- Map-Legend:
- fronting
- Mixed Data
- No Data
| Language | Question | Subquestion | Color | Parameter | Value | Preference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amharic | 41 | a | fronting | 1 | ||
| Bernese German | 41 | a | fronting | 1 | NA | |
| Czech | 41 | a | fronting | 0.5 | NA | |
| Gagauz | 41 | a | fronting | 1 | ||
| Hungarian | 41 | a | fronting | 1 | ||
| Jejueo | 41 | a | fronting | 1 | NA | |
| Mopan Maya | 41 | a | fronting | 1 | NA | |
| Kannada | 41 | a | fronting | 1 | ||
| Polish | 41 | a | fronting | 1 | ||
| Slovene | 41 | a | fronting | 1 | ||
| Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian | 41 | a | fronting | 1 | ||
| Cochabamba Quechua | 41 | a | fronting | 1 | NA | |
| English | 41 | a | fronting | 0.5 | ||
| Standard German | 41 | a | fronting | 1 |
(41) Can the verb be fronted alone in a periphrastic tense/modal construction when it is contrasted or given?
As in questions (2) and (4), please make sure the sentence contains a finite and a non-finite verb. The finite verb can be a tense auxiliary, a modal verb, or else.
a) Given verb
Prompt: What will/must Bill steal from who?
?Steal Bill will/must __ a book from Mary.
or
Prompt: Bill will/must certainly steal a computer from Jane.
?No! Steal Bill will/must __ a book from Mary.
or
Prompt: Bill wanted/had to steal a book from Mary, and …
?steal Bill will/must ___ a book from Mary.
German
Bill wird der Maria ein Buch stehlen.
Bill will the.DAT Mary a.ACC book steal
'Bill will steal a book from Mary.'
German
Stehlen wird Bill der Maria ein Buch __.
Steal will Bill the.DAT Mary a.ACC book
Explanation: Here and in the other cases of this section, please try to make sure that the various constructions are not the result of the combination of independent reorderings of, e.g., verb and object, but stem from a single process affecting a VP constituent.
Please make sure that the fronted verb contains no tense-related material such as finite inflection or an independent infinitive marker such as English to.
In some languages, the fronting may imply the insertion of a dummy verb: *Read, he did a book.
In some languages, we may see a doubling of verb: *Read, he read the book.
Background: This is to test whether the VP forms a constituent to the exclusion of the subject. In S-V-O languages, the subject is expected to not be part of the VP.