News
Publicação de Livro 2025-05-09
Null Objects from a Cross-Linguistic and Developmental Perspective
The volume Null Objects from a Cross-Linguistic and Developmental Perspective brings together
theoretical and empirical contributions on missing object constructions, revealing a nu-
anced and multifaceted phenomenon that poses challenges to current theories of null
objects. The selected papers highlight the significance of the interplay between formal
constraints and semantic properties (namely definiteness and animacy) in the licensing
of null objects cross-linguistically. The formally oriented papers contribute to ongoing
discussions on the mechanisms underlying the derivation of null objects. The differences
between null objects that are licensed by rich agreement and those that are agreement
independent are also addressed. From a developmental perspective, the papers on null
objects in language acquisition, including second language learning, further provide
valuable insights into the intricate processes underlying the acquisition of referential
expressions. The role of animacy emerges as a central question, particularly in the context
of Portuguese varieties, where differences in pronominal systems contribute to variation in
null object distribution.
Info
