ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an exhaustive discussion of dependent clauses functioning as °arguments or °complementives. Section 5.1 starts with finite argument clauses; we will consider in detail subject, direct object, and prepositional clauses. (1) a. dat duidelijk is [dat Marie de nieuwe voorzitter wordt]. [subject] that clear is that Marie the new chairman becomes ‘that it is clear that Marie will be the new Chair.’ b. dat Jan niet gemeld heeft [dat hij weg zou zijn]. [direct object] that Jan not reported has that he away would be ‘that Jan hasn’t reported that he’d be away.’ c. dat Peter erover klaagt [dat het regent]. [prepositional object] that Peter about.it complains that it rains ‘that Peter is complaining about that it is raining.’ Section 5.1 also includes a discussion of fragment clauses and wh-extraction. A typical example of fragment clauses is given in (2a), in which the wh-word who is interpreted in the same way as the embedded clause in Ik weet niet wie Jan gisteren heeft bezocht ‘I do not know who Jan has visited yesterday.’ Wh-extraction is illustrated in (2b) by means of wh-movement of the direct object of the °complement clause; the °trace t i indicates the normal position of the direct object. (2) a. Jan heeft gisteren iemand bezocht, maar ik weet niet wie. Jan has yesterday someone visited but I know not who ‘Jan visited someone yesterday but I don’t know who.’ b. Wati denk je [ Clause dat Marie t i morgen zal kopen]? what think you that Marie tomorrow will buy ‘What do you think that Marie will buy tomorrow?’ Section 5.2 discusses three types of formally different types of infinitival clauses: Om + te-infinitivals, te-infinitivals and bare infinitivals. Some typical examples are given in (3), which typically have an implicit (phonetically empty) subject pronoun, normally represented as PRO; an important issue will be what the conditions on the interpretation of °PRO are (°control theory). (3) a. Jan beloofde [om PRO het boek naar Els te sturen]. [om + te-infinitival] Jan promised COMP the book to Els to send ‘Jan promised to send the book to Els.’ b. Jan beweerde [PRO het boek naar Els te sturen].[te-infinitival] Jan claimed the book to Els to send ‘Jan claimed to send the book to Els.’ c. Jan wilde [PRO het boek naar Els sturen]. [bare infinitival] Jan wanted the book to Els send ‘Jan wanted to send the book to Els.’ Section 5.2 also discusses °subject raising and accusativus-cum-infinitivo infinitivals such as (4). We will give reasons for assuming that the °nominative subject in (4a) is extracted from the infinitival clause and that the subject of the infinitival clause in (4b) functions as the subject of the infinitival clause but is assigned °accusative case by the °matrix verb horen ‘to hear’. (4) a. Jani schijnt [t i een nieuwe auto te kopen]. [subject raising] Jan seems a new car to buy ‘Jan seems to buy a new car.’ b. Els hoorde [henacc een liedje zingen]. [accusativus-cum-infinitivo] Els heard them a song sing ‘Els heard them sing a song.’ Section 5.3 concludes with a discussion of complementives, that is, clauses that function as secondary predicates; examples that are sometimes (perhaps incorrectly) analyzed as involving complementive clauses are the copular constructions in (5). (5) a. Een feit is [dat hij te lui is]. a fact is that he too lazy is ‘It’s a fact is that he’s too lazy.’ b. dat boek is moeilijk [(om) te lezen]. that book is hard COMP to read ‘that book is hard to read.’
