Article
Overt PRO in Gã
Studies in African Linguistics
(2023)
Abstract
This paper presents data from Gã (Kwa, Niger-Congo language spoken in Ghana) that show that controlled subjects of non-finite predicates must be overt in this language. The presence of an overt pronominal subject in a non-finite embedded clause is surprising from the perspective of languages such as English and French, where such subjects must be covert (PRO). We provide evidence that the overt pronoun in Gã patterns with obligatorily controlled PRO (Hornstein 1999; Landau 2013) and argue for an analysis that adopts Kratzer’s (2009) minimal pronoun. Unlike other instances reported in the literature, in Gã the overt PRO is not associated with focus and must be overtly realized. We compare Gã with two other Niger-Congo languages with overt PRO (Ewe and Bùlì) and explore the differences among these languages.
Keywords
- Gã,
- control,
- PRO,
- infinitival predicates,
- minimal pronouns
Disciplines
Publication Date
2023
DOI
https://doi.org/10.32473/sal.52.1and2.131241
Citation Information
Deborah Allotey and Ileana Paul. "Overt PRO in Gã" Studies in African Linguistics Vol. 52 (2023) p. 103 - 124 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/ileanapaul/73/