64 Expletive subject of existential verb
This feature is described more fully in
chapter 64.
Summary
By existential verb, we refer to the element corresponding to English there is in existential clauses like There is food on the table. An expletive subject is any element (word or affix) occurring with the existential verb that occupies the structural position of the subject but has no reference of its own. Typical examples are French il in il y a, German es in es gibt, English there in there is, or Nigerian Pidgin ì in ì get ‘there is’.
Authors
Martin Haspelmath and the APiCS ConsortiumValues
| excl | shrd | all | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | An expletive subject is used | 10 | 17 | 27 |
 | An expletive subject is not used | 48 | 17 | 65 |
| Representation: | 75 | |||
| Language | Value | Lexifier | Details | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Id | Primary text | Analyzed text | Gloss | Translation | Type | Language | Audio | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|