Logophoric anaphora in Icelandic (revised)

Abstract

This chapter reviews the interplay between structural factors and discourse factors in the interpretation of the third-person anaphor sig in Icelandic. It focuses on the question of whether the interpretation of long-distance sig in subjunctive and infinitival domains is subject to the same conditions. More specifically, it addresses the roles of c-command and perspective in the interpretation of sig. Results from the literature indicate that the c-command requirement on anaphor binding is strictly enforced in the infinitival domain. Non-c-commanding antecedents (or even the absence of a linguistic antecedent) are allowed in the subjunctive domain, but only if the envisaged antecedent is a perspective holder. It appears that the Icelandic data are only consistent with analyses that allow a differentiation between the mechanisms governing long-distance sig in subjunctives and in infinitives.