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

244
Strong Possessive Weak
(-concord) subject
Clitic
1SG moi m-on/a/es je me
2SG toi t-on/a/es tu te
object
1PL nous no-tre/s nous, on nous
2PL vous vo-tre/s vous vous
3SGM lui s-on/a/es il ACC le,
3SGF elle s-on/a/es elle ACC la
3PLM eux leur-∅/s ils
3PLM elles leur-∅/s elles
DAT/ACC, disjoint/reflexive
DAT lui; DAT/ACC refl. se
ACC les, DAT leur, DAT/ACC refl. se
Note 1: Possessives concord with the head noun (some M/F and PL, some SG/PL).
Note 2: Strong pronouns are preposition objects, dislocated, doubled, focussed.
French has the personal pronoun system in Table 6.2. The 1PL on is an addition
to an older system. On descends from Latin homō 'man' and has three presentday
uses: 1PL on1PL 'we', quasi-universal on∀ 'one, people', and quasi-existential
on∃ ''one or more persons, some(one)' (Morin 1978, 1982, Oukada 1982, Cabredo
Hofherr 2003, 2008, Kayne 2007, Creissels 2008b, and generally Creissels 2008a,
Cinque 1988, Egerland 2003, Holmberg forthc, Moltmann 2006, Mendikoetxea
2008). Across the three uses, on must control 3SG finite verb agreement and the
3 rd person subject-oriented reflexive clitic se. In other ways the three uses differ in
meaning, anaphora, and concord. They are discussed below using the paradigm in
(374). It is built around se fier à 'trust (lit. trust oneself to)'; we return to its reflexive
clitic se and 3SG agreement below, and for know they are set aside. 180
(374) a. Oni sei fie à sesi instincts pour sai survie.
Onei sei trusts onei's instincts for onei's survival. (on∀)
b. Oni sei fie à nos*i/ses*i instincts pour notre*i/sa*i survie.
Someonei sei trusts our*i/their*i instincts for our*i/their*i survival. (on∃)
c. Oni sei fie à nosi instincts pour notrei survie.
Wei sei trust ouri instincts for ouri survival. (on1PL)
(French)
In (374)a is the quasi-universal on 'people, one'. Its meaning is close to or
identical with 'arbitrary' PRO and generic we, you, one. It typically occurs in generic
sentences. It antecedes a special series of anaphora comparable to English
one, one's, oneself: weak subject on, strong soi, and possessive son/sa/se. 181
180 My presentation follows principally Creissels (2008b).
181 Son/sa/ses is syncretic with the 3SG possessive, but on cannot otherwise antecede 3SG pronouns.
The strong pronoun soi is as anaphor limited to on and arbitrary PRO for most speakers in