Decomposing adverbs and complementizers: A case study of Dutch 'hoe' (how)

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademicpeer-review

    Abstract

    This chapter examines the syntax of the Dutch wh-element hoe ‘how’ in two of its grammatical uses: its use as an interrogative manner ‘adverb’ (hoeQ(uestion)), and its use as a non-interrogative conjunctive element (referred to as hoeE(ventive)). It is proposed that the two instances of hoe can be reduced to a single linguistic expression, namely a nominal expression. HoeQ starts out as the complement of a silent adposition which heads a PP. This PP is moved to the clausal left periphery, specifically to the Spec-position of a dummy adpositional ‘conjunction’ that surfaces as of ‘if/whether’ or remains silent. HoeE is base-generated in [Spec, CP] and assigns substantive contents (‘manner/way’) to the clause. This nominal clause-marker moves to the specifier position of an adpositional conjunction within the clausal left periphery. Thus, although the base positions of the nominal expressions hoeQ and hoeE are configurationally asymmetric, their derived positions are configurationally symmetric.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationNon-interrogative subordinate Wh-clauses
    EditorsLukasz Jędrzejowski, Carla Umbach
    Place of PublicationOxford
    PublisherOxford University Press
    Chapter6
    Pages158-206
    ISBN (Electronic)9780191933264
    ISBN (Print)9780192844620
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jul 2023

    Publication series

    NameOxford Studies in Theoretical Linguistics
    PublisherOxford University Press

    Keywords

    • Dutch
    • hoeQuestion
    • hoeEventive
    • adpositional conjunction
    • nominal clause-marker
    • symmetry

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Decomposing adverbs and complementizers: A case study of Dutch 'hoe' (how)'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this