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Subjects in Constructions – Canonical and Non-Canonical
Edited by Marja-Liisa Helasvuo and Tuomas Huumo
[Constructional Approaches to Language 16] 2015
► pp. 73–97

Subjects under generic conditions

Implied subjects in Finnish and Estonian if-clauses

| University of Turku
| University of Tartu

The chapter discusses implied subjects creating open or generic reference in Finnish and Estonian if-clauses from a contrastive perspective. We focus on the so-called zero person constructions, passives/impersonals, and the Estonian da-infinitive which acts as a predicate of an if-clause. These construction types lack subject; in addition they can create open or generic reference. The constructions are closely interrelated; however, each of them has some restrictions in use and differences in interpretation. The passive in Finnish and the impersonal in Estonian if-clauses have a tendency to refer to a group, whereas the zero person and Estonian da-infinitive refer to one individual. The interpretation of implied subject depends on the conditional clause type, the context, and the verb form that is used.

Published online: 14 January 2015
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/cal.16.04jok
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