230035 Syntax with a special focus on cleft sentences (S) (WiSe 2019/2020)

A core aspect of language and language variation is sentence structure. In this class, we will first consider which tools we need for the syntactic analysis of sentences, and how these can be modelled using the theoretical background of the Minimalist Program. In order to do so, we consider the analysis of simple sentences, embedded clauses, questions and relative clauses, including the possible points of variation between languages within the Minimalist Program. With this background, we will turn to the analysis of so-called cleft sentences: it-clefts such as It was Peter who solved the problem or pseudoclefts such as What Peter is is proud of himself. The hallmark of cleft sentences is that the constituent after the copula (PETER) is focused/highlighted/emphasized while the non-focused part is expressed in a relative clause (who solved the problem). We will consider how clefts in Germanic can be analysed within the Minimalist Program and to what extent they require an extension of the model. Finally, we extend the discussion to the typology of these constructions in a variety of languages.