Referential null subjects in German. Dialects and diachronic continuity

Buchbeitrag

Null subjects (NSs) have been a central research topic in generative syntax ever since the 1980s. This chapter considers the situation of German NSs both from a dialectological and from a diachronic perspective and attempts to reconstruct a direct line concerning the licensing conditions of pro-drop from Old High German (OHG) through Middle High German (MHG) and Early New High German (ENHG) to current dialects of New High German (NHG). Particularly, we will argue that German changed from a consistent, yet asymmetric pro-drop language to a partial, but symmetric one. In order to demonstrate that this development took place and the steps involved, we survey the existing empirical evidence and introduce new data.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

Classification and Topics

• Subject: Pro-Drop-Parameter ; Deutsch ; Mundart ; Generative Syntax ; Dialektologie ; Althochdeutsch ; Mittelhochdeutsch ; Frühneuhochdeutsch ; Sprache

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Weiß, Helmut ; Volodina, Anna
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Oxford : Oxford University Press ; Mannheim : Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache (IDS)
• (when): 2022-05-20

Further information

• URN: urn:nbn:de:bsz:mh39-110575
• Last update: 06.03.2025, 9:00 AM CET