Partitīva konstrukciju sintaktiskās īpatnības latviešu valodā
Syntactic features of partitive constructions in Latvian

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the syntactic aspect of partitive constructions in Latvian. The analyzed constructions express quantitative relations and consist of two elements – quantifier determiner (noun, adverb or numeral), i.e., the partitive, and noun in the genitive. Partitive constructions are problematic from the point of view of syntax due to the asymmetry of form and content, as far as the formally dependent component tends to be semantically more important. This causes variation in agreement between the components of partitive constructions in subject position and the predicate. The aim of the article is to discuss syntactic and semantic factors denoting agreement features. These factors are: 1) the grammatical number of the genitive and thus the distinction between count and mass nouns, 2) lexical semantics of the partitive, 3) word order. Agreement features suggest that the referents of partitive constructions with genitive plurals in Latvian are predominantly perceived as syntactically and notionally divisible constructions, combinations of discrete elements rather than indivisible wholes.

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