Nouns and Noun Phrases - University of Macau Library

800 Syntax of Dutch: nouns and noun phrases
(354) a. P iets a′. ergens ... P [existential]
b. P niets b′. nergens ... P [negative existential]
c. P alles c′. overal ... P [universal]
The examples in (355) show that the existential pronoun iets alternates with the
R-word. Although judgments are somewhat subtle, it seems that (355a) is
preferably construed as specific, whereas (355b) instead receives a nonspecific
interpretation.
(355) a. Jan wil op iets wachten.
Jan wants for something wait
‘Jan wants to wait for something.’
b. Jan wil ergens op wachten.
Jan wants somewhere for wait
‘Jan wants to wait for something.’
With the negative existential pronouns, R-pronominalization seems to be the
unmarked option. Realizing the pronoun as the complement of the preposition
seems to give rise to a “not a single thing” reading.
(356) a. Jan wil op niets wachten.
Jan has for nothing wait
‘Jan doesn’t want to wait for anything.’
b. Jan wil nergens op wachten.
Jan wants nowhere for wait
‘Jan doesn’t want to wait for anything.’
With the universal pronoun, R-pronominalization may also be the unmarked option.
Realizing the pronoun as the complement of the preposition seems to give rise to an
emphatic “each and every thing” reading.
(357) a. Jan wil op alles wachten.
Jan wants for everything waited
‘Jan wants to wait for everything.’
b. Jan wil overal op wachten.
Jan wants everywhere for wait
‘Jan wants to wait for everything.’
Given that the above observations are rather impressionistic, more research is
needed to establish whether the R-forms are indeed unmarked and whether the two
forms indeed exhibit systematic meaning differences of the sort suggested here.
Finally, it can be noted that the positive and negative existential pronouns can
also be used as the predicate in a copular construction, although they normally
require some form of modification. This is illustrated in (358) for the nonspecific
use of the pronouns; it is probably not surprising that the negative existential
pronouns have a more or less idiomatic interpretation.