Arabic verbless sentences is there a null VP?
DOI
https://doi.org/10.25267/Pragmalinguistica.2006.i14.07Info
Authors
- Nasser Al-Horais (GB) University of NewcastleSchool of English Literature, Language and Linguistics, Percy Building NE3 7RUUnited Kingdom
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to describe and analyze the absence of present tense verbal copula in Arabic verbless sentences. The Standard assumption is that Arabic verbless sentences contain a null or deleted copula. The present study argues contra this assumption. It proposes, building on the framework of minimalist syntax (fi rst proposed by Chomsky 1993, 1995), that there is no V and hence no VP in verbless sentences since the relevant construction has two alternatives to express the present tense interpretation: one is achieved without a verb and the other with a verb (copula) inflected for tense.
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Copyright (c) 2006 Pragmalingüística
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