On Copular Sentences in Irish and Polish
Anna Bondaruk
John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin
Abstract
The paper aims at comparing syntactic properties of various types of copular sentences found in Irish and in Polish. The two languages are particularly fitted for comparison because, unlike a number of natural languages, they possess two ways of expressing a predication relation. In the case of Irish this relation is expressed by two verbal elements tá and is, while in Polish, in addition to a regular verbal structure with być ‘be’, there occurs a pronominal construction with the invariable element to ‘this’ (cf. the Russian ėto). First, the inflectional forms of the predicative verbal elements are examined. Then, a detailed overview of the contexts in which each copular structure can be used is undertaken. It is noted that in both languages the structures with tá and być can appear with AP, PP, AdvP predicates. However, tá is different from być in that it can also take VP complements. A further difference relates to the fact that while nominal complements in Irish can only follow the copula is, they are perfectly licit in both types of Polish copular structures, nonetheless, yielding a distinct case marking on the predicate. It is worth mentioning that the use of to in Polish is more limited than that of is in Irish; only the latter can co-occur with adjectival and prepositional predicates, while the former can link only identical categories, i.e. either two nominals or two infinitives. Moreover, Polish exhibits an interesting copular structure in which both być and to co-occur, e.g.: Marek to jest mój przyjaciel. ‘lit. Mark this is my friend.’ In the final part of the paper an attempt is made to offer an analysis of the structural positions of both Irish tá and is and Polish być and to, taking into account their linking possibilities, interpretational differences they give rise to and the order of the predicates. It is argued that while two Irish verbs to be can be classed together, an analogous treatment for Polish copular elements cannot be maintained.