Advances in the Syntax of DPs - Structure, agreement, and case

40 Steven Franks

semipredicatives can receive case through direct assignment. It is this that renders

them potential targets for the SD.

5.1 Some data and puzzles

This section outlines the basic predicate adjective data and identifies potentially key

puzzles for their analysis. In describing ordinary predicate adjectives I borrow heavily

from Grebenyova (2005). Recall her (24) above, repeated as (39), which shows that

these can either agree or appear in the default instrumental. In Russian, the latter

option is always potentially available.^23

(39) Ivan prišel domoj grustnyj/grustnym.

Ivan.nom came home sad.nom/inst

‘Ivan came home sad.’

In general, where agreement is obligatory for semipredicatives it is possible for ordi-

nary adjectives as well. Here are some additional examples:^24

(40) Pavel vstretil Ivana grustnogo.

Pavel met Ivan.acc sad.acc

‘Pavel met Ivan sad.’

(41) Ivan ne xočet [idti na prazdnik grustnyj].

Ivan.nom not wants go.inf to party sad.nom

‘Ivan does not want to go to the party sad.’

(42) Pavel poprosil Ivana [ne idti na prazdnik *grustnogo].

Pavel asked Ivan.acc not go.inf to party sad.acc

‘Pavel asked Ivan not to go to the party sad.’

What this shows is that clause internal agreement parallels that for semipredicatives,

as does subject OC in (41). The impossibility of agreement in object control (42)

raises however additional questions, especially when compared to otherwise identical

what differentiates the semipredicatives from predicate adjectives. Her concern is with the

absence of default instrumental, which she associates with their quantificational status, and

which in her view forces them always to agree.

23. In Polish, predicate adjectives typically agree, except in the absence of a controller for
    agreement (and, as in Russian, then they are instrumental). Witkoś (2010: 209) contends
    dative is also a default case, but just for the semipredicatives: “Dative on semi-predicates and
    instrumental on predicate adjectives.... are default cases.”


24. Instrumental variants are not given, since in Russian these are always acceptable, hence
    this is the only possibility in (42).