Nouns and Noun Phrases - University of Macau Library

1090 Syntax of Dutch: nouns and noun phrases
it is the purpose of the sentence to express that the two noun phrases have the same
referent.
(96) a. De voorzitter van deze vergadering is de decaan van de faculteit.
the chairman of this meeting is the dean of the faculty
a′. dat de voorzitter van deze vergadering de decaan van de faculteit is.
that the chairman of this meeting the dean of the faculty is
b. De decaan van de faculteit is de voorzitter van deze vergadering.
b′. dat de decaan van de faculteit de voorzitter van deze vergadering is.
The primeless examples in (96) are semantically ambiguous, but the two
interpretations are generally associated with two different intonation patterns. When
the sentences are interpreted with the first noun phrase as a referential expression, it
can be pronounced with a neutral, continuous intonation contour. On the alternative,
inverse interpretation, some special intonational clue is needed, for example by
inserting a brief intonation stop before the second noun phrase, and/or by placing
emphatic or contrastive focus on it. The alternative, inverse interpretation can also
be blocked by means of adverbs like ook ‘also’ or tevens ‘also’: in examples like
(97) the second noun phrase must be construed as the predicate.
(97) a. De voorzitter van deze vergadering is ook de decaan van de faculteit.
the chairman of this meeting SUBJECT is also the dean of the facultyPred
b. De decaan van de universiteit is tevens de voorzitter van deze vergadering.
the dean of the faculty SUBJECT is also the chairman of this meetingPred
III. Nominal predicates introduced by als/tot
In some cases, the nominal predicate must be introduced by als or tot, or, less
commonly, voor. In some cases this seems to be an idiosyncratic property, given
that verbs like beschouwen ‘to consider’ and benoemen ‘to appoint’ obligatorily
take such a predicate: in (98a), the als-phrase cannot be dropped without shifting
the meaning of the verb to something like “to observe”; in (98b), the tot/als-phrase
can be dropped, but will then be implied.
(98) a. Ik beschouw Jan # (als een veelbelovende student).
I consider Jan as a promising student
‘I consider Jan a promising student.’
b. We benoemen Jan morgen (tot/als voorzitter).
we appoint Jan tomorrow as chairman
There are also some more or less fixed collocations with the verb houden and the
preposition voor. Some examples are given in (99); in the (a)-example voor is
followed by a noun phrase and in the (b)-example by an adjective.
(99) a. Ze hielden hem voor de dader.
they consider him FOR the perpetrator
b. Je zult het niet voor mogelijk houden, maar ...
you will it not FOR possible consider but
‘You won’t believe it, but ...’