Phi-features and the Modular Architecture of - UMR 7023 - CNRS

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that SE adjusts to him
One adjusts that to him.
(Blanche-Benveniste 1975: 214-9, Blanche-Benveniste et al. 1984: 107)
(196) Mediopassive in y-grammar (cf. reflexive (193)b)
a. ¥ Un tel mensonge ne se dit pas à Louise.
b. ¥ *Cela ne s' y dit pas , à Louise.
such a lie/this NEG SE her.D/LOC says not to Louise
One does not tell Louise (a) such a lie / (b) this.
(Postal 1990: 167f.)
Because of the interest of this minimal reflexive-mediopassive difference,
more contextualized and more minimal pairs follow. The strong pronoun dative
with the reflexive is perfectly natural on a purely anaphoric reading. In the mediopassive,
it is only possible under semantic focus, for instance if it contrasts
with contextually available alternatives. Sometimes this difference translates to
one of prosodic accentuation on the strong pronoun. Particularly 1 st /2 nd person datives
stand out, which also prefer clitic-doubling under focus (note 60). However,
even unfocussed strong pronouns in French are not deaccented (section 4.3), so
the anaphoric strong pronoun of the PCC repair and the focussed one of the mediopassives
may both appear to have the same prosody, as à eux in (199). Yet the
interpretive invocation of alternatives in the mediopassive remains clear. 86
(197) Reflexive (or anticausative, see below):
a. Le parc et les jardins s'ouvrent aux visiteurs de 10 heures à 19 heures.
The park and the gardens open themselves to the visitors from 10
o'clock to 19 o'clock.
b. L'affiche informe les visiteursi que le parc et les jardins s'ouvrent à
euxi de 10 heures à 19 heures.
The notice informs the visitorsi that the parc and the gardens open
themselves to themi from 10 o'clock to 19 o'clock.
(reflexive or anticausative + dative, see note 88)
c. La banque considère qu'un crédit, ça ne s'ouvre pas comme ça aux
étudiants, il faut garantir l'emprunt.
The bank holds that a line of credit, one does not open it to students
just like that, it is necessary to guarantee the loan.
d. Les étudiants se plaignent qu'un crédit bancaire, ça ne s'ouvre pas
comme ça à EUX/*à eux, il faut garantir l'emprunt.
The students are complaining that a bank credit, one does not open it
to THEM/*to them just like that, it is necessary to guarantee the loan.
(mediopassive + dative)
(198) Vous vous plaignez que le lait s'achète
You complain one buys milk
86 The results of the questionnaire are telling: (199)c and (199)d are consistently perfect or close,
(199)e sandwiched between them profoundly degraded.