LINGUIST List 2.751

Mon 04 Nov 1991

Qs: PRO, Language and Law, Black English

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Directory

1. Tibor Kiss, Sentential PRO?
2. , Language and Law
3. Leslie, Black English

Dear Linguists,
when thinking about Government-Binding-Theory's well-known PRO
I wondered how this element can cope with surpressed sentential
subjects.
Sentential subjects share certain properties with nominal subjects.
In particular, both are not realized if the verb they are belonging
to is non-finite. But here the usual explanations in support of
PRO seem to fail: Sentential subjects neither need Case to be realized
nor do they conflict with Principles A and B of the Binding Theory, because
sentences are neither pronominal, nor anaphoric (in Chomsky's terms).
It is also impossible to subsume unrealized sentential subjects under
nominal PRO. This move would force us to identify noun-phrase indices
with (non-existent) sentential indices in case of control.
Still, sentential subjects do not surface if the verb is non-finite.
Since I am still working on that matter, I would like to know whether
there are any published (or unpublished) sources on this topic in
the GB-literature. Was this problem ever addressed?
Thanks in advance, Tibor Kiss (kiss at ds0lilog.bitnet)
P.S.: I would recommend to direct any answers directly to me so that
 the Linguist list would be released at least from this burden.
 I will write a summary, then.

Has anyone taught a class in Language and the Law recently? I'll be teaching
one in Spring '92 and I would be very grateful if anyone who has taught such a
class could send me syllabi, reading lists, or comments (what goes well, what
doesn't). The course I'll be teaching is an MA level seminar, but higher and
lower courses could be relevant. Send by e-mail to jkaplansciences.sdsu.edu
or jeffucsvax.sdsu.edu, or, if you prefer, send hard copies to me at
Linguistics Dept., San Diego State U., San Diego CA 92182. Thanks.
Jeff Kaplan

I have a student who is interested in studying the Black English usage of
'come' in sentences like 'Did he come hitting you again?' The only reference I
know of is Spears 1982. Does anyone know of more recent work on how this verb
operates as a semi-auxiliary and when it is used? Thanks, Leslie Barratt
(EJLESBBINDST.BITNET)