ConSOLE 20 2012 University of Leipzig

Collective (dis)agreement. On a 3/4 pattern of British English collective NPs

Peter W. Smith

University of Connecticut

peter.w.smith@uconn.edu
Collective NounsPlural AgreementBritish EnglishAgreement mismatches

Abstract

This paper investigates plural agreement that is triggered by collective NPs that are morphologically singular in British English. Plural collective noun agreement freely alternates with singular agreement in this dialect, but there are unexpected restrictions which I provide an explanation for. I also discuss agreement mismatches that are found with collective nouns, and show how they can be accommodated in a minimalist framework. This paper adds to the debate on where agreement happens within the grammar, and I propose that it is both syntactic and post-syntactic following recent work elsewhere.

Access & Citation

Citation Formats

APA Style

Peter W. Smith (2012). collective (dis)agreement. on a 3/4 pattern of british english collective nps. In Proceedings of ConSOLE 20, edited by Enrico Boone, Martin Kohlberger, Maartje Schulpen, (pp. 229-253).

BibTeX

@inproceedings{Smith-collectivenouns-2013, title={Collective (dis)agreement. On a 3/4 pattern of British English collective NPs}, author={Peter W. Smith}, booktitle={Proceedings of ConSOLE 20}, year={2012}, pages={229-253}, editor={Enrico Boone and Martin Kohlberger and Maartje Schulpen} }