Remarks on prepositional object clauses in Germanic

This paper analyses the variation we find in the realization of finite prepositional object clauses in the Germanic languages. While in North Germanic a preposition can directly select a clause, Continental West Germanic languages dominantly employ a pronominal adverb as a prepositional proform that is syntagmatically related to the clause. The type of relation gives rise to further differences with respect to constituent structure. Within the Continental West Germanic languages we find variation along the following lines. First, whether or not they allow for structures where the preposition plus the clause occurs in restricted context: in Frisian and Dutch, P+CP is possible with factive clauses, in German P+CP is generally excluded. Second, whether or not the pronominal adverb can form a constituent with the clause, which is possible in German with a subset of pronominal adverbs, but generally excluded in Dutch and Frisian. Third, all Germanic languages under consideration except English share that the prepositional element can be covert, except in English. We propose an analysis that sets apart three structures, and the languages under discussion make use of one or two of these pattterns. This investigation is a first step towards a broader study of the nature of clauses in prepositional object positions and the implications for the syntax of clausal complementation.