Iron Range English reflexive pronouns

Abstract

This chapter offers new data from a Magnitude Estimation acceptability task that show that Iron Range English (IRE), which is spoken in the Arrowhead region of Minnesota, has long-distance reflexives. IRE reflexives (e.g., him-self) are long-distance reflexives, despite not, on the surface, sharing characteristics with long-distance reflexives in other languages: they are bi-morphemic, can corefer with subjects or objects, and exhibit both Blocking Effects and subject/verb agreement. However, IRE reflexives are neither indeterminate between anaphors and pronominals, nor are they are true logophors. Building on Katada (1991), this chapter suggests that IRE reflexives are operators that move successive-cyclically in LF to the edge of each clause, where they are in a local relationship with potential antecedents in higher clauses.