Silent Subjects without (Silent) Agreement (A01)

• Subject Area: General and Comparative Linguistics, Experimental Linguistics, Typology, Non-European Languages
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 551281144

This project explores the predictions of a theory of null subjects in which a) consistent null subject languages involve pronominal incorporation and b) radical and partial null subject languages involve nominal ellipsis. It does so in the historical domain, investigating potential correlations between agreement, nominal functional structure, and other forms of ellipsis in diachronic corpora of English, Icelandic, Low German, Brazilian Portuguese, and French. Our long-term aim is to develop a unified, parsimonious theory of null elements cross-linguistically.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1760: SiNoSi: Silence, Noise and Signal in Language
• Applicant Institution: Universität Konstanz
• Project Head: Professor Dr. George Walkden