ON THE TYPOLOGY OF SYNTACTIC POSITIONS AND THE NATURE OF CHAINS: Move

This t h e s i s proposes a r e d e f i n i t i o n o f t he A / A Y dichotomy, a concept c e n t r a l t o the P r i n c i p l e and Parameter model o f syntax developed by Chomsky (1981,82,85,86,89) and others. It i s argued t h a t i n a model which incorporates recent hypotheses concerning t h e bas ic s t r u c t u r e o f clauses, such as the VP-internal sub jec t hypothesis and the Spl i t INFL hypothesis, t he A / A ' dichotomy i s inadequate t o p rope r l y account f o r t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n and p rope r t i es o f chains created by Move a. The c e n t r a l c l a im o f t h i s t h e s i s (Chapter 11) 1s t h a t t he dichotomy re levant t o t he I d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f chains types should be expressed i n terms o f t he ion between [+HR] and [-HR] p o s i t i o n s which a re de f ined as a Head Related p o s i t i o n ( [ + HR]) i f f i s a s i s t e r t o XO o r t o X ' , i . e , a i s a s p e c i f i e r o r complement i n the X ' t h e o r e t i c sense. d i s t i n c t f o l lows: A. a i s a a B. a i s a non-Head-Related p o s i t i o n ([-HRI) otherwise Chapter I i s a b r i e f overview o f the evidence f o r the VP-internal sub jec t hypothesis and the Spl i t INFL hypothesis, p rov id ing the t h e o r e t i c a l background against which t h i s t h e s i s i s set . Chapter I 1 discusses t h e var ious p rope r t i es o f s y n t a c t i c p o s i t i o n s and the c l u s t e r s o f p rope r t i es which i d e n t i f y two d i s t i n c t types o f chains. The c e n t r a l c l a i m o f the t h e s i s i s motivated i n t h i s chapter. Chapter I11 i s an i n depth c r o s s l i n g u i s t i c study o f t he movement o f ob jec ts (scrambling and Ob jec t sh i f t ) . I t i s shown t h a t t he chains created by ob jec t movement have p rope r t i es cha rac te r i s , t i c o f [+HRl chains. Object movement I s analyzed as movement t . t he Spec of t h e var ious func t i ona l projec:t ions made a v a i l a b l e under t h e Spl i t INFL hypothesis. I t i s shown that ob jec t movement t o [+HR l p o s i t i o n s i s constra ined by the movement of verbal heads, a c o n s t r a i n t which i s argued t o f o l l o w from the ECP given a dynamic no t i on o f M in ima l i t y . A cons idera t ion of p rope r t i es of the German/Dutch M i t t e l f e l d scrambling leads us t o suggest t h a t a b ina ry p a r t i t i o n o f p o s i t i o n s and chains may be i n s u f f i c i e n t . We i d e n t i f y a t h i r d t ype of cha in which has mixed p r o p e r t i e s and suggest t h a t t h i s p a r t i c u l a r t ype o f cha in i s c rea ted by movement t o [+HR, -Case] p o s i t i o n s . Chapter I V cons iders WH-movement ([-HRI chains) and t h e t heo ry o f t h e ECP. I t i s argued t h a t c o n t r a r y t o recent assumptions;, WH-movement i s n o t always movement t o ( o r through) t h e Spec o f CP (which i n ou r view i s a [ + H R l p o s i t i o n comparable t o t h e Spec o f o the r f u n c t i o n a l p r o j e c t i o n s ) . The Spec of CP 1s a v a i l a b l e o n l y f o r sub jec t e x t r a c t i o n s ; o t h e r WH-extractions a re ad junc t i ons t o CP. T h i s proposal accounts f o r t h e f a c t t h a t t h e que/qui a l t e r n a t i o n o f t h e French complementizer (and s i m i l a r a l t e r n a t i o n s i n o the r languages) i s r e s t r i c t e d t o sub jec t e x t r a c t i o n s and i s imposs ib le o therwise. The l a s t par, t o f Chapter I V i s devoted t o Subjacency. The d i f f e rence between ECP anc' Subjacency v i o l a t i o n s i s de r i ved from a recu rs i ve a p p l i c a t i o n of t h e ECP a f t e r t r a c e d e l e t i o n . That i s ECP a p p l i e s tw i ce : f i r s t a t S -s t ruc tu re and then a t LF, a f t e r t r a c e d e l e t i o n . The i n t u i t i v e idea behind t h i s proposal i s t h a t cha ins which v i o l a t e t h e ECP bo th a t S-s t ruc tu re and a t LF l ead t o s t r onge r jugements o f ungrammat ica l i ty ( i . e . , s tandard ECP v i o l a t i o n s ) . Chains which v i o l a t e t h e ECP o n l y a t S -s t ruc tu re lead t o m i l d jugements o f ungramrnat ica l i ty ( i . e . , standard Subjacency v i o l a t i o n s ) . Fu r the r d i s t i n c t i o n s ( i n t h i s case, between weak and s t r o n g Subjacency v i o l a t i o n s ) a re account~!d f o r i n terms o f a c a l c u l u s o f b a r r i e r f o r ce . We f o l l o w Chomsky (1989 ) i n assumming t h a t o b l i g a t o r y t r a c e d e l e t i o n i n non-homogeneous ope ra to r va r i ab le chains i s due t o t h e P r i n c i p l e o f F u l l I n t e r p r e t a t i o n . Th i s hypothes is i s shown t o have e m p i r i c a l consequences f o r t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n o f f l o a t i n g q u a n t i f i e r s . Thes is Superv isor : David M-Pesetsky T i t l e : Assoc ia te Professor o f L i n g u i s t i c s