Date:  Mon, 28 Feb 1994 09:44:47 EST

From:  Larry Horn <LHORN[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]YALEVM.CIS.YALE.EDU>

Subject: Re: there's



Funny; there's been several postings lately on Linguist List about (dis)agree-

ment and the role played by linear order, proximity, etc. I'll try to forward

the principals each other's relevant postings. (Sorry; I haven't had my second

cup of coffee so my constraints are down.)

   As for "there's" as plural (or, better, a neutralized unmarked form), at

least for me this requires contraction and, what's more, the form retains its

number marking at an abstract level, since I get



      There's been several postings on this lately, haven't there?

                             *hasn't there?

      There's two mistakes on this page, aren't there?

                       *isn't there?

      There's two mistakes on this page; at least I think there are/*is.



and so on. I'd expect variation with respect to these judgments, though.

--Larry