Íslenskt mál og almenn málfræði - 01.01.1980, Page 179

Inversion in Embedded Clauses in Modern Icelandic
177
Of course, in order to determine the position of the finite verb, we
need to know where the embedded clause begins: what counts as first
position? Consider the examples in (2):
1 2 3
(2)a Þeir sögðu, að amma hefði ekki lesið bókina (Haugen(1976:84))
1 2
b Ég vissi aldrei, hvort hann kæmi eða ekki
1 2 3
c Þeir vissu, hvern amma hafði hitt í bænum
1 2 3
d Maðurinn, sem amma hafði hitt í bænum, heitir Pétur
As indicated by the numbering, the subject NP counts as first position.
Conjunctions such as að and hvort are ignored, ie., they are considered
to be outside the embedded clause. The same principle usually applies
to interrogative pronouns such has hvern, as illustrated in (2c), and the
relative particle sem, as illustrated in (2d). But suppose that the em-
bedded clause does not have a subject NP overtly present, as will be the
case whenever the subject NP has been questioned or relativized. The
relative particle sem and the interrogative pronouns are traditionally
study of adverb positions. Some examples are given in (i), with the adverbs itali-
cized.
(i) ... eins og hann varð rólfær ... að hann dag og dag varð lasinn. (Hans
Vöggur)
Þegar ég loksins fann lagið, ...
Þegar ég síðast hitti hann, ...
Þegar mér allt í einu datt í hug að ...
Note that Icelandic is unlike the other Scandinavian languages in that the negative
adverb ekki does not occur in second position in embedded clauses; a sentence like
(ii) is felt to be a Danicism.
(ii) *Þó að ég ekki hefði fundið hann ...
Second position for adverbs seems to have the effect of emphasis, but not all ad-
verbs or adverbial PPs can occur in this position. Note the contrasts in (iii):
(iii)
Þegar ég
' fyrir löngu
loksins
< ??í fyrsta sinn
??um helgina
„ *með Siggu
hitti hann,...
Just what class(es) of adverbs can occur in second position remains to be deter-
mined.
íslcnskt mál II 12