An LFG analysis of AANN constructions

Abstract

This chapter examines the construction exemplified in the title, consisting of the singular determiner a followed by an adjective, a numeral, and a plural noun (abbreviated as AANN). Building on work by Dalrymple and King (2019), Hristov captures the syntactic structure and functional properties of this construction by assuming a standard NP analysis at constituent-structure, coupled with concord and index agreement within the NP at functional-structure. It is proposed that the numeral, which acts as a modifier, agrees with the plural concord of the head noun, while the determiner proper (the article) is exceptionally allowed to agree with the N′ string staggering ten dissertations in terms of index (singular when a single-unit reading is available). Thus, without altering the formal apparatus of LFG, this proposal has the advantage of explaining a number of previously unexplained contrasts and of being able to cover a wide range of related constructions.

The typology of external splits

“…In brief, deca 'children' is the semi-suppletive plural of dete 'child'; it inflects like a feminine singular noun, and takes feminine singular and neuter plural agreement (if we include the personal pronouns, also masculine and feminine plural agreement). The choice is subject to a range of constraints (Corbett 1983:76-88, Wechsler & Zlatić 2012, Hristov 2013:336-41, 2021, and references there). The agreement target relevant for us is the relative pronoun.…”