The syntax of comparative correlatives in French and Spanish

Comparative correlative (CC) constructions have received much attention inrecent years. Major issues have been whether they involve special constructionsand whether they have symmetric or asymmetric structures. Evidence from Romancesuggests that they require special constructions and that they may be eithersymmetric or asymmetric. French has a single construction which is asymmetricfor some speakers and symmetric for others. Spanish has two distinctconstructions, one asymmetric and the other symmetric with quite differentproperties. The facts can be accommodated in a straightforward way withinconstruction-based HPSG.