On the structure of the Scandinavian DP

Abstract

Adjectives in definite Scandinavian DPs trigger an additional lexical determiner (‘double definiteness’). In a number of cases, one of the determiners is obsolete, and in some of these cases, different readings are obtained. The following questions arise: what is the function of this doubling pattern of determiners? Is there a semantic correlate? And what does this tell us about the structure of the DP? The presence or absence of weak adjectival inflection can also yield different readings, i.e. inflection interacts with interpretation. In the following I will show that multiple exponence in Scandinavian DPs contributes to interpretation. Furthermore I suggest that the notion of definiteness in Scandinavian DPs is made up of three aspects: discourse reference, specific reference, and identity. These aspects are expressed by three distinct morphemes: the preadjectival article, the suffixed article, and the adjectival inflection respectively.