On the Restricted Distribution of pro in Double Argument Constructions: A Processing Account

Abstract

This paper discusses the restricted distribution of pro in Double Argument Constructions (DArC). While it is generally assumed that Korean rather freely allows pro in argument positions, it appears that in certain DArCs, pro is not permitted in the second NP position. I argue that this restriction results from the processing mechanisms that discern the overtness of an argument. In particular, extending upon the works of Bae and Park’s (2018), I show that when an overt argument and a pro/null argument compete for a potentially matching predicate, the overt argument is chosen over the pro for processing in order to reduce the processing load. Subsuming the apparent restricted distribution, this analysis leads to the conclusion that in DArCs, pro does not take part in processing regardless of its position. I further show that the same processing effects arise in fragments that do not involve pro.