Being as big as small clauses get: the syntax of participial adjuncts in German and English

Abstract This paper presents a comparative syntactic account of participial adjuncts in German and English. While the typological literature describes as much more restricted than their English counterparts both syntactically semantically, this empirical evidence that these differences have been exaggerated. Based on corpus 3000 adjuncts, it is argued clause-like internal structure languages. Participial are analysed small clauses can project all way up to CP level, with subject either phonetically null PRO controlled via Agree or an overt DP case licensed by element outside clause through default case. At same time, data show constructions constitute versatile group when comes argument-structural properties categorial nature. An analysis couched within framework Distributed Morphology presented for diversity. empirically based theoretically founded contributes our understanding structural possibilities cross-linguistically.