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Chapter 23 - Structure of Noun (NP) and Determiner Phrases (DP)

from Part III - Syntax

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2020

By
Dorian Roehrs
Edited by
Michael T. Putnam  and
B. Richard Page
Michael T. Putnam
Affiliation:
Pennsylvania State University
B. Richard Page
Affiliation:
Pennsylvania State University
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Summary

Following Abney’s (1987) seminal dissertation, many more phenomena in the noun phrase have been discovered and discussed. In this brief survey, I point out some recent results, some debated topics, and some new avenues for future research. I focus on structural aspects of the noun phrase discussing different nominal elements and how they relate to one another. I use contemporary German as a representative language. This is a highly inflected language, a fact that is often taken to provide clues about the analysis of certain linguistic phenomena. Other Germanic languages are discussed if they show an important relevant difference from German. I also point out some differences between North and West Germanic (East Germanic, e.g., Gothic, no longer exits).

Keywords

nominal argument structureadjectival inflectionpre-determinersdouble definitenessdiscontinuous DPsspurious indefinite articlesdoubly filled DPstypological differences in the DP
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Germanic Linguistics , pp. 537 - 564
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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