Getting there: A syntactic analysis of the distribution of Dutch expletive er in four types of constructions

Abstract

The present paper mainly provides an account of the distribution of Dutch expletive er in the construction types that involve it. An elaborate overview of the different functions of Dutch er is provided and the characteristics of expletive er are laid out. Next, the account to be developed in the paper to account for expletive er, the pronominal trace-approach, is discussed. In accounting for how expletive er’s distribution is brought about, the pronominal trace-approach 1) assigns a major role to the V2 criterium of Dutch and a slightly alternated version of the extended projection principle and 2) assumes that an empty element, a trace with an expletive pronominal character (t/pro-ref) which can optionally be realized as er¬, is left behind in Spec,TP whenever an element (which is not a non-wh-subject) leaves this position. Whether er is realized or not in the case of t/pro-ref will be argued to be decided in later phases in the sentence generation process, thereby being independent of syntactic operations. Finally, the pronominal trace-approach is situated in the literature by comparing it with three alternative accounts of Dutch expletive er.