The form and position of pronominal objects with non-nominal antecedents in Scandinavian and German

Abstract

The present paper discusses a possible correlation between the placement of pronominal objects with non-nominal antecedents in Norwegian, and the use of the pronouns <i>es</i> ‘it’ and <i>das</i> ‘that’ in German. For Norwegian object shift (OS), it has been shown that while pronominal objects with non-nominal antecedents generally do not shift, this is not the case when these elements take on the discourse function of <i>continuing topics</i>. In this paper, we show that a very similar pattern can be observed in German. However, this is not related to whether object pronouns scramble or not, but rather to which pronominal <i>form</i> is used to refer back to the clausal antecedent. In German, <i>das</i> is generally used to refer back to non-nominal antecedents, however, <i>es</i> is also sometimes an option. In this study, we find parallels between the use of OS and <i>es</i>, on the one hand, and lack of OS and <i>das</i>, on the other, and propose that the former is preferred when the proposition the proform refers back to is part of the common ground in the discourse. This ties in nicely with previous research on Norwegian OS, as in order for a proposition to constitute a continuing topic in the discourse, it has to be established as part of the interlocutors’ common ground.