Finnish first conjunct agreement & the direction of Agree

Abstract

Colloquial Finnish displays a pattern of first conjunct agreement (FCA) that is strikingly similar to patterns attested in other languages. I consider the possibility that existing analyses of FCA proposed for other languages may account for the Finnish data. Ultimately, I conclude that none of the previous analyses considered here are able to adequately explain Finnish FCA. A new analysis of FCA is proposed in order to account for the Finnish data that relies on a bidirectional version of the operation Agree. Thus, the Finnish FCA data both expand our understanding of how FCA is manifested cross-linguistically and provide new evidence bearing on recent debates about the directionality and timing of agreement.