Optional Omissions in an Optionally Null Subject Language

Abstract

"In this paper we report the results of a study investigating the phenomenon of subject and direct object omissions in child Russian. While omissions have been extensively studied in a number of other languages, they all focused on either non-pro-drop languages (e.g. English (Haegeman 1990; Valian 1991; Hyams and Wexler 1993; Rizzi 1994; Hyams 1996; Matushansky and Wexler 2002, to mention a few), German and Dutch (de Haan and Tuijnman 1989; Weverink 1989; Kraemer 1993; Hamann 1995, etc.)) or obligatory pro-drop languages such as Italian (Valian 1991, among others). Russian in this sense presents a particular interest because the adult system allows for apparent optionality"