On the impersonal pronoun men in Modern West Frisian

Abstract

In this paper I will take the special properties of the Modern West Frisian impersonal pronoun men ‘one’ (obligatory inclusiveness, 1st person singular reading, strength) and the typology of impersonal pronouns in Frisian as the starting point for a discussion of the referential status of impersonal pronouns in general. I will claim that impersonal pronouns are the pronominal counterpart of generic DPs and, like these, definite, but non-specific. Further, it will be argued that the most important typological distinction with impersonal pronouns, viz. that between inclusive and exclusive, is a consequence of their non-specificity. With respect to Modern West Frisian men I will contend that this element, in addition to being a genuine (weak) impersonal pronoun, can be a (strong) quasi-personal pronoun. I will provide some further evidence for this subclass of impersonal pronouns and show how its existence is predicted by my general theory of impersonal pronouns.