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Article In:
Linguistics in the Netherlands 2024
Edited by Marco Bril and Kristel Doreleijers
[Nota Bene 1:2] 2024
► pp. 318–336

The external and internal syntax of genoeg

 | Leiden University Centre for Linguistics (LUCL)
It has been known since Barbiers (2001) that genoeg ‘enough’ can turn predicate adverbs into sentence adverbs. When genoeg occurs in a sentence adverbial phrase, it is syntactically obligatory, but makes little to no semantic contribution:
(1)
Kees
Kees
heeft
has
gek
weird
*(genoeg)
*(enough)
niet
not
gek
weird
genoeg
enough
gedanst.
danced.
‘Weirdly, Kees didn’t dance weirdly enough.’
In this paper, I analyse the external and internal syntax of such enough support adverbs. Using Cinque’s (1999) adverbial hierarchy, I observe that enough support splits into subject-oriented and evaluative adverbs. Next, I nuance the accepted theory that genoeg in adverbial phrases is an affix: only enough support is a full-fledged affix; regular enough is an affixoid. Finally, I analyse the internal syntax of enough support. I suggest that a Sentence Predicate Projection is needed for the formation of sentence adverbials.
Keywords: generative syntax, adverb, sentence adverb, Cinque hierarchy, adverb raising, evaluative adverb, subject-oriented adverb, affix, internal syntax, Dutch
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.External syntax
    • 2.1The distribution of genoeg
    • 2.2 Genoeg adverbial phrases in the midfield
    • 2.3 Enough support in the Cinque hierarchy
  • 3.Internal syntax
    • 3.1Is genoeg an affix?
    • 3.2 Regular enough as a Quantifier Phrase
    • 3.3 Enough support as a Sentence Predicate Phrase
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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