1887
Volume 40, Issue 1
  • ISSN 0929-7332
  • E-ISSN: 1569-9919

Abstract

Abstract

The auxiliary ‘do’ in standard Dutch is usually described as ‘dummy’ because it supposedly adds nothing substantial to the meaning of the sentence. We argue, however, that the auxiliary does have a function in the sentence, as a marker of either habitual or intentional aspect. In an online production experiment, we investigated the acceptability of the allegedly dummy auxiliary ‘do’. Results show that the degree of acceptability of the auxiliary ‘do’ is very low, even lower than the widely disapproved use of ‘them’ as a subject in Dutch. However, because a significant difference was found in the acceptability between the habitual and the intentional reading, we conclude that the auxiliary ‘do’ in Dutch cannot be dummy, i.e. semantically empty.

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2023-11-03
2025-06-16
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  • Article Type: Research Article
Keyword(s): grammatical norm violation; habitual aspect; intentional aspect; rating experiment
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