jutfrank
VIP Member
- Joined
- Mar 5, 2014
- Member Type
- English Teacher
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Nor would someone make much sense in the reply without being semantically related to anyone who can help me. So, it has to be anaphoric to some degree at least, doesn't it?
I don't think this is anaphor, strictly speaking, no, but there is some kind of indexical relation, yes. I'll look into it ...
Consider the following:
Do you know anyone who can help me? Yeah, I know someone who can help you.
If you know anyone who can help me, I'd like to see them who can help me.
Clumsiness aside, which of these is preferable/possible to you?
Only the former is possible. someone and someone who can help are identical in reference. You can think of the single word someone as equivalent to someone [who can help].
In the latter, them substitutes for the whole NP, including the relative clause bit.
If the former, then the anyone who can help me parts are not equally monolithic, i.e. it's easier for someone to take the relative clause from anyone splitting thus the monolith up.
Please run that reasoning past me again. I didn't get it.
The latter is ungrammatical, anyway, since them can't function as subject. You apparently mean they, right?
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