Inverse Copular Constructions - Subject-verb Agreement

Subject-verb Agreement

Inverse copular constructions where the inverted predicative expression is a noun phrase are particularly noteworthy, in part because subject-verb agreement can (at least in English) be established with the pre-verb predicative NP as opposed to with the post-verb subject NP, e.g.

a. The pictures are a problem.

b. A problem is/??are the pictures.

a. Those kids are an annoyance.

b. An annoyance is/??are those kids.

In the inverse copular constructions, the copula agrees with the singular predicative expression to its left as opposed to with the plural subject to its right. Interestingly, this phenomenon seems to be limited to English (and possibly French); it does not occur in related languages such as German, e.g.

a. Die Bilder sind ein Problem.

'The pictures are a problem.'

b. Ein Problem sind/*ist die Bilder.

'A problem are/is the pictures.'

Nor does it occur in some Romance languages, e.g. Italian:

a. Queste foto del muro sono la causa della rivolta.

'These photos on the wall are the cause of the revolt.'

b. La causa della rivolta sono/*è queste foto del muro.

'The cause of the revolt are/is the photos on the wall.'

The fact that English (unlike German and Italian) demands subject-verb agreement to occur with the pre-verb NP generates confusion about what should qualify as the subject NP. From a morphological point of view, the pre-verb NP in inverse copular constructions should count as the subject, but from the perspective of information structure (e.g. definiteness, old information, specificity), the post-verb NP should be the subject.