den Dikken,, Marcel (2026) Number and person agreement with the subject: Downward Agree vs Spec–Head. NATURAL LANGUAGE & LINGUISTIC THEORY, 44 (1). No. 12. ISSN 0167-806X
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Abstract
This paper shows that there are fundamental connections in English between nominals headed by a singular noun of the committee type and the singular and plural pronouns they / them and you with regard to their agreement behaviour for number and person. An analysis of these DPs’ internal syntax and the influence of pre- vs post-verbal placement on number and person inflection on the verb is presented that capitalises on the difference between downward Agree and Spec–Head agreement. This analysis offers a syntactic representation for ‘singular they / them ’ which not only explains its agreement sensitivity to linear placement relative to the finite verb but also four additional properties of this complex pronoun.
| Item Type: | Article |
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| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Number , Person , Pronouns , ‘singular they/them’ , ‘pluringulars’ , Agree , Spec–Head agreement |
| Subjects: | P Language and Literature / nyelvészet és irodalom > P0 Philology. Linguistics / filológia, nyelvészet |
| SWORD Depositor: | MTMT SWORD |
| Depositing User: | MTMT SWORD |
| Date Deposited: | 02 Mar 2026 16:22 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Mar 2026 16:22 |
| URI: | https://real.mtak.hu/id/eprint/235233 |
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