Asymmetric Coordination

Abstract

This chapter discusses asymmetric coordination, starting with a general discussion and then zooming in on a particular instance thereof found in German and other V2 languages. This latter construction resists a straightforward analysis in terms of subordination, yet lacks some of the symptoms of coordinate structures – namely, the requirement that movement has to happen across‐the‐board. It therefore represents an interesting data set for the investigation of the nature of the symptoms of coordinate structures, or, more precisely, the Coordinate Structure Constraint. In particular, the construction reveals that one of the defining features of coordinate structures – namely that each coordinate must be individually licensed when substituted for the whole coordination – must play a crucial role in the formulation of the latter.