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Part of
Innovative Approaches to Research in Hispanic Linguistics: Regional, diachronic, and learner profile variation
Edited by Sara Fernández Cuenca, Tiffany Judy and Lauren Miller
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 38] 2023
► pp. 34–57

Chapter 2
Person restrictions in non-canonical agreement patterns in Spanish

| Michigan State University
| University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
In this paper we present empirical evidence for the existence of person restrictions across five constructions which exhibit non-canonical agreement patterns in Spanish. We account for these data by adopting a Multiple Agree approach à la Anagnostopoulou (2005, 2017) and D’Alessandro (2007) where T/INFL can agree with two different elements as long as there is no person feature incompatibility.
We also show that there are person restrictions in non-canonical agreement constructions with parecer in Spanish (contra Mare and Pato, 2018), once we set aside the “look-like” interpretation of parecer. In addition, we provide empirical evidence for the claim that usted(es) behaves as an “imposter” as expected by Collins and Ordóñez (2021) analysis.
Keywords: agreement, person restriction, Spanish, multiple agree, hyperraising, parecer, imposter usted(es)
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The data
    • 2.1SE constructions
    • 2.2Agreement in hyperraising contexts
    • 2.3Long distance infinitival object agreement
    • 2.4Finite hyper-agreement with the subject of the embedded clause
    • 2.5Agreement in existential sentences with haber
    • 2.6Summary of the data
  • 3.The account
    • 3.1The number harmony approach
    • 3.2The multiple agree approach
    • 3.3Accounting for person restrictions in non-canonical agreement constructions in Spanish under multiple agree
      • 3.3.1Hyperraising constructions
      • 3.3.2SE constructions
      • 3.3.3Long distance infinitival object constructions
      • 3.3.4Hyper-agreement constructions
      • 3.3.5Existential sentences with haber
  • 4.No person restrictions with parecer?
  • 5.On ustedes
  • 6.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 7 June 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.38.02aus
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