6: “Double” Floating Quantifiers In Modern Greek And Pontic

Abstract

This chapter examines the nature of the dependency between object clitics and floating quantifiers (FQ), and compares these constructions to those typically referred to as clitic doubling (ClD) constructions. It offers an account for the attested cross-linguistic variation related to the obligatoriness of a clitic in structures with FQ. The chapter attempts to shed light on the theoretical debate concerning the nature of FQ. It discusses the properties of the constructions characterised as ClD and differ from what is referred in the literature as clitic right dislocation (CLRD). The chapter presents some instance of obligatory ClD. It provides the empirical arguments for the proposal that FQ will obligatorily appear in languages that cannot omit definite objects. The chapter describes the relationship between FQ and DP. It concludes that the presence of the clitic in constructions with FQ is directly linked to the properties of object drop in the language. Keywords: clitic doubling (ClD) constructions; clitic right dislocation (CLRD); cross-linguistic variation; floating quantifiers (FQ)