1 Re-evaluating zero: When nothing makes sense

This paper deals with the notion of zero, a concept widely used in linguistic literature but scarcely justified. A zero constitutes the presence of some linguistic element when nothing is actually there phonologically. However, it is imperative that one be cautious in postulating zeros in order to make proper generalizations. Therefore, this paper examines the notion of zero, presents necessary and sufficient selection criteria, and, ultimately, applies these to the imperative/infinitive-contrast of spoken Danish. It will be shown that these criteria will better capture the fundamentals of this verbal distinction in spoken Danish