Split antecedents: A dependency grammar account in terms of predicate-valent structures

Abstract Plural pronouns can have split antecedents distributed in various positions. This article scrutinizes the distribution of plural pronouns taking split antecedents in English, relying heavily on informant judgments to determine acceptability. Two conditions on split antecedents are proposed. These conditions are expressed in terms of the valents of predicates in a dependency grammar (DG) framework of syntax. The DG approach proves to be effective in cases that challenge semantic predicate-argument approaches.