Subjeavtta sadji ja finihtta cealkagiid struktuvra davvisámegielas
Mikael Svonni (Sámi dutkan, Ubmi universitehta)
Viečča artihkkala dás (pdf).
The subject and the structure of the finite clause in North Sami
This paper deals with (some of) the functional categories within the IP complex. I assume – as is commonly assumed – that the subject is basgenerated in Spec-VP. The subject moves to Spec-FP to check agreement features in F0. The agreement features in North Sami are person and number, but not gender. The main verb moves from V to T to check tense and ends up in F0 to check agreement, if not an auxiliary (or modal) blocks the main verb from reaching the checking positions.
There is a full agreement in North Sami between the (formal) subject of the finite clause and the finite verb. Negation in (North) Sami is expressed by a negative auxiliary. The negative auxiliary shows agreement with the subject but is not inflected for tense or mood, which indicates that NegP is generated between FP and TP – as in many other Finno-Ugric languages. The auxiliary (leat) is generated below TP and takes a TP as its complement. The data from North Sami suggests that the feature specifications of the first TP are associated with tense and mood and the second TP with aspect. A modal – on the other and – takes a TP headed for [-Tense] as its complement, irrespective of the position in the clause.