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5.1.Finite argument clauses
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Section 5.1.1 starts with a number of more general remarks concerning finite argument clauses. Sections 5.1.2 through 5.1.4 discuss in more detail the use of finite clauses as direct objects, subjects and prepositional objects. Section 5.1.5 continues with a discussion of fragment clauses. A prototypical case of the type of fragment clauses we have in mind is provided by the so-called sluicing construction in (6b), which can be used as a reaction to example in (6a). Sluicing constructions are arguably derived by partial deletion of the phonetic contents of a finite clause, which is indicated here by means of crossing-out.

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a. Jan heeft gisteren iemand bezocht.
speaker A
  Jan has  yesterday  someone  visited
  'Jan visited someone yesterday.'
b. Kan je me ook zeggen wie Jangisteren bezocht heeft?
speaker B
  can you  me also  tell  who  Jan yesterday  visited  has
  'Can you also tell me who (Jan visited yesterday)?'

Section 5.1.6 concludes with a brief discussion of wh-extraction from finite clauses, which is illustrated in (7) by means of wh-movement of a direct object; the wh-phrase wat in (7b) arguably originates in the same position as the direct object dit boek in (7a); consequently, the embedded clause in (7b) contains an interpretative gap, which we have indicated by means of the traceti.

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a. Ik denk [Clause dat Marie dit boek morgen zal kopen].
  think  that  Marie  this book  tomorrow  will  buy
b. Wati denk je [Clause dat Marie ti morgen zal kopen]?
  what  think  you  that  Marie  tomorrow  will  buy
  'What do you think that Marie will buy tomorrow?'

Wh-extraction is only possible from complement clauses of a limited set of verbs, and our discussion will focus especially on the properties that a matrix verb must have in order to license wh-extraction. For a more general and extensive discussion of the restrictions on wh-movement the reader is referred to Section 11.3.1.

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