There is more about existentials: Agreement and case assignment in Serbian and Lithuanian

abstract: This paper examines the properties of existential constructions in Serbian and Lithuanian. Existential constructions share some interpretive properties with locative constructions, in that both express a proposition about the existence or the presence of someone or something in a context. However, Serbian and Lithuanian existentials display a cluster of properties that set them apart from locatives: unmarked verb-subject order (with pivot following copula), lack of agreement between copula and post-copular pivot, genitive case on the pivot and a dedicated form of the copula. The case properties of the pivot in existentials depend on specific interpretive properties related to agentivity, volitionality and definiteness and there are structural distinctions between existential and locatives, which are captured in syntax with parallel Agree operations: in locatives, the copula agrees with the pivot; in existentials, it agrees with an expletive pro .

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Slavic linguistics
Published
2025-01-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1353/jsl.2025.a970001
Citations
2
Primary Topic
European and International Law Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
17.04
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article

There is more about existentials: Agreement and case assignment in Serbian and Lithuanian

Elena Vaikšnoraitė, Alberto Frasson
2 citations
Journal of Slavic linguistics
European and International Law Studies
17.04
article

There is more about existentials: Agreement and case assignment in Serbian and Lithuanian

Elena Vaikšnoraitė, Alberto Frasson
article en
2 citations

Abstract

abstract: This paper examines the properties of existential constructions in Serbian and Lithuanian. Existential constructions share some interpretive properties with locative constructions, in that both express a proposition about the existence or the presence of someone or something in a context. However, Serbian and Lithuanian existentials display a cluster of properties that set them apart from locatives: unmarked verb-subject order (with pivot following copula), lack of agreement between copula and post-copular pivot, genitive case on the pivot and a dedicated form of the copula. The case properties of the pivot in existentials depend on specific interpretive properties related to agentivity, volitionality and definiteness and there are structural distinctions between existential and locatives, which are captured in syntax with parallel Agree operations: in locatives, the copula agrees with the pivot; in existentials, it agrees with an expletive pro .

Journal of Slavic linguisticsVol. 33(3)
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
European and International Law Studies
17.04
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