• Dutch
  • Frisian
  • Saterfrisian
  • Afrikaans
Show all
Cliticisation in UCV2s
quickinfo

Certain clitics can follow the finite verb in main clauses and the complementiser in embedded clauses, but they are banned from the first position of main clauses. UCV2s pattern with main clauses in this respect.

readmore

An example is the third person masculine clitic er he. It is allowed following after the verb and following the complementiser of normally embedded clauses, as in the example below:

1
Juster sei er dat er op tiid komme soe
yesterday said he that he on time come would
Yesterday he said that he would arrive on time

It is not allowed in the first position of main clauses, as can be seen in the example below:

2
a. *Er sei juster dat er op tiid komme soe
he said yesterday that he on time come would
He said yesterday that he would arrive on time
b. Hy sei juster dat er op tiid komme soe
he said yesterday that he on time come would
He said yesterday that he would arrive on time

UCV2s behave like main clauses in disallowing the clitic pronoun, even though they are introduced by the complementiser dat that. This complementiser usually triggers Verb-Final clauses. Like main clauses, UCV2s only allow the full pronoun:

3
a. *Hy sei juster dat er soe op tiid komme
he said yesterday that he would on time come
Yesterday, he said that he would arrive on time
b. Hy sei juster dat hy soe op tiid komme
he said yesterday that he would on time come
Yesterday, he said that he would arrive on time

This indicates that the relation between the complementiser and the embedded UCV2 is looser than the relation between the complementiser and a Verb-Final embedded clause.

References
    printreport errorcite