Realization of Deep Sentence Structure into Surface Sentence Structure: Subject Zero Form Cover Image

Teikuma dziļās struktūras īstenošanās virsējā: subjekta nullforma
Realization of Deep Sentence Structure into Surface Sentence Structure: Subject Zero Form

Author(s): Līga Vogina
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Theoretical Linguistics, Syntax, Baltic Languages
Published by: Latvijas Universitātes Akadēmiskais apgāds
Keywords: subjekts; nullforma; gramatizēšanās; bezpersonas darbības vārdi; dziļā struktūra; virsējā struktūra; ģeneratīvā gramatika;

Summary/Abstract: Surface sentence structure is realization of deep sentence structure. The deep sentence structure can be completely realized in surface sentence structure as every participant of deep structure has a corresponding sentence part in surface structure. However an asymmetry can develop between deep and surface structure, in case one of participants included in deep sentence structure is not overtly expressed. There is a point of view in generative grammar stating that every sentence must contain subject position. The last one may be not realized in the surface structure. A notion of zero form is used to describe unrealized syntactical positions. It allows exploring mutual relations of sentence structure levels.In Latvian there are quasi zero subjects in the sentences, where a personal form of verb testifies the presence of a subject; and real zero subjects in sentences, where there is nothing that testifies the presence of a subject, e.g. if the predicate is impersonal verb (snigt ‘to snow’, miglot ‘to become misty’, krēslot ‘to be getting dark’) that describes various meteorological and astronomical processes.

  • Issue Year: 2012
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 121-129
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: Latvian