Copular Complements: Closed or Open?

In this paper, we consider the syntactic analysis of copular constructions in LFG. Our initial examination of copular constructions suggests several conclusions. First, the open analysis is appropriate for some copular constructions but not for others, even within the same language. Second, the same construction can be open in some languages and closed in others. Third, we can determine whether a particular copular construction is open or closed by examining phenomena like agreement and the obligatory presence of the copula. Fourth, we do not expect open postcopular complements always to be open in other environments.