It ~ when~

Question

The term BYOD first entered common use in 2009, courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel when it recognized an increasing tendency among its employees to bring their own devices (i.e., smartphones, tablets and laptop computers) to work and connect them to the corporate network.^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bring_your_own_device#cite_note-12} However, it took until early 2011 before the term achieved any real prominence when IT services provider http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unisys and software vendor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrix_Systems started to share their perceptions of this emergent trend.

I't like to know whether "it" indicates the underlined "when" clause.
Thank you in advance for your help.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

park sang joonI't like to know whether "it" indicates the underlined "when" clause.

Not really; it is an existential 'it'...which is complementary to the clause you have underlined, I think.

CalifJim · Answer

park sang joonit took until early 2011 before the term achieved any real prominence

This is a variant of the pattern

It took an hour to read the story,

which can be analyzed as a substitution of dummy it for the infinitive subject that was moved to the end:

To read the story took an hour.
________

If you know when the story-reading began, you can measure the time from then with an until-phrase:

It took until 2 o'clock to read the story. (Beginning time: 1 o'clock.)

And with the appropriate changes, the infinitive can be replaced with a before-clause.

It took until 2 o'clock before I finished reading the story.

At this point, however, you can't say that "before I finished reading the story" is the subject, thus:

*Before I finished reading the story took until 2 o'clock.

The initial dummy it is left there without any true substitute on the surface level of the sentence.

Nevertheless, you can relate it to

For me to finish reading the story took until 2 o'clock.
_______

In any case, I think by now you can see how the following two sentences are related.

It took until early 2011 before the term achieved any real prominence.
For the term to achieve any real prominence took until early 2011.

park sang joonI'd like to know whether "it" indicates the underlined "when" clause.

So no, 'it' does not indicate the 'when' clause. The 'when' clause connects 'early 2011', the time that 'the term achieved any real prominence', and the time that Unisys and Citrix Systems 'started to share their perceptions', saying that these three times are in fact the same time.

CJ

Tkacka15 · Answer

CalifJimIt took an hour to read the story

Is the dummy It in It took an hour to read the story a cataphoric one?

CalifJim · Answer

tkacka15Is the dummy It in It took an hour to read the story a cataphoric one?

I'd say no. Dummy it is just a grammatical place holder. It's not an additional mention of the same referent. Structures with cataphoric pronouns have two references to the same referent:

Before it was destroyed, the building was evacuated.

CJ

Tkacka15 · Answer

CalifJimI'd say no. Dummy it is just a grammatical place holder.

Thank you for the explanation.

It ~ when~

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