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The syntax of Welsh negation[Note 1. An earlier version of this paper was presented at ...]
Author(s) -
Borsley Robert D.,
Jones Bob Morris
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
transactions of the philological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.333
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1467-968X
pISSN - 0079-1636
DOI - 10.1111/1467-968x.00057
Subject(s) - negation , linguistics , subject (documents) , adverb , welsh , verb , syntax , object (grammar) , phrase , computer science , head driven phrase structure grammar , mathematics , grammar , philosophy , library science
Colloquial Welsh negation involves many complexities. Negative sentences require an n‐word in subject or object position or as a post‐subject adverb. The picture is complicated by the fact that the main negative adverb is homophonous with a negative quantifier. Further, there are differences between negative subjects and negative objects, and between different negative adverbs. Non‐finite negation often involves a negative verb, but it seems somewhat simpler than finite negation. It allows, but does not require, an n‐word. The main facts can be accommodated fairly readily within Head‐driven Phrase Structure Grammar (HPSG). Within this framework non‐finite negation can be analysed in terms of a small number of negative heads, finite negation, in terms of a number of types of negative verb.