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Reference.org
Pro-drop language
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<p>A pro-drop language (from "pronoun-dropping") is a <a href="/facts/Language/IRcTok2q">language</a> in which certain classes of <a href="/facts/Pronoun/UsbSNRSl">pronouns</a> may be omitted when they can be <a href="/facts/Pragmatics/KkK08yyI">pragmatically</a> or grammatically <a href="/facts/Inference/RBbe95bP">inferable</a>. The precise conditions vary from language to language, and can be quite intricate. The phenomenon of "pronoun-dropping" is part of the larger topic of <a href="/facts/Zero_(linguistics)/QKtBlgWc">zero</a> or null <a href="/facts/Anaphora_(linguistics)/gm1WHVBF">anaphora</a>. The connection between pro-drop languages and null anaphora relates to the fact that a dropped pronoun has referential properties, and so is crucially not a null <a href="/facts/Dummy_pronoun/om87KI8q">dummy pronoun</a>. </p><p>Pro-drop is a problem when translating to a non-pro-drop language such as English, which requires the pronoun to be added, especially noticeable in <a href="/facts/Machine_translation/DGF3NwuI">machine translation</a>. It can also contribute to <a href="/facts/Language_transfer/QVjXUXYk">transfer errors</a> in language learning. </p><p>An <a href="/facts/Areal_feature/Qk3QT5oq">areal feature</a> of some European languages is that pronoun dropping is not, or seldom, possible (see <a href="/facts/Standard_Average_European/a9p9dLln">Standard Average European</a>); this is the case for <a href="/facts/English_language/tpkxGt7b">English</a>, <a href="/facts/French_language/qe1DnaQh">French</a>, <a href="/facts/German_language/oWaQIDA8">German</a>, and <a href="/facts/Emilian_language/P88CsdJ8">Emilian</a>, among others. In contrast, <a href="/facts/Japanese_language/EEv485a5">Japanese</a>, <a href="/facts/Mandarin_Chinese/yxvDg67C">Mandarin Chinese</a>, <a href="/facts/Slavic_languages/b5GaeFx1">Slavic languages</a>, <a href="/facts/Finno-Ugric_languages/byPsWtAK">Finno-Ugric languages</a>, <a href="/facts/Assyrian_Neo-Aramaic/QcY8Smky">Assyrian Neo-Aramaic</a>, <a href="/facts/Kra-Dai_languages/Spo2uVRm">Kra-Dai languages</a>, <a href="/facts/Italian_language/YXsmvlQG">Italian</a>, <a href="/facts/Spanish_language/95BgYNfv">Spanish</a>, and <a href="/facts/Portuguese_language/vr3Fwzw3">Portuguese</a> exhibit frequent pro-drop features. Some languages, such as <a href="/facts/Greek_language/pzDd6eIz">Greek</a> and <a href="/facts/Hindi/n1QIEeCC">Hindi</a> also exhibit pro-drop in any argument. </p>