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24.4.Pronominalization of the adjective (phrase)
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This section provides a brief note on the pronominalization of the adjective (phrase). Pronominalization is a common phenomenon in the case of nominal arguments, but it is also possible in the case of predicates. Consider (96); in (96a) the pronoun het/datit/that has the same function as the VP op zijn vader wachten, so we can conclude that the VP is pronominalized. Sometimes a smaller constituent than a full VP is pronominalized; in (96b), for example, the pronoun seems to replace only the verb.

96
Jan wil [VP op zijn vader wachten] ...
  Jan wants for his father wait ...
a. ... en ik wil het/dat ook.
  ... and I want it/that too
b. ... en ik wil het/dat op mijn moeder.
  ... and I want it/that for my mother

The examples in (97) show that predicatively used APs can also be pronominalized. In (97a) the pronoun hetit has the same function as the complex AP bang voor hondenafraid of dogs. As in the VP case in (96), the pronoun can also replace a smaller constituent; in (97b) the pronoun only replaces the adjective bangafraid, leaving its PP-complement unaffected.

97
Jan is [AP bang voor honden] ...
  Jan is afraid of dogs ...
a. ... en ik ben het ook.
  ... and I am it too
b. ... en ik ben het voor spinnen.
  ... and I am it of spiders

The use of the pronoun het is quite normal in coordination contexts and discourse. In left dislocation contexts, such as given in (98), the demonstrative pronoun datthat is used; note that dat cannot be analyzed as a complementizer, since the finite verb occupies the second position in the clause.

98
a. [AP Bang voor honden], dat is Jan.
  afraid of dogs that is Jan
b. Bang, dat is Jan voor honden.
  afraid that is Jan of dogs

The position of the pronoun hetit is different from the position of the adjective (phrase). In (99) we see that predicatively used APs are usually placed in the predicative position left-adjacent to the verbs in clause-final position (if present), i.e. after clause adverbials like ooktoo or altijdalways; cf. Section 28.2.2 for a more precise and detailed discussion. The pronoun, on the other hand, must precede the adverb, as shown in (100).

99
a. Jan is <*bang voor honden> ook/altijd <bang voor honden> geweest.
  Jan is afraid of dogs too/always been
b. Jan is <*bang> ook/altijd <bang> voor honden geweest.
  Jan is afraid too/always of dogs been
  'Jan has always been afraid of dogs, too.'
100
Peter is bang voor honden ...
  Peter is afraid of dogs ...
a. ... en Jan is <het> ook <*het> geweest.
  ... and Jan is it too been
b. ... en Jan is <het> altijd <*het> voor spinnen geweest.
  ... and Jan is it always of spiders been

This difference in placement suggests that the pronoun does not function as a predicative phrase, but as a regular nominal argument. If the pronoun does indeed function as a regular nominal argument, this may also provide an answer to the question of how a pronoun like het/dat, which should probably be seen as a maximal projection, can refer to the adjectival head in (97b), (98b) and (100b). Since a proper analysis of the behavior of the pronominal element is beyond the scope of the present discussion, we leave it as a topic for future research. We refer the reader to Sections 25.4 and 26.4 for further discussion of the pronominalization of the adjective (phrase).

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