140 Małgorzata Krzek
interpretation. However, before proceeding to spell out the mechanics of both pro-
cesses, it will be necessary to make a short digression to the theory of pronouns.3.2 1st/2nd personal pronouns vs. 3rd personal pronouns
The 1st/2nd person pronouns (regardless of whether they are overt or null) are
assumed to be sortally different from 3rd person pronouns. That is, the 1st/2nd per-
son pronouns are deictically anchored (Cabredo-Hofherr 2006), and as such they
point to the specific discourse participants. Null 3rd person pronouns (i.e. he, she,
they), on the other hand, are not deictically anchored, and they have to be bound
by an A-topic, which provides value^10 for the null 3rd person pronoun (Frascarelli
2007 : 694). The distinction between overt and null pronouns is illustrated by the sen-
tences in (22) and (23).
(22) a. Ja jadę jutro do Londynu.
i.nom go.pres 1 sg tomorrow to London
‘I am going to London tomorrow.’b. Jadę jutro do Londynu.
go.pres 1 sg tomorrow to London
‘I am going to London tomorrow.’
(23) a. Ona jedzie jutro do Londynu.
she travel.pres 3 sg tomorrow to London
‘She is going to London tomorrow.’
b. *Jedzie jutro do Londynu.
travel.pres 3 sg tomorrow to London
(Intended) ‘She is going to London tomorrow.’
c. Oni ukradli mi samochòd.
they steal.past 3 pl i.dat car
‘They stole my car.’
d. Ukradli mi samochòd.
steal.past 3 pl i.dat car
‘They/Somebody stole my car.’
In (22) the interpretation of the 1st person pronoun does not change regardless of
whether the pronoun is overt or null. In (23), on the other hand, the 3rd person
null subject cannot be interpreted in the same way as the 1st person pronoun unless- Providing value, in this context, is understood as providing both the reference for the
pronoun so that through a designated A-topic it points to a specific individual and also pro-
viding values for the phi-features of a null pronoun.