.pl that I saw. *Tandorstar är lämplig-a om du tar med t i. tooth rushes is good.pl if you ring 4

why is it hard to ounter oth threats (18) a Det är svårt att lösa.

5 IV. Prerequisites for the new onstrution expletive sujet and referential pronoun are homonymous temporal amiguity, f. (18) ojet det frequently fronted V2 language with two sujet positions English (23) a Although it is hard to elieve, in 1984, Kenneth J. Hsii reeived the highest award of the Amerian Geologial Soiety (Google) If It's Hard To Say, It Must Be Risky (Google) It is hard to say that England's hanes of winning the World Cup have een signifiantly dented y [Rio's injury] (24) BNC spoken dialogue [it is <AJ0 to>] 149 hits, only one fronted it ref : Rihard<unlear> That's just the right size for Guy's mouth. He likes Anon 4 It's his dummy Rihard It is nie to hew on though isn't it? Anon 4 Yeah. (25) BNC Medial onsultation: Anon 2 And seondly she's atually reently had one so we need to make sure we ompletely eradiate it. I suppose this ould e a flare up of the last one. 9 Whih oasionally happens, some of them are diffiult to get rid of. Anon 1 Yeah. Anon 2 So it's four times a day for ten days, it's not Amoxil [si] Anon 1 Right. Anon 2 It's ordinary peniillin. 5

Hsii reeived the highest award of the Amerian Geologial Soiety (Google) If It's Hard To Say, It Must Be Risky (Google) It is hard to say that England's hanes of winning the World Cup have een

6 Referenes Åfarli, Tor (2008) The Sujet Requirement in Generative Grammar: Propositions, EPP, and PRO. [Handout from the NORMS workshop Expletives as partiles, Helsinki, May 2008.] Borthen, Kaja. 2004: The Norwegian type-anaphor det. Proeedings of the 5th Disourse Anaphora and Anaphor Resolution Colloquium (DAARC 2004), ed. y A. Brano, T. MEnery and R. Mitokov. Engdahl, Elisaet (1997) Relative Clause Extration in Context. Working Papers in Sandinavian Syntax 60, Dept of Sandinavian Languages, Lund, Engdahl, Elisaet (2007) Flerfunktionellt det. [Multifuntional it] In: Milles, Karin & Anna Vogel (eds) Språkets roll oh räkvidd. (Ata Universitatis Stokholmiensis: Stokholm Studies in Sandinavian Philology. New Series 42.) Stokholm, Falk, Ceilia (1987) Sujetless Clauses in Swedish. Working Papers in Sandinavian Syntax 32. Falk, Ceilia (1993) Non-referential sujets in the history of Swedish. Lund: Department of Sandinavian Languages. Hammarerg, Björn (2008) Konstruktioner som produkt oh proess en studie av hur L1- oh L2- talare utnyttjar det är. Nordand Hellerg, Staffan (2001) Om svenska språkhandlingar. In: Kungl. Vitterhets Historie oh Antikvitets Akademiens Årsok 2001, Josefsson, Gunlög (2009) Peas and Panakes: On apparent disagreement and (null) light vers in Swedish. Nordi Journal of Linguistis Meinunger, André (2007) Aout Ojet es in the German Vorfeld. Linguisti Inquiry 38, Sigurðsson, Halldór À. & Joan Maling (2008) Argument drop and the Empty Left Edge Condition (ELEC). Working Papers in Sandinavian Syntax 81, Sundman, Marketta (1980) Existentialkonstruktionen i svenskan. (Meddelanden från Stiftelsens för Åo akademi forskningsinstitut 57.) Åo. 6

Engdahl, Elisaet (1997) Relative Clause Extration in Context. Working Papers in Sandinavian Syntax 60, Dept of Sandinavian Languages, Lund, 59 86. Engdahl, Elisaet (2007) Flerfunktionellt det.

Discovering!!!!! Swedish ÅÄÖ. EPISODE 4 What is that? and I don t know... Misi.se 2011 1

Discovering!!!!! Swedish ÅÄÖ. EPISODE 4 What is that? and I don t know... Misi.se 2011 1 Discovering!!!!! Swedish ÅÄÖ EPISODE 4 What is that? and I don t know... Misi.se 2011 1 Dialogue Swedish Anna & Johanna! Äntligen... Var tåget försenat? Ja, tåget var försenat. Hej! José. Johanna. Trevligt