Haitian Creole Se: a Copula, a Pronoun, Both or Neither? on the Double Life of a Functional Head

Recent research on the element se in Haitian Creole predicative constructions seem to have reached opposite conclusions. On the one hand, se has been argued to be a functional head in the verbal functional structure of HC. On the other hand, it has been argued to be a nominal resumptive pro-form of the subject of predication. The paper evaluates the arguments for both positions in regards to the unification potential that each analysis provides to account for the various occurrences of the element se in the HC grammar, as well as to the eventual relation that se may be assumed to entertain with the element ye that surfaces in predicative sentences with displaced predicates. It is shown that neither perspective achieves a full unification. Elements of an alternative analysis based on some innovations of the Minimalist framework presenting a potential for a middle ground position are explored. It is suggested that se is a functional projection that alternatively licenses a thematic or an expletive subject, depending on whether it does or doesn’t allow thematic checking. The proposal offers a new perspective for the dual role of se as a licenser of predication (copula se) and as the apparent subject of a type of expletive construction (pronominal se). With respect to Creole genesis, this perspective offers a window into the complexity of the workings of universal principles, remaining neutral as