Non-concord in Existential-There Constructions : A Corpus-Based Study

Abstract

Non-concord between the notional subject and the verb is an oft-cited characteristic of existential there-constructions. Recognizing some limitations of the previous studies(Meechan & Foley, 1994; Insua & Martinez, 2003), this papers seeks to resolve them by leading a more focused corpus-based research with in-depth analyses of the factors involved: the coordination of NPs, the characteristics of the quantifiers positioned between the verb and the NP, and the medium of expression(i.e. sppech vs. writing). The findings confirm the prevalence of non-concord in speech, to a degree that non-concord in existential-there is deemed acceptable in speech. It is also suggested that it is not merely the length of the NP but the number information conveyed by the element immediately following the verb tht affects ones memory to produce non-concordant sentences.