The syntax and semantics of Modern Standard Arabic resumptivetough-constructions

Abstract

AbstractThis paper is concerned with a hitherto undiscussed type oftough-construction in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). Our starting point is the observation that thetough-adjective in this construction invariably displays nominative masculine singular morphology, a pattern of ‘default’ agreement which does not seem to occur elsewhere in the grammar of MSA. At a semantic level, the relevant adjective is argued to form a complex predicate with a deverbal nominalization that acts as its complement: together, these two elements indirectly modify the subject noun phrase. To explain the default agreement pattern, we propose that MSAtough-constructions involve two distinct subjects, viz. a phonologically null expletive subject which controls agreement on thetough-adjective, and a Broad Subject which acts as the semantic subject of the whole construction. We show that there is independent evidence for the existence of both null expletives and Broad Subjects in MSA.