formalsubject

Formalsubject is a term sometimes used in linguistic descriptions to denote the syntactic subject of a clause—the element that occupies the subject slot in the sentence and typically governs verb agreement. It is distinguished from the notional or semantic subject, which concerns the entity that is doing or experiencing the action in meaning.

In practice, the formal subject is usually an overt noun phrase or pronoun in the subject position. In some constructions, such as expletive sentences, a word like there or it can function as the formal subject, while the notional subject refers to the real, semantically meaningful entity (for example, “There is a problem” versus the notional subject “a problem”). The distinction helps explain cases where surface syntax does not align with semantic roles.

Cross-linguistic variation affects how the formal subject behaves. In many languages with finite verbs, the formal subject determines verb agreement in person and number. In pro‑drop languages, the formal subject may be covert, with verb morphology carrying the necessary information. Some languages also mark the subject with case or clitics as part of the broader subject system.

Relation to other concepts: the formal subject is often called the grammatical or syntactic subject, emphasizing its position in the syntax rather than its semantic role. It is commonly contrasted with the topic or theme of a clause and with the notional or logical subject that encodes meaning or argument structure.

Notes: the label formalsubject is not universally standardized; many grammars simply refer to the “subject” and reserve more specialized terms for particular constructions. See also subject (grammar), expletive there, and grammatical person and number.