Open Access

Fortmann Christian

• This article targets a distinctive kind of root structures in German formed by minimally two phrases but lacking an overt verbal predicate like i.a. die Guten ins Tröpfchen, die Schlechten ins Kröpfchen, jedem ein Bier or in den Müll mit dem Dreck. Certain instantiations of these patterns have been dubbed verblose Direktiva by Jacobs (2008) who provides an account in terms of construction grammar. Müller (2011), on the other hand, proposes an anti-passive analysis of the phenomenon. However, these apparent verbless root structures show conspicuous parallels in form and interpretation to another type of non-finite root structures in German, namely root infinitives. Both exclude an overt subject expression and both have a modal interpretation. Referring to these parallels, an analysis is elaborated which employs a empty verbal category. The overt consituents, then, are hosted by the (possibly extended) projection of the empty verb. Furthermore, this analysis captures a broader range of data, in particular instances formed by concatenated NPDAT-NPAKK or NPAKK-PP.