Talk:dummy subject

Are introductory subject and preparatory subject definitely synonyms in all cases, or just hyponyms? Possibly there are languages where a dummy subject appears in other places, not introductory? Equinox ◑ 06:01, 13 May 2020 (UTC)

@Equinox: Good point. In my native Dutch they definitely aren't synonyms. An introductory subject, or voorlopig onderwerp, can be seen in such sentences as Het is goed dat je gekomen bent ('It's good to have you here', literally 'it's good that you have come'), while a dummy subject (loos onderwerp) can be seen in het regent ('it's raining'). An introductory subject imo announces a more elaborate, 'definitive' subject while a dummy subject doesn't refer to anything meaningful. Steinbach (talk) 17:03, 24 December 2024 (UTC)