Jaume Solà i Pujols - Departament de Filologia Catalana ...

Thus the examples in 0 seem to indicate that the inverted subject is right adjoined to the
VP, as it more naturally follows the object. This is true for Catalan. For Spanish the b) and d)
examples would be as natural as the a) and c) examples, the difference being that in the latter the
inverted subject is interpreted as Focus, as in Catalan. 7
If now we shift to (obligatory) oblique arguments, the facts are similar:
(5) a. Avui s'encarregarà dels nens en Joan
Today will-be-in-charge of-the children the Joan
'Today JOAN will be in charge of the children'
b. ??Avui s'encarregarà en Joan dels nens
c. Parlarà d' aquest tema en Joan
Will-speak of this subject the Joan
'JOAN will talk about this subject'
d. ??Parlarà en Joan d'aquest tema
Again, Spanish does not show any contrast in acceptability. So objects and obligatory
oblique Arguments seem to suggest that, at least in Catalan, the EA inverted subject is preferred
as right-adjoined to the VP.
Optional Arguments (such as Datives and Obliques, see 0) and Locatives not being the
first Argument -0- seem to allow free word order w.r.t. the inverted subject (perhaps with a slight
preference for the PP-inverted-subject order):
7 There seems to be some V-2-like phenomena in Spanish VSO
sentences, in that they are preferred when there is some
preverbal constituent (including Wh-constituents, Negation and
some adverbs). But we cannot claim this is a case of subjectverb
inversion, for the position of adverbs may show that the
subject is lower down in the structure:
(i) No está todavía Juan en casa
Not is still J. at home
'Juan is not home yet'
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