Part of
Romance Linguistics 2008: Interactions in RomanceEdited by Karlos Arregi, Zsuzsanna Fagyal, Silvina Montrul and Annie Tremblay
[Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 313] 2010
► pp. 125–138
The existence of a null argument in preverbal position in null subject sentences has been challenged in recent years. This paper presents new empirical evidence based on binding considerations in favor of a syntactically realized argument in preverbal position in null subject sentences. Using raising constructions such as those with the Spanish verb parecer ‘to seem’, I show that the null subject in raising constructions behaves as if in a preverbal position in the matrix sentence. The simplest explanation for this state of affairs is to assume that there is a pro in preverbal position.